What's a recertification test as implemented in ITF?
Cho dans and above have to do twice yearly recertification tests, an incentive to keep practicing. The focus isn't on "passing," but on learning where you're slacking and where you need practice. It's also a way of keeping everyone from different schools on the same level; all the C.S. Kim Karate schools in my area test and recertify at the main school in Monroeville. Sometimes they take the opportunity right there at the recert to teach you stuff that's just being implemented (like new requirement ho sin sul).
Recerts also get you closer to being able to test for the next degree. You have to recert a minimum of three times before being able to test for ee dan. Before I test for sam dan, I'll have recertified 5 times (so far, only 2). Recerts are only held every 6 months, so the ones with the patience and dedication are the ones who keep going.
The general format is similar to a black belt test/pretest:
- basic technique combinations, hand and feet (we have 7 hand combinations, 1 hand/foot combination, and 4 foot combinations, though they will occasionally switch things up, so you have to pay attention...technically they can tell you to do any techniques)
- hyung: the highest you know (jinte at my level), the highest keema hyung you know, one of the pyung ahn forms (the one with the name above your rank, i.e. pyung ahn sam dan for me, since I'm an ee dan), and (for some tests) the highest bong hyung you know.
- 2 vs. 1 sparring; groups of 3, each person gets a number. At the start, it's 2 and 3 vs. 1; bell dings, 1 and 3 vs. 2; bell rings again, 1 and 2 vs. 3. No stopping.
- Endurance (in neh): 30-45 seconds continuous hop-up kicks, one-legged for cho dan and two-legged for ee dan. I think sam dans do 6-counts. Not sure about higher than that.
- Knowledge: 3 judges each ask you a series of questions taken from the TSD gup manual, about terminology (anatomy, techniques), philosophy, and general TSD knowledge. One time I was asked Master Kim's dan number (915) and then my instructor's (30186). Luckily, I'd remembered them both.
- il soo sik: pyung ahn one-steps, as many as you know (I know 1-8). Not sure what happens at higher levels.
- ho sin sul: hand grabs, weapon defense (knife at cho dan level, sword at ee dan level -- not sure after that)
- sometimes kyok pa (breaking).
I put them in three groups here because the Monroeville school has 3 rooms, through which the testers are rotated. I usually start in the endurance room, as luck would have it. As to other ITF schools too far away to test at Monroeville, I can only assume it's similar.