The Dan grading system is a Japanese measure used to indicate a level, step, or class used in modern martial arts. It was introduced by Jigoro Kano – the creator of modern judo. In the early 1880s, he first began to apply the dan system in his legendary Kodokan dojo. The rest of the belt colors were added by judo coach Mykonosuke Kavishi, who introduced them around 1935, and the purpose was to motivate his students to greater achievements. They were also adapted to karate by Gichin Funakoshi, who was the founder of Shotokan Karate.
For the Korean kickboxing system, ATKD.eu borrowed the system for degrees from Taekwon-do, where the students’ technical grades are called “Gup” (colored belts) and are arranged in the “reverse” order – from the lowest degree (10 Gup – white belt) to the highest (1 Gup – red belt with a black line). Master degrees are called “Dan” (black belt) and are increasing, indicated by a different number of features on the belt. Beginners who began to practice the art start with a white belt, for which they do not pass an exam.
There are five levels of student grades and six master degrees (Dan), based on the basic colors of the belts. The grades are arranged by the colors of the respective belts:
White belt – given to any beginner
Yellow belt
Green belt
Blue belt
Red belt
Red/black belt (known as Pum))
Black Belt – 1st Dan
The colors of the belts also have their symbolic meaning:
- White belt – symbolizes the ignorance and lack of skills of the practitioner.
- Yellow belt – embodies the mastery of basic techniques.
- Green belt – symbolizes growth and development, following the path of martial art.
- Blue belt – symbolizes the practitioner’s pursuit of perfection.
- Red belt – symbolizes danger – danger of injury, lack of self-control, danger of using one’s knowledge and skills in a negative way.
- Black belt – it is the opposite of white and symbolizes technical mastery, strength of spirit.
Martial art is like a spiral – there is a beginning, but there is no end. Everyone determines how far they will go with the effort and perseverance they put in during training.
Requirements for colored belts
The requirements for each degree include a practical and theoretical part.
Practical part – techniques that are performed:
- Basic techniques – attacking and defensive movements;
- Combinations – a sequence of attacking or defensive movements.
- Sparring – attacking and defensive movements with a partner according to certain rules.
- Self-defense – self-defense techniques.
- A special technique – breaking boards with jumps.
- Strength test* (breaking) – breaking a large number of boards with one blow.
Theoretical part – questions on the topic:
- Concepts, principles and rules of conduct, addresses, commands, etc.
- Terminology – names for positions, techniques, movements, etc.
- Philosophy – “Do”.
- Philosophy – “Do”.
The amount of requirements and their difficulty increases with the increase in the technical degree to which they relate. For example, for the lower degrees, the basic kicks are required, and for the higher ones, the same techniques are performed with a spin, jump and a combination of both.
For all the techniques included in the theory, as terminology, it is necessary to know their purpose, as well as the correct way to perform them.
The examination requirements for a certain grade also include the requirements for the previous degrees.
* The number of boards for the strength test and the height for the special equipment are determined by the examiner.
Black belt requirements
Technical exams are taken for grades from I to VI Dan.
The requirements for black belts include:
- Practical part – techniques that are demonstrated to the examiner instructor. Include:
- Leg and arm technique – performing combinations of punches and blocks. Performing one or more punches in combination with a jump or rotation (180°/360°).
- Sparring – attacking and defensive movements with a partner on assignment (agreed) or martial arts according to certain rules (free).
- Self-defense – self-defense techniques against an armed or unarmed opponent.
- A special technique – breaking one or more boards with jumps or rotating in length or height.
- Strength test* – breaking boards/bricks/tiles with one blow.
- Theoretical part – test.
The amount of requirements and their difficulty are clearly defined for the lower grades of dan and become conditional for the higher grades.
The examination requirements for a certain grade also include the requirements for the previous degrees.
*The indicated number of boards for the strength test and the height for the special equipment are indicative and are determined by the examiner.
