An Overview of Belt Levels in Taekwondo
The young man stood silently in line. His peers on either side of him, his Master in front. He felt as he stood there that he was not simply facing his Teacher, but also his fears…His destiny. The Master called to the group and they snapped to attention. The young man took a deep breath in, and then let it out slowly, his eyes sharp – his mind focused. It was not time for him to test for his next belt level in Taekwondo.
Taekwondo is a Korean Martial Art, characterized by its intense fighting techniques, particularly kicking. It takes much hard work and dedication to advance through the ranks of this system. During a grading for belt levels in Taekwondo students are usually expected to demonstrate several different skills:
• 1-step sparring
• Patterns
• Self-defense
• Korean terminology
The complexity of these movements intensifies as the belt levels increase.
Belt levels in Taekwondo can vary from school to school, but generally advance in the following progression:
• White Belt
• White / Yellow Belt
• Yellow Belt
• Yellow / Orange Belt
• Orange Belt
• Orange / Green Belt
• Green Belt
• Green / Blue Belt
• Blue Belt
• Blue / Brown Belt
• Brown Belt
• Brown / Red Belt
• Red Belt
• Red / Black Belt
• Black Belt
…Followed by 10 degrees of black belt. Taekwondo Masters assign these belt rankings to their students in an effort to standardize their learning and keep track of what each student has been taught and what each has yet to learn. It is also advantageous to use belt levels in Taekwondo as it gives students a realistic short-term goal to aim for. Motivation ensures that the students will be more likely to commit to long-term training and that the school will be more successful.
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