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Progression of Learning : 6th Gub to 1st Gub
There are 6 ranks before the student of Hai Dong Gumdo achieves the level of first dan. The system of gub and dan is taken from the Japanese martial sport of Judo and was adopted by the World Hai Dong Gumdo Federation to faciliate the spread of the art on a global scale. The ranking system is fairly well known outside of the martial art community. The colours chosen by the Federation are the same as those used by older Taekwondo schools. Again, this choice was made for easy reference by students of other arts. There are no symbolic meanings attached to the belts. This type of grading system is borrowed and not terribly old so adding anything else would be too contrived. In Hai Dong Gumdo it is felt that the purpose of the belt is to keep your pants up, your jacket closed and your testing judges or new instructors apprised of what they can ask you to do. The colours are: white, yellow, blue, red-blue, red and finally black-red. The red-blue belt is called Taeguk after the um-yang symbol on the Korean flag. The red-black belt is called poom. Some schools that focus on young children will add two extra belts to slow progression to a more suitable pace for their level of physical development. The first of these is green and it comes before blue. The second is brown and it comes after blue. Adults do not go through these extra gubs in Korea in my experience.
The 6th gub student will learn the nomenclature of the sword, the basic stances and cuts, simple unarmed defense and two-handed sword pattern number one and number two. (sang-soo gumbub ilbon and eebon)
The 5th Gub student will learn two-handed sword pattern numbers 3, 4 and 5 and the first fighting-sword 'key-point' drill. (gyock-gum ilbon). Basic falls and tumbling are introduced at this gub.
The 4th gub student will learn two-handed sword pattern numbers 6, 7 and 8 and the second and third key-point drills.
The 3rd gub student will learn two-handed sword pattern numbers 9 and 10, the fourth and fifth key-point drills and more tumbling. Students of this gub begin to perform patterns with a metal practice sword. (ga-gum)
The 2nd gub student will learn the two-handed sword pattern numbers 11 and 12 to complete the series and learn the 6th key-point drill.
The 1st gub student will learn the pattern used for black belt testing. (shimsang gumbub) They will also learn the seventh through tenth key-point drills and more advanced tumbling is available to those who can perform it safely.
What that all means...
The memorized patterns are increasingly long and complex solo performance pieces that serve two functions. The first function is to enable the practitioner to discover the correct way to move with each technique in order to develop proper speed, power and timing. Without these things the student is lost. The second function is to provide the student with a way to demonstrate their level of skill safely. In unarmed combat arts there is much more latitude in developing rules and protective devices while preserving realism in sparring. Because there is no realistic way to spar safely using properly shaped and weighted blades of this type the student of sword arts must either take the route offered by kendo or instead focus on patterns and careful, non-contact duels in order to display their abilities.
The two-handed sword techniques (sang-soo gumbub) begin with a very basic approach to moving and cutting properly. Over the course of the 12 pattern series the student will be required to reach greater speeds, higher endurance levels and expand their level of environmental awareness. This series stresses awareness of multiple attackers in action appropriate to the battlefield. These forms are appropriate for use with the long sword or short sword. These terms are misleading. In this case long refers to a blade of approximately 4 feet while short refers to what we consider a normal length blade to be.
The fighting sword drills or key-point drills (gyuk-gum) distill the essence of
each of the twelve patterns in sang-soo gumbub. They are similar
to two-step sparring. They include a draw, the new technique, a 180 degree rotation, a repeat of the attack and a
return of the weapon to the scabbard. These drills must be
performed as quickly as possible with a focus on skillful execution. Mastery of the gyuk-gum allows the practitioner to truly deliver inspiring performances of any of the gumbub. I find them to be very challenging without continued practice.
Shimsang gumbub is a single pattern used to determine the overall skill of a
candidate for first dan. It comprises all of the techniques found
in sang-soo gumbub and exceeds them. It is extremely fast and
involved, covers a great deal of area and repeatedly simulates
confrontations with multiple attackers at all angles. It consists
of four distinct parts and is intended for the "short" sword. Progression
of Learning: 1st Dan to 8th Dan As should
be expected the road through the higher degrees of Hai Dong Gumdo
is slower and much more demanding. The curriculum is smaller but
involves a higher degree of technique and conditioning on the
part of the student. The highest rank in Hai Dong Gumdo is 9th
Dan but as in most Korean arts this rank is ceremonial and is
reserved for the Head of the art as a whole. To achieve
the rank of second dan requires learning a series of patterns
called yedo gumbub and completing the key-point drills by
learning numbers 11 and 12. Yedo gumbub is intended for use with the "short" sword and incorporates many one-handed applications. Building on the foundation of the ssang-su gunbub it looks at minimizing motion and refining defense into offense. Good, clean cutting of objects and
adroit handling of live blades is a requirement for gaining this
rank. To achieve
the rank of third dan requires learning 1-4 in a series of patterns
called bonguk gumbub and further expansion of one's cutting and
blade handling skills. To achieve
the rank of fourth dan requires completing Bonguk gumbub by learning 5-7 and learning a series of patterns called jangpaek gumbub. Unarmed skills must also be refined for this rank. To achieve
the rank of fifth dan includes the learning of um-yang gumbub. To achieve
the rank of sixth dan includes the learning of Taeguk gumbub. To achieve
the rank of seventh dan includes the learning of Hai Dong gumbub. To achieve
the rank of eighth dan includes the learning of ssang-gumbub
(two-blades)
