A Quick Review of …
This belt is a beginners belt which introduces most of the key points and theories behind Hapkido and what it is.
The Striking Set covers all the Knee’s and Elbow Strikes in the entire curriculum. Even though it is taught in a very static motion, those knees are usually practiced in a very dynamic way with Pads.
The Rolling/Falling Set is the most important set in this belt. It teaches students how to fall properly for all the techniques in the curriculum (don’t worry a brown belt isn’t going to pull off a hard throw on you just yet). Without learning these skills, students will get hurt if they are allowed to continue further.
The Escapes Set was always taught early in the curriculum. Certain wedging and push-pull theories are introduced here.
The Grabbing Set, which effective, may not be as practical as other sets in Yellow, Orange, Green, and so on, but introduces all footwork necessary to perform further techniques in the future. A plethora of different types (circular/linear) techniques are introduced.
The Two Ground Sets introduce the most of the simple skills and puts them into practice. With the popularity of the ground game recently, these skills are important to learn early on.
The Bottom Line: While interesting, this set lacks the practicalness of other sets, HOWEVER, a sample of practical moves are introduced. This belt is very important to learn as it teaches all the basic footwork.