The purpose of this document is to describe the standard operating procedures for Federation School Owners.

These procedures are to help school owners to submit Federation paperwork, order Federation merchandise, or register new students online.

Memberships

New membership application and/or membership renewals are done online by clicking here.

• Gups. As soon as a new student joins your school, you should go online and register the student in the Membership Form area. You will find this under the "Members Only" button at the top of the home page. It should be completed immediately after the student joins your school. The new student membership fee is $10.
• Dans. As soon as a Cho Dan Bo is ready to test for Jr. Black Belt or regular Cho Dan, you should go online and register the student in the Membership Form area. You will find this under the "Members Only" button at the top of the home page. Dan registration must be completed before the student can test for Jr. Black Belt or regular Cho Dan. The new Dan membership fee is $20.

Gup, Dan, Instructor, and Studio memberships are valid for 1 year from January 1 until December 31 and need to be renewed prior to December 31 in order for student to be in "good standing". After 12/31, a reinstatement fee will be charged in addition to the renewal fee for Gups, Dans, Instructors, Studio Owners.

As of 2023, all renewals are done online. To renew, go to the Federation website and:

1. Click on "Members Only."
2. Next, Click on "Register For Event."
3. Next, Click on "APTSDF Membership Form."

Please note that the Federation Board of Directors voted to implement a reinstatement fee on 11/18/23 for delinquent Gup, Dan, Instructor, and Studio renewals effective immediately. Any Gup, Dan, Instructor, or Studio that has not renewed by the end of the year will no longer be a member of the APTSDF. To be reinstated as a member in good standing, the following fees are effective immediately:

• Gup Membership Reinstatement Fee after 12/31 = $10 (plus $10 renewal fee)
• Dan Membership Reinstatement Fee after 12/31 = $20 (plus $20 renewal fee)
• Instructor Licensing Reinstatement Fee after 12/31 = $55 (plus $55 renewal fee)
• Studio Licensing Reinstatement Fee after 12/31 = $55 (plus $55 renewal fee)

IMPORTANT

Non-renewed Gup, Dan, Instructor, and Studio Owners will not be permitted to participate in Federation events (including testing, Black Belt and Leadership Camps, CIT Symposiums, Leadership Workshops, and Regional and National tournaments, Business Master and CIT Zoom classes) unless their annual memberships are renewed and a reinstatement fee is paid. Non-renewed members will also lose time in rank. Renewals and Reinstatements must be prioritized as we do not want anyone experiencing an unpleasant surprise, and we certainly don't want any students to be embarrassed. Please understand we will make no exceptions to this.

Lifetime members are required to annually update their membership information at no cost by selecting "Annual Renewal - Lifetime Members, Price: $0.00"

Students can renew their membership online regardless of whether they have an online account with the Federation.

TESTING

Testing paperwork is done online and via email.

• Gups. As soon as a student tests, you must:
  • go online and pay for the test in the school owners' area of the Federation online store. School owners pay $5.00 per testing student/testing app and print the certification once the admin sends an official APTSDF rank certificate showing the student's new Rank.
  • Email the official Gup testing spreadsheet/template to admin@aptsdf.org showing the student's name, current Rank, what they are testing for, and any other pertinent info the admin may need. Ask HQ for the template.
• Dans. As soon as your student is ready to test to the black belt or advanced Dan level, you must:
  • go online and pay for the test in the school owners' area of the Federation online store. School owners pay a different based on the testing rank.
  • Email all the necessary testing paperwork to admin@aptsdf.org by putting the student's name and your school or studio name in the subject field. The paperwork includes:
    • testing application
    • essay - must be done on MS Word and sent as an attachment. HQ will not accept essays saved to password-protected platforms such as Google Docs, Google Drive. The essay must be at least 1,000 words for Cho Dan, 2,000 for E Dan, and 3,000 for Sam Dan. Essays must have a cover page indicating the candidate's name, their current Rank, what Rank they are testing to, their Tang Soo Do school name, their instructor's name, and the title of their essay.
    • digital picture - if HQ does not receive a digital picture, we will process the certificate without one.
  • For new Dan members, go online and register the new Dan student using the Membership Form. All Dan paperwork and fees must be received by HQ at least 2 weeks before the examination date.
  • If a student is unable to test for Black Belt at the time and place of the “Dan Shim Sa” (Black Belt Test) as scheduled on their testing application, please submit new testing forms with the correct new date of their test, appropriate signatures, and other current and pertinent info.

TRANSFERS

• Gups. There are different procedures to transfer gup students into the Federation:
  • If a student is transferring from a certified and sanctioned Federation member school, please note this information on the student Federation membership form. If the student is a Federation GUP member already, all you need to do is register their Federation GUP number and the school they are transferring to on a hard copy membership form. No money is required as they are already a Federation GUP member.
  • If a student is transferring into your school from a noncertified school, you need to handle the transfer as a new student to the Federation.

  Rank is determined based on several factors:

  • If the student is already a Federation GUP member, their current Rank transfers as-is.
  • If the student is not a Federation member, they may start at whatever their current Rank is as long as they are of the same quality as our current membership—direct requests for exceptions to Headquarters. Factors considered when making an exception include time training, style similarity to Tang Soo Do, organizational affiliation/credibility, possession of credible rank certification, and overall maturity.

