Testing Procedures

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Here are the rules that all Gup students of the Polish Tang Soo Do Association must follow:
Forms to draw:
- Notification – has to be assembled at least 2 weeks before the exam.
- List of people taking the exam – form for instructors TSD Poland

Preserving degrees from other styles.
In TSD it is possible to preserve degree from other style ex. karate, taekwondo, but following conditions must be fulfilled:
- submitting certificates on the holded degree;
- passing program differences in one year time;

Preserving student degree is free of charge, but one becomes a full right holder of TSD degree after trial period, usually 12 months, in case of lower degrees earlier.

Exams for student degrees – gup in TSDF Poland are twice a year – winter and summer- the examiner in TSD Poland on behalf of Grand Master Robert Cheezic is Marcin Kostyra. Each certificate is given personally by Kwan Jang Nim – Founder of Federation – Grandmaster Robert Cheezic.

In Cheezic Tang Soo Do Federation (and TSD Poland) there are 10 student degrees and 10 master degrees. White belt - 10 gup (the lowest) is an initial degree, without exam (there is also no certificate)

In case of student degrees, so called partial belts, marked with red bars on one end of the belt (on the second there are black belts which signify gup). 10,1 gup; 10,2 gup; 10,3 gup – marked respectively: white belt with one red bar, two and three. 9,1 gup; 9,2 gup; 9,3 gup – orange belt with one, two or three bars and so on.

Partial belts are given by instructor for:
- sport successes;
- engagement;
- trainings regularity;
- progress in martial art;
- moral attitude;

Partial belts are given once in a month, there is no formal exam (but instructor can conduct internal test) on those degrees there is no certificate, what means that partial belts are free of charge.

The TSD student has to have at least three red bar to be allowed to pass on a full gup degree.

Between 1 gup and 1 dan there is a so called Cho Dan Bo belt – candidate for black belt, degree which is supposed to prepare candidate for exam on black belt. From 4 dan there are master degrees (than apart from black fringe on collars, sleeves and bottom of uniform (Dobohk) one wears black trousers). Above 6 dan there are disown belts , that is for contribution in martial art development, attitude and so on. 10 dan is a degree reserved for the founder of the school (Kwan).

Colours of the belts and forms, which are assigned to degrees (click on inscription)

Fundamental rules oblige while promotion on next degree:
1. Three red bars (partial belts).

2. 40 training hours from the last exam (taking part in tournaments can be beneficial for the candidate). Exceptionally long space is between Candidate on black belt (Apprentice Black – Cho Dan Bo) and 1 dan, is at least one year.

3. Positive instructors opinion, instructor may not admit sb to an examination, if candidates attitude is not correct. Instructor have better contact with student than the examiner and knows what is the level of his knowledge. Students skills speak for examiner, what results in future opinion about instructor.

4. Submitting for examination, latest 2 weeks before exam. Exemplary notification to draw. In case of children under 18 parental agreement is needed. If the notification will be forwarded after time-limit student is not allowed to take the exam.

Exam
Component parts decide about passing or failing:
5. Forms. From 9 gup forms knowledge is obligatory. Novice makes two forms, once with his own rate, than correctness, dynamic, concentration, strength, smoothness and shouts (kiap!) are judged. Secondly the same form is made with interpretation, that is student describes usage of each technique and tells its names in Korean. On the exam everybody makes the form individually in front of the examiner, in TSD Poland there are no group exams.

6. Forms with weapons. From 7 gup knowledge of forms with stick. To 1 dan one have to know 7 forms with long stick - Bong - (180 cm) and one with knife and one with other weapon (tonfa, nunchaku, sai, kama) on II dan beside that form with sword is obligatory. Form precision, dynamic, smoothness and strength is judged.

7. Leg techniques. While exam it is advisable to kick on hand target, shield or bag. Keeping hilt-guard is particularly important while kicks. While making kicks one should always keep hilt – guard. Kicks are made from fighting stance (Hu Gul Jaseh) both front leg, as well as back leg. In the requirements there are also skip jumps, in the air (jump over 4 people ), mule kicks, „low kick” (kick in the thigh, different striking surfaces, shin bone, foot) as well as kicks typically acrobatic ex. Jumping Double Kick at the same time forward and at side.

8. Hand techniques. In TSD knowledge of boxing techniques is especially important, that is why since 9 gup while exams keeping hilt guard is judged. For each degree one have to make combination of punches on łapke or bag moving in fighting stance. Beside that knowledge of traditional techniques is obligatory: hammer fist (kwon do), back fist (kap kwon), knife hand (soo do), elbow strike (pal koop) in different dimensions (also with jump), knuckle strike (kwan soo) or twisting plier hand web of thumb (jip kye son). It is worth to emphasize, that in TSD Poland there are no hand techniques in traditional positions on the exam.

9. Self defense. In TSD there is a big liberty to choose self defense technique, each student demonstrates those techniques that suits his predispositions. Light levers as well as tough counter-attacks, but there are also some specified situations/attacks for which special technique must be known. From simple - holding monomial hand to defense from strangling in lying position. Each self defense technique is made on both sides, in two variants. On each exam falling are obligatory. From red belt self-defense techniques with weapons are obligatory-stick, nunchaku, tonfa (self-defense – off course from a person attacking with a knife, stick). Owners of red belts also have to know basic throws (through hip, leg).

10. Breaking. For each degree one have to break board. The thickness and number depends on age, sex, level.

Dimensions of pine boards:

25x25 cm. a) Girls from 13 and boys from 12 – 1 cm.
b) Girls from 13 – 1,5 cm, boys 12- 17 year – 1,5 cm.
c) Man over 17 year – 2 cm.

Or:
30x30 cm: a) 1cm, b) 1,8 cm, c) 2,5 cm.

Candidate have 3 trials to break the board. Before breaking one have to give name of the technique. For example: on 9 gup one have to break one board, free to choose technique and height, on 8 gup there are two boards to break – with hand and leg etc. On 2 gup one has to break 8 boards – free to choose technique, (with different strike surfaces): 4 with hand and 4 with leg, 3 jump kick, head height.

11. The last element of the exam is the knowledge of the Korean terminology. Apprentice (candidate) for Black Belt (Cho Dan Do) have to pass written examination from history and philosophy of TSD. In case of lower belts basic terms are obligatory.

Because of the fact that on higher belts there are a lot of materials, one don’t have to pass everything at once, but it can’t take longer than 2 weeks. Every candidate has one repeat exam.

Good results on competitions, ex. When candidate wins a medal and the form he made was on the next belt he is excused from making it on the exam.

Besides that each candidate have to take part in competitions at least once in a year, because on TSD exams there are no fights – it is difficult to judge that on the exam. If candidate don’t have documented participation in competition he can’t take part in the examination.

Examiner may take into consideration different factors: participation in International competitions, contribution in development of TSD, age, sex, mental development and physical dysfunctions.

After each exam results are publicized on network, everybody may also check the archive. Full information about requirements can be found in "Elemantarz TSD" - first book in Polish language about Tang Soo Do, author Marcin Kostyra.