It’s likely that at some point in time you would have heard about the martial art known as Taekwondo.
Because of this, we understand that many people have a lot of questions to do with the combat sport.
What is it? What does it involve? Is there a colored belt ranking system involved? These are all valid questions that often need answering.
For example, many people wonder if there is a black belt in Taekwondo, much like with other martial arts such as Judo and karate.
For this reason, we can understand why people think that it would take a long time to reach a black belt when it comes to earning one as a student. You’d think that it would take a long time, right?
Follow the rest of our guide to understand whether Taekwondo has a colored belt ranking system, whether there is a black belt, and how long it takes to reach the level of black belt.
Who knows? You