Contents
Two ladders, one reminder
This program belongs to the general 10-keup ladder (white · yellow · blue · red, each colour split by stripes), assessable « from the benjamins category (age 8) » to veterans. Under-14s have their own children's Progression Française (15 keup, 8 colours). See Belt grades & promotion. The two coexist, never conflated.
The program, colour by colour
| Colour (keups) | Poomsae | Kibons (levels) | Hanbon | Ho shin soul | Sparring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (10th) | choice: Il Jong, one simple sequence, or none yet | Level 1 of every family | 1 | escape only | 1 round |
| Yellow (9th–7th, stripes) | Il Jong → Yi Jong → Sam Jong | + blocks/hand strikes L2 · kicks L2–L4 | 2 | escape only | 1 round |
| Blue (6th–4th, stripes) | Sa Jong → Oh Jong → Yuk Jong | + blocks L3–L5 · hand strikes L3–L4 · kicks L5–L7 · stances L3–L4 · steps L2–L3 | 4 | escape + strikes | 2 rounds |
| Red (3rd–1st, stripes) | Tchil Jong → Pal Jong | + blocks L6–L7 · hand strikes L5 · kicks L8–L9 · stances L5 · steps L4 · no-contact stopping strike | 4 | escape + strikes + takedown | 2 rounds (different opponents) |
The exam sparring: rounds and durations
The round count follows the colour (1 for white/yellow, 2 for blue/red, against different opponents for blue and red); the duration follows the age category at exam time, with the category's protections mandatory:
| Age category at the exam | Round length |
|---|---|
| Benjamins (9–10) | 1:00 |
| Minimes (11–12) | 1:00 |
| Cadets (13–14) | 1:30 |
| Juniors (15–17) | 2:00 |
| Seniors (18–29) | 2:00 |
| Veterans (30+) | 1:30 |
1st dan: five imposed grips
For the black belt the candidate presents five escapes/counters/takedowns on five regulation-imposed grips; the responses are free, the grips are not:
- A: single same-side wrist grip
- B: single cross wrist grip
- C: two-hand grip of one wrist
- D: both wrists gripped, from the front
- E: both wrists gripped, from behind
FAQ
What does a blue-belt student present at the exam?
Does this program apply to children?
Is contact allowed in the exam's kibons?
Sources
FFTDA: Progression Française des Keups, technical booklet 18-012 (© 2019, 28 pages; written by Bastien Gleren, CTN, prefaced by DTN Patrick Rosso), retrieved in full on 07.09.2026 from fftda.fr: the colour ladder, the poomsae per keup, the five kibon families and their levels, hanbon and ho shin soul per colour, rounds and durations per category, the five 1st-dan grips. Paak taekwondo corpus, file 03 (§Livret-recovery). Content verified September 2026.