Colour belts: 10th to 1st gup
Gup numbers decrease as students progress. After 1st gup comes I dan, the first black-belt degree. The table shows the patterns studied at each grade; previously learned patterns remain part of training.
| Gup | Belt | ITF patterns |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | White | Preparatory exercises: Saju Jirugi, Saju Makgi |
| 9 | White / yellow stripe | Chon-Ji |
| 8 | Yellow | Dan-Gun |
| 7 | Yellow / green stripe | Do-San |
| 6 | Green | Won-Hyo |
| 5 | Green / blue stripe | Yul-Gok |
| 4 | Blue | Joong-Gun |
| 3 | Blue / red stripe | Toi-Gye |
| 2 | Red | Hwa-Rang |
| 1 | Red / black stripe | Choong-Moo |
At 10th gup, students learn the preparatory exercises Saju Jirugi and Saju Makgi. These introduce the skills needed for patterns but are not part of the 24 ITF patterns.
Black belts: I–IX dan
- I–III: Assistant Instructor, Boosabum.
- IV–VI: Instructor, Sabum.
- VII–VIII: Master, Sahyun.
- IX: Grand Master, Sasung.
A degree and permission to teach or examine are distinct. Instructor certification, licensing and grading authority have separate requirements.