OK here ya go. I will opening my new school here in TN on Feb 4th. I have the chance to change my belt system. At one time most TKD school used the White Yellow Green Blue Red Back rank system. Now most schools are going to a White Yellow Orange Green Purple Blue Brown Red Black rank style. The are using a new belt for each Gup. Here is my problem I dont know what is better. I mean i know its just belts but what would a student want more. With the 10 belts the student is always looking forward to something new, A goal if you will. When you have a Yellow belt and then a Sr yellow belt (Yellow with Green stripe) and you show him all the info he will be learning as a "yellow belt" (yellow and sr yellow) it looks like a lot but if you break it down to a yellow belt and orange or whatever it doesnt look like so much. I dont know if i make any since but its something that ive been asked to think about and wanted to know what all the TKDers in here thought. Should i go with 10 or stick with 6?????
I like the 6 belt system one! The 10 belt thing makes it seem farther away from black belt (to me, at least). Plus, the 6 belt system is just better cause from yellow to orange and green to purple and stuff, you're not gonna need to learn a TON of stuff to get promoted, so you don't need a whole new belt for like, one or two things you just learned. Or... If your testing fees are gonna be low or free, then maybe the 10 belt thing would be okay. Oh yeah, and then there's also that thing I read somewhere on the forum about everyone being a white belt to show equality and belt color doesn't matter and all. I've never been to a place like that, but the idea sounds really cool. Maybe it might turn a few people off, but then the people who do go to your dojang will be all not prejudice about belt color and stuff and be more caught up with their training... and stuff. They'll be better people! Sorta. I don't know. I'm just a little yellow belt! Good luck with your school thing though!
I like the original belt styem. I will also use that when i open up my dojang here near Nashville, TN at some point. Buying different colors of roll of tape will save you and your students a lot of money too..instead of investing in a rainbow color of belts. I never had a problem wearing a white belt with yellow stripe of tape on one end.. or a red belt with a black stripe of tape on the other... White, Yellow, Green, Blue, Red and Black... simple.. honest...and not too flashy But you must choose what is best for you.
for each rank (White Yellow Green etc) they will have to know, (depending on rank) 10 - 15 korean terms and use them, 5 one steps, 5+ self defence tech. 5+ kicks for their rank, their hand tech. 2 katas, and their stances and whatever else gets thrown in. I mean it not a whole lot but there is enough to be broken into different belts.
Which patterns are you going to use?? Chon-ji? or Taeguek?? I plan on teaching the Chon-ji forms done with the "sine-wave". Im not much on teaching Korean terminology except for the basics. I dont really care if a student can say front kick in Korean..what matters is that he/she can perform it well. For example my Yellow Stripe (9th Gup) test would be something like this: (Time in Grade: Minimum of 3 Months at White Belt 10th Gup) Pattern: Chon-ji Blocks: Low Block, Side Block, High Block, Double Forearm Block Strikes: Reverse Punch, Obverse Punch Kicks: Front Snap Kick, Front Thrust Kick, Side Kick Stances: L-Stance, Walking Stance, Sitting Stance, Ready Stance Basics: moving forward in each stance, turning in each stance, basic combinations of blocks, strikes and kicks. Self-Defense: 5 basic self-defense methods based on Chon-Ji pattern. Breaking: 1 board front kick (adults only)
Hi Chazz. Personally I prefer the one with more belts, because acknowledgements to the student's progress are made more frequently, and it's more likely to keep epople motivated. But another thing I would consider is "transferablity". If a student needed to move from your school to another, will that belt be recognised? I hear that some schools have all their gradings association-approved, whereas some have theirs in-house, so the 10 belt system may be more restrictive if turnover of students is high. Sorry if this seems rude, but are you looking to generate revenue from belt sales? "Too many" belts may put off some people. In my school, we don't have to buy the belts. We have a similar 10 belt system, but are given the belt when we move up a grade. When we move up, we give the old belt back, and exchange for a new one. We can always buy one, and occasionally students do. Of course, we have to pay for the black one, but that is another story entirely. Do people in the US use "tags"? Like electrical tape, but thinner and stronger. May be use the 6 belt system, but have different tags to signify the "half grades"?
I like 6 My original school used 6 and my current school uses 12. I kind of prefer the 6 although it really it doesn't matter. Its just whether the stripe is a piece of colored tape or part of the belt (unless you are going 10 whole colors...). A dedicated student who is committed to TKD probably wont care what belt you give them, but a more casual student or younger child may like having more belts. Like you mentioned, having more belts allows you to break the curriculum up into smaller pieces and make advancing seem less daunting. Although you still have the same end product you just get there in smaller steps. Congrats on the new school btw.
And is'nt "kata" a Japanese/Okinawan term ?? ITF uses the word "Tul" which means pattern. Some dojangs and Korean teachers refer to them as "Hyung" which means form. I beleive the Kukkiwon/WTF refers to them as "Poomsae" which i THINK means formal exercise....not quite sure...
You had to give your belts BACK?? Hmmm.. you worked hard for that belt.. why give it back? I still have all my belts... my Instructor showed me something long ago and i still practice it today. Take your white belt.. roll it up. when you get your next belt.. roll it around it.. etc etc.. by the time you reach 9th Dan.. the thickness of the black belts around the other belts will be the same as the white belt in the center.. hence you have come back around full circle to the beginning..... And yes.. i use electrical tape.. its simpler..and cheaper. And if students want instant gratifiication with a whole new belt.. i always tell them they can go somewhere else for that.
Yes it would be. Lets say im using the 10 belt and a 8th Gup Orange belt moves and starts with a school with 6 belts. He would transfer in as a 8th gup Yellow belt.
There were never any problems back in my early days of trainin with younger ones not having anything to look forward too. It's easy to fall into the trap of trying to cater to everyone else when the training itself should be what is focused on.
Yes i know. When i started i only knew of the 6 but as more schools are out things had changed. Now for school to get any students they have to bend a little to get them in the door. But when they are in there, thats when you can mold them. So i guess what im saying is no matter what system i use, i will still be teaching the same. I just want something that will get people in the door so i can pay rent. The older ones wont be too worried about belts but keeping a yound kid motivated is a whole new story.
It's quite a trade-off getting younger students in the door. LOL. A lot of McDojans do it by simply selling black belt contracts... pay for 2 years and guarantee one....another example would be having black belt clubs for the kids... thats got mcdojang written all over it... 25 different color belts (including camoflauge)... thats got mcdojang written all over it.... Decided and Recommended black belts...thats DEFINATELY got McDojang written all over it.... All I am saying is dont trade the integrity of the art or yourself by ending up as a McDojang with 100 10 year old 2nd Degree black belts who belong to the Little Dragon Club and have to pay 100 a year to recertify their black belt with the parent organization.. LOL..
Personally I like the 6 belt system. The way I see it is as the saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"
I wouldnt tranfer ranks, let them know that they will have to sit a grading exam and prove that they actually earn that rank. Different schools have different benchmarks, and to promote a student because thier last instructor said so, even though they dont posess the skill and technique required under your syllabus is underselling the student
I am also opening up sometime soon this year. I am Planning on a 10 belt system still not 100% sure which one. Question though I have personally Learned All TaeGuek Forms Palgae Forms and Some of the Chon- Ji Forms. I personally like the Chon Ji Better but is there anyway to get recognized under some one in ITF IF all I have every tained under is WTF.
well yeah any school is going to make a kid go through a test to see if he is reall at that rank. All a transfer is, is to let the other instructor know that the student was at 5th gup. That lets the new instructor know that where he should test the student to see if that where he would start back at. No school worth anything would just let a student who says hes a 5th gup just jump on in with nothing to back it up. So that why school do transfer ranks. I dont think so. To get recognized under itf you would need to know their info. Look around for other orgs that will let you trach the forms that you want.
Question Chazz ... Will you go back to ITU?? We are currently non-affiliated. Our belt ranks are: white - gold - green - purple - blue (2 degrees)- brown (2 degrees adult) 3 degrees (children) - black (1-9 dan) I suggest afilliating yourself with an organization to get you started.
No i wont be under the ITU but i will be under an org. I already have the setup and goin. I thought your school went to the ITU. What happened?
Personally I would go with 10 just because it makes it work with 10 geup ranks easier! Alternatively you could go with 5 (white, yellow, green, blue, red) and have each one with one tip of colored tape (we use the tape tips... work fine) for a total of 10 geup levels represented. Using tape instead of new belts keeps costs down a bit and prevents waste (of new belts). We have more than that and sometimes the promotion doesn't fit the geup rank... not a real big problem though. If you are looking for an organization, check out the ITA... they have quite a few former ITF schools joining .... http://www.ichf.com/Ita/ITA.htm
