The world of martial arts is steeped in tradition. Most schools and styles have a system of acknowledging and honoring rank determined by levels of technique and seniority. One of the primary purposes of the USHF’s existence is to promote and to provide a system of Rank Requirements.
The USHF Board of Examiners has established a rank requirement curriculum for our associate schools. These are requirements that have been established as a bare minimum for rank advancement within the USHF affiliated schools.
Each school is encouraged to use these requirements as a guideline for establishing their own rank requirements. We highly encourage schools to include concepts and techniques from other systems and arts to supplement these requirements based on the needs of their respective students.
For each belt rank the student must demonstrate proficiency in the required techniques for that rank. In addition, students are required to be prepared to demonstrate any or all techniques for ALL previous ranks. The previous ranks are the foundations for the next. Kup ranks require a $10 certificate fee to be paid to USHF Board of Examiners via the Treasurer; Dan ranks require a $50 certificate fee.
If you are a USHF School, in good standing, the USHF has Kup Certificates available for purchase. To purchase USHF Kup certificates, school dues must be current and and updated roster must be on file. The certificates come with traditional, official USHF chop stamps, as well as two Board of Examiners signatures. Place orders by emailing the USHF Secretary at cxford@gmail.com. We’ll work out the details via email after you place your order.
Hapkido 1st Kup – Temporary Black Belt / Red and Black Belt
USHF Schools are not required to use these belt sheets but they have been provided in case you would like to use them.
Promotion of students to Dan (Black Belt) ranks will be with approval of the Board of Examiners of the USHF.
Rank reciprocity: Students from any Hapkido school (whether USHF or not) will be recognized at their currently held non-graded (kup) rank but must pass USHF standards for any and all subsequent promotions in our system.
Dan rank recognition is the domain of the USHF Board of Examiners.
Eligibility for Promotion to 2nd Dan and above, within USHF
Click here to print this info as a PDF.
Approval of Board of Examiners – All candidates must be approved by a vote of the Board of Examiners. The BoE will base their decision on the criteria listed below.
Time in Rank – The candidate must have been promoted to their current rank a number of years ago equal to or more than the rank desired (e.g. to be promoted to 4th dan, the candidate must have been a 3rd dan for at least 4 years)
Promotion Portfolio – Candidates must submit a portfolio detailing their personal growth, training, teaching, service, and outreach accomplishments since their last promotion. To make this process more objective, points are assigned for various activities (outlined below). To be promoted, a candidate must accumulate a number of points equal to their current rank x 4.
| Current Rank | Points Needed for Promotion | Desired Rank |
| 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 2 | 8 | 3 |
| 3 | 12 | 4 |
| 4 | 16 | 5 |
| 5 | 20 | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | 7 |
Below are some examples of activities that count towards promotion. If there are other activities you believe should count in your favor, feel free to contact the USHF Board of Examiners (ushfboardofexaminers@gmail.com).
Promotion Portfolios must be submitted to the Board of Examiners at least thirty (30) days before the annual Spring or Fall seminar so that members can evaluate the materials and ask questions before voting at the seminar.
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Personal Growth in the Arts |
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| Activity | Point Value | Maximum Points Claimable | Evidence Needed |
| Active Student at a USHF School | 1 point/year | Current Dan rank | Head instructor vouches to BoE |
| USHF Seminar Paricipation | 1 point/ seminar | Current Dan rank | Certificate of attendance, photos, etc. |
| Written Paper submitted and reviewed by BoE | 1 point/paper | Current Dan rank | BoE confirms that it has been reviewed and deemed acceptable |
| Seminar in other Art | 1 point/ seminar | Current Dan rank | Certificate of attendance, photos, etc. |
| Physical Hapkido Test | 1 point | 1 | Head instructor vouches to BoE |
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Service and Outreach in the Arts |
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| Activity | Point Value | Maximum Points Claimable | Evidence Needed |
| BoG/BoEx Officer Position | 1 point/year served | No maximum | BoG/BoE minutes of election |
| Committee Lead for a BoG/BoE Committee | 1 point/year served | No maximum | BoG/BoE minutes of nomination |
| Teach USHF techniques/curriculum at a non USHF school (includes Self-Defense seminars) | 1 point/ seminar | Current Dan rank | Head instructor of host school/promoter certifies the event, photos of event, promotional materials from event, etc. |
| Head Instructor at USHF School | 1 point/year | Current Dan rank | School roster on file with USHF, assumes school is caught up on dues/paperwork |
| Organize full day Hapkido Seminar for USHF (not including annual Fall/Spring seminars) | 3 points/ seminar | No maximum | Promoter should notify an officer of the BoE in advance of the seminar |
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Teaching and Presentation |
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| Activity | Point Value | Maximum Points Claimable | Evidence Needed |
| Presentation at USHF Seminar | 1 point/ presentation | Current Dan rank | Seminar agenda, promotional materials, photos, etc. |
| Active Hapkido instructor at a USHF School | 1 point/year | Current Dan rank | Head of school vouches to BoE |
| Creation of instructional materials (book, video, etc.) of a relevant topic to USHF (up to two people can claim credit for collaboration) | 3 points/book or video | BoE acceptance of said material | |
United States Hapkido Federation 