Tang Soo Do - Ranking System

[ninjanurse]

Oh! By the way...what do you think about using yellow for the tigers? They get "demoted" to orange when they go up to jr's and have to earn yellow all over again. ????? Seems like a bummer to me.

 

[JaseP]

Traditionally, the Tang Soo Do ranking system had just four (and one-half) belt colors:

 

White (10th - 7th Gup)

 

Green (6th-4th Gup)

 

Red (3rd-1st Gup)

 

Midnight Blue (equivalent of Black in other styles). (1st - 3rd Dan)

 

Midnight Blue with solid horizontal Red stripe running the length of one side of the belt (Master's ranking) (4th - 9th Dan)

 

That's why Green and Red Belts get partial trim on their DoBahks and Yellow and Orange Belts (etc) usually don't.

 

Each of the belts represented one of the seasons;

 

White= Winter

 

Green= Spring

 

Red= Summer

 

Midnight Blue= Autumn

 

The Master's belt represented the concept of the Dan rank belts being fabric sewn around the old color belt. Eventually, about 9-10 yrs in the red would show through, and hence the Master's belt (at least in theory,... usually belts wear at the edges first not the middle).

 

Other belt colors were added afterwards, especially when Tang Soo Do was imported to the West (Americans and Europeans were too impatient to remain White Belts for a the better part of a year or more).

 

The system then became:

 

White

 

Orange

 

Green

 

Red

 

Midnight Blue

 

(1960s)

 

then;

 

White (10th Gup)

 

Yellow (9th Gup)

 

Orange (8th & 7th Gup)

 

Green (6th Gup - 4th Gup)

 

Red (3rd - 1st Gup)

 

Midnight Blue (Dans)

 

(1970s)

 

When factionalism hit the Moo Duk Kwan, you got splinter groups that then began starting using other colors (purple, brown, etc.), as well as using Black for the Dan belts.

[Bigman]

The midnight blue belt is the traditional belt color of Tang Soo Do and a very true statement is that once you become a black/midnightblue belt your learning has just begun. Black in Tang Soo Do is perfect and this you will never be. Even the master belts are true midnight blue with red stripe through the center. I have been associated with the International Tang Soo Do Federation for only a short time but have studied MDK,TKD,Kempo and a style called Shintoshi. I am a SAM DAN in Tang Soo Do. A great web site for anyone wanting good information about ITF is McHenry Tang Soo Do- Look it up under search @ google.com

 

Tang Soo

[karatekid1975]

Hiya, Bigman. I love that site. I already regularly visit Master Mac's site. Yes it is a very good site for TSD.

[SandanPJ]

thanks bigman