The Dan testing's for Great Britain Tang Soo Do are held twice per year in May and October. They take place in Huntingdon at The Leisure Centre, in St Peters Road. All potential candidates have to pass a pre-testing held three/four weeks previous to the main test to be eligible to attend. Both testing's are four hours in length and test the candidates both physically and mentally. Those adults testing for 2nd Dan and above, are also required to complete and additional physical test which includes push-ups and sit-ups plus a two mile run.
The physical part of the test is made up of Pahl Put Ki punching, push-ups, sit-ups and star jumps with different requirements at each grade. They then have to complete numerous multiple hand techniques, and multiple kick techniques which include jumping kicks, plus combinations of hand and kick techniques, Jumping kicks on pads, all hyungs for each grade, all weapon hyungs for each grade and the association hand, foot, and self defence techniques. All candidates have to take a written test which they must achieve 95% to pass, all instructors plus 2nd Dan and above must achieve 100% to pass. Additional techniques are also required of Dan grades testing for a higher grade as requested by the examining panel. Free sparring one on one, and two on one for all those testing, plus blindfold sparring for those testing for 3rd Dan. Each candidate is also required to break a combination of blocks and boards in different combinations according to the level they are testing for and their age.
Progression to a higher grade from 3rd Dan takes place three times per year one in Europe one in South America and one in America, these are determined by Grandmaster Shin and each candidate, when eligible, will complete three tests, a pre-test, a 4th Dan test and finally a Masters test. The Europe testing normally takes place at the combined Masters and Leadership clinic held in Europe.
The web pages under this heading contain a Black Belt Terminology test, the current Dan testing eligibility requirement and a collection of group photographs for the testing's held in May and October each year.
The testings start from 2000 and there are a few photographs missing from then until now if anyone has a group photograph of the missing years please send them to the Webmaster so that they can be added to the appropriate pages.
Dan Testing