   

  Special Note: We never skip Rank but may accelerate grade where it makes sense. Accelerating rank promotion is very rare for a reason. Time in Rank, proper seasoning, and overall maturation is a time-tested formula that is part of our Moo Do, and it works well. If necessary, any questions should be directed to your instructor of record and the KJN.

• Dans. There are different procedures to transfer Dan students into the Federation:
  • If a student is transferring from a certified and sanctioned Federation member school, please note this information on the student Federation membership form. If the student is a Federation Dan member already, all you need to do is register their Federation Dan number and the school/instructor they are transferring from on a new membership form.
  • If the transferring Dan member is a member of the Federation, check their Dan ID card to ensure they are in good standing with the Federation or contact HQ if they don't have an ID Card. If their Dan ID card shows expired, contact Headquarters immediately to check on whether the Dan member is delinquent. If the student is delinquent, follow the above procedures for Dan renewal ASAP.
  • If a student is transferring into your school from a noncertified school, call Headquarters and ask to speak to Kwan Jang Nim for direction. HQ looks at exceptions based on several factors, including total time training, style similarity to Tang Soo Do, organizational affiliation/credibility, possession of credible rank certification, and overall maturity. The student might qualify to move in at their current Rank. Others will need to transfer in at the GUP level.

  If accepted at Dan level, you must:

  • go to the Membership Form and submit payment.
  • Email a copy or original of the student's Dan certificate and ID card issued by their last organization if they have an ID card.

   

DAN PRESENTATIONS

About two (2) months after completing the Dan test, Headquarters will notify you of all promotions. If you have not heard from Headquarters, please call or email us, and we will check into it.

At the two to three-month mark, you should schedule a special graduation ceremony for all candidates for promotion to Cho, E, and Sam Dan. The ceremony should be in front of a public group, and all parents and friends of those being promoted should be invited.

Generally, promoted candidates should receive a plain Black Belt at the ceremony. The belt should not have a ranking tip unless the person promoted is going to E or Sam Dan or has completed the six-month probationary period to become a fully certified Dan member. Remember, you are presenting a probationary Black Belt if you are promoting a new Dan rank. To earn full certification (a certificate of graduation and their ranking tip), the candidate must complete a minimum of six (6) months of continued training to ensure they are still demonstrating Black Belt Leadership. By Black Belt Leadership, we mean the student is training at least two (2) times per week under the supervision of a certified Federation instructor and is attending and supporting Federation and school clinics, seminars, and special events. The student must also continue demonstrating a proper Black Belt attitude and the invincible spirit of Tang Soo Do. In other words, they should be growing in the art and not slipping backward.

If you decide to present an embroidered belt after the six-month probationary or "Look-See" period, all belts should be consistent with Federation standards. The belt should include the Dan member's name, ranking stripes or tips, and the capitalized acronym "APTSDF." Whatever belt vendor you use is our choice. HQ uses Eosin Panther, headquartered in Atlanta, for Master's Belts.

CIT

Becoming a certified instructor is a simple three (3) step process.

• Step one is that every instructor candidate must register as a CIT member with the Federation. The registration fee is $300.00, including the CIT Program study material (manual.) Each candidate must register and have their study material before training begins. The initial registration (good for three years) includes the registration fee as a Jo Kyo or "trainee." If the trainee doesn't complete their training and take their test by the end of three years, they must re-register with a new trainee app and 55.00 dollars.
• Step two (2) - To register as a Jo Kyo (instructor trainee) in the Federation, simply:
  • Pull up the Federation website.
  • Enter your user ID and password.
  • Click on the Studio Owners section.
  • Click on the "Placing Federation Orders" option.
  • Enter all pertinent information.
  • Send your payment to the Federation using Pay Pal.
• Step three (3) of the instructor certification process uses the CIT Program Manual and in-class (CIT class made up of trainees and the mentor or certified teacher) reference source and for home study. As the old saying goes, it is not more time but more intensity. It takes about six months to complete for some candidates, and for others, it takes three years.

Certification Testing = $100 regardless of instructor rank, payable to the APTSDF. This fee includes the physical and written exam, the interview, and an informal question-and-answer period. Contact KJN for guidance or speak with your regional director to set up the test.
If a student cannot test for an instructor license at the time and place of the Certified Instructor Test as scheduled on their testing application, please submit new testing forms with the correct new date of their test, appropriate signatures, and other current and pertinent info.

INSTRUCTOR LICENSE & RENEWAL

All instructors must renew their licenses every year. To ensure this happens, please make sure your teaching staff (certified instructors) know that instructor licensing renews by no later than December 31st of each year.

The Federation emails to the instructor's email address or directly to the instructor of record if we don't have an email address for the renewing instructor.

Instructors can renew their license online by going to the Membership Form.

The cost to renew is $55.

STUDIO LICENSE & RENEWAL

All Federation schools must be appropriately licensed and sanctioned by the APTSDF. Studio owners can renew their license online by going to the Membership Form.

The cost to renew is $55.