How long does it really take to get a black belt?

Discussion in 'Tae Kwon Do Resources' started by Lafhastum, Dec 24, 2004.

  1. TKDstudent

    TKDstudent Valued Member

    Wow that really great if it is because you view BB different that a beginner or really sad that it takes your teacher & school to have someone grasp the 7 long years. Why? What are they doing wrong?
     
  2. TKDstudent

    TKDstudent Valued Member

    No green belt is an official color & is part of the Korean culture that is also represented in their tourism logo.
     
  3. TKDstudent

    TKDstudent Valued Member

    :topic:
    But here goes:
    the hein ahn karate katas (Japanese)
    the chang hon or chon ji 24/5 set of the ITF, the 1st Korean forms 50s-60s
    palgue 60s
    taeguek 70s
     
  4. Jeffkins

    Jeffkins Sleuth Diplomacy

    The Korean Taekwondo Association does not list it as an official colour and the organisations in Australia do not either, so regardless as whether Korean culture has symbolism behind it or not, most places would not recognize green in my experience.
     
  5. Patrick Smith

    Patrick Smith Tustom Cuser Uitle

    Well, at my school, we have white, orange, blue, gold, green, purple (Me!), brown, red and black.

    The green belt is officially the start of the advanced and ranking belts for us and it symbolizes real skill and strong basic knowledge. All the belts before that are preparation for the advanced belts.
     
  6. TKDstudent

    TKDstudent Valued Member

    That is interesting. Do they list any colors? If so where can I link to that. If there is no website for it can you give us the official colors & direct us to where they can be found. Thanks in advance.
     
  7. TKDstudent

    TKDstudent Valued Member

    Well I am not sure where orange comes from, but purple & brown are karate colors. Now do these colors that your school use have any meaning or significance? If so, what are they? If not I guess that makes the arguement easier to wage that colors don't matter. jmo
     
  8. rexmaster

    rexmaster New Member

    Belt system in Korea (20 years ago, not sure how it goes these days):

    White, Yellow, Blue, Red, Red/Black (under 15 yrs old) or Black (15 yrs or older).

    It takes about 2.5 years to get 1st degree black belt with +5 days/week class attendance.

    As for WTF practioners, if it takes 7 years to get your 1st degree black belt, something is wrong with you school or with yourself. In addition, the black belt certificate must be issued by Kukkiwon, Korea only, otherwise, it's meaningless. Some TKD schools (a.k.a Mcdojos), not affiliated with Kukkiwon issues their own black belt certificates.

    Not sure how ITF operates.
     
  9. Jeffkins

    Jeffkins Sleuth Diplomacy

    I just quickly looked up the information at this website:
    http://www.koreataekwondo.org/KTA_ENG/html/ency/intro03.asp

     
  10. TKDstudent

    TKDstudent Valued Member

    Thanks for that, I sit corrected :cool:
    I notice they (KTA) use 9 gups & 9 dans. I thought the KKW did 10 dans. I wonder if the KKW is any different with the colors. I wonder why the KTA does not use green, but appreciate you correcting me!
     
  11. Jeffkins

    Jeffkins Sleuth Diplomacy

    mm, i checked the Kukkiwon website first but I couldn't find any information and I think it's possible they did that on purpose due to the differences around the world and they seem to only really care about the black belt syllabus. Also the KTA probably didn't mention 10th dan as they usually consider it an honorary rank awarded posthumously. I think.
     
  12. TKD elite

    TKD elite Valued Member

    in our school it goes white, yellow, green, blue, red, black. But with an intermediate between each grade, yellow tag, green tag etc.
    Took me just over 5 yrs to reach 1st dan, but that was training 5 times a week for 2 of those 5 yrs.
    Theoretically with our grading system it is possible to get it in 2-3 yrs but dont know anyone who has done that. Usually between 4 and 7 yrs.
     
  13. divine spiral

    divine spiral shiiiiiiiiiiiiii-zack!!

    it usually takes about 4 yrs at least to reach black belt in my association(INTA)
     
  14. vismitananda

    vismitananda Valued Member

    In my school, we have white, yellow low and high, blue low and high, red low and high, brown low and high, then black belts. First and so on dans.

    Usually at my school you'll be black belt after 3-4 years of thrice a wik training.
     
  15. johntm

    johntm TKD Beast

    At the school I'm at, about 2.5-3 years normally. I get mine in October, a little over two years after I started. It may seem like a mcdojang, but trust me, it's not. Most people that get their black belt train 2 or 3 times a week, I train 5 or 6.
     
  16. Ironized

    Ironized Valued Member

    these times make me want to punch a baby....

    i started at the age of 8 in 2001, i was a red tip in 2005 at the age of 12. shortly after i gave up due to injury and instructor injury leaving me with a poor instructor.

    i have just come back at the age of 16... and will be grading for 2nd gup in September.

    that was 4 years to get to red tip, and i forsee another 2 before i get black.

    edit: belt colours at my club.

    white meaning birth.

    yellow, the heavens inwhich we climb towards

    green the earth in which the seed is planted

    blue the sky to which we grow

    red to show danger

    black as it is the opposite of white and thus denotes death

    note this is my dodgy memory from 2005 >.<

    all with intermittent tips
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2009
  17. Zerodauto

    Zerodauto Valued Member

    It all depends on how hard you train, the minimum time is 2 1/2 years if you go everyday and practice your hardest. To gain each additional level of black belt after wards takes years. The concept of the black belt came from ancient warriors training so long and hard that their belt would become black.
     
  18. potlucky10

    potlucky10 Valued Member

    I had read a proverb about how long it takes to get a black belt.
    A student asked the teacher on his first day:
    How long will it take to get a black belt?
    Ten years the teacher replied
    What if I train really hard?
    Twenty years.
    What if I focus day and night and only stop training for food and rest.
    Thirty years, the teacher replied. With a puzzled look the student asked the teacher,
    That makes no sense, please would you explain.
    If you have both eyes focused on where you want to go you will have no eyes to find the way.
     
  19. Patrick Smith

    Patrick Smith Tustom Cuser Uitle

    I don't think that makes any sense. Is it suggesting that if you work as hard as possible for a single goal your chances of obtaining it are lessened?

    No sense does that make!

    Let's say there was a student who set a goal of black belt, goes out to achieve it without writing a map (or training program). He gets lost, despairs, and returns home. He didn't achieve his goal because he didn't know how to get there (lost his way).

    Another student also wanted to reach his goal of black belt. He knew exactly what he wanted, so he studied some maps (training books) and wrote a map (training program) that would get him to his goal as quickly and effeciently as possible. He went out, followed the map, and reached his goal. Yay! :D

    The second student knew where he was going and how to get there. He knew the "way" to his goal and he wasn't going to get lost searching for a goal that he didn't know the way to.

    There is nothing wrong with finding a goal and focusing on it 100%, as long as you keep it in perspective with the other things in life.

    That's my very poorly written two cents.
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2010
  20. Zerodauto

    Zerodauto Valued Member


    What it is basically saying is that the more you try to focus on the advance, the more you basics will suffer. That's my interpretation any way. How can can you get to the level of black belt when you haven't mastered the basics? But I understand what you're saying also. Because I want to become a TKD instructor one day. That is my main goal, but when I go to class the goal then is just to train in the basic until I am ready for the advance. Pretty much, focus on the here and now, because that's all there is.
     

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