I emailed a CH teacher near my house and asked him about how his school is run and he said they wear athletic clothes & wrestling shoes. I checked the ICHF website & he is a legit teacher. He says though that ALL CH students all over the world are required to have a belt (not to wear it during class though). He says that the certification is in addition to the belt system not in replace of it. He offers The regular class structure & the broken down programs (like standing techniques are one, weapons are two, groundwork is three,) I thought that one could get a certification and/or a belt. I didn't think a belt is required by ALL CH students, is this right? Thanks.
Hey, I started out in Combat Hapkido, and since have gone on to other Hapkido styles. Combat Hapkido does not offer certifications in the standard system other than the Belt ranking. ICHF Combat Hapkido Black Belts can get Instructor certifications, but no one else.
Certification in what? Rank? Cane? Ground? Combat Hapkido works on rank structure from white,through colored belts to Black Belt Levels. You get a certificate of each rank. I do not understand the standup,weapons,ground statement? The school offers different certification for each of the above? Each school is run by the individual instructor,but Hapkido and Combat Hapkido are arts which cover the various ranges of combat as well as specific weapons so I do not know why they would be seperated,if indeed they are. A person maybe certified under Cane Master,Ground Survival and FMA under Meligrito without being a Black Belt,although a Black Belt is more likely to seek instructor certification inder these added arts to offer more to their students.
OP - Much of what you are asking was covered in an earlier post http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62890 It seems like you are pretty interested in the art (judging by the previous few posts on you have made), so I'd recommend going to a school or two and trying it out and seeing how it works for you... or try a seminar. A lot of the "paperwork" stuff isn't as important as the actual learning and training. Also, check out www.ichf.com for more details. It's up to the individual schools what people wear. Some prefer the traditional style uniforms and some wear "athletic clothes". Usually at seminars, I wear no belt and no uniform, just comfy clothes. In class, I wear a regular black uniform. Students earn a "belt" only if they choose to test and get certified. There are lots of ICHF students out there who train but don't get into belts. Of course, it varies by individual schools what they want you to wear in class and how much they push for rank. Officially, the core curriculum is ranked through several color belt/Geup levels (white, yellow, green, purple, blue, brown, red, red/black, black/white) which then progress up by dan ranks (1st dan, 2nd ---> 9th dan) Students may choose to pursue an additional set of material (see www.ichf.com for details) such as ground survivial, stick and knife or cane and eventually test/get certification in it for instruction. This is all optional though. Sounds like he's breaking down the options into separate programs for people to choose to study. I'll bet the core material is required and the others are an option (that's just my guess though) You can earn the rank and will be a "blue belt" or whatever... it doesn't mean you have to wear it... the curriculum is broken into levels as a kind of book mark for the curriculum. Best thing to do is to check out the local schools, see how they fit, address your questions and concersn to the instructor and see how they respond. Good luck
Thomas, I realize I posted this before. However if you will notice everyone in the earlier post said that it is possible to not obtain rank and to just follow the cirriculum. Now everyone is saying that belt ranks ARE required. But you're right I'll just learn what I want and get out before I test for black belt.
Mostly it depends on the individual school - if the school owner wants studnets to hold rank and test... that's their perogative. But that's not a uniform requirement across all ICHF schools.
As Thomas said,it all depends on the individual achool. My point is that Combat Hapkido is a Kwon with a rank structure,of white belt on up through the various Black Belt levels. If one chooses to train and not get ranked then that is the students choice,as long as the school permits it. But If one wants to train and hold no rank,I am sure it is possible,but what would the reason be? If I had a school and someone wanted to pay me the monthly fee,month after month, but never wanted rank,that would be fine with me. People can also attend seminars with the Grand Master and get certificates of attendance without prior experience and with out further experience if they so desire. (no belts worn ,nothing to indicate rank,just a fun exchange of instruction) If one wants certification then,that means they want to test/qualify for rank,having a belt in addition to certification in a school that does not wear belts seems odd,but there must be a reason. The school I belong to we wear uniforms and belt rank,but everyone participates in the full class as it progresses from basic to advanced technique,no rank divisions,this way advanced people revisit the lower ranks frequently and the Basic people see and try the advanced materials,which helps improve their basics and allows them to see what the basics lead to down the road. What is the goal of the student? What is offered by the possible school? IF both have a majority of common ground and it is what the buyer wants then go forward with the training. If not part ways.
See I thought I heard that right but this teacher insists that all who practice CH are required to hold a belt rank.
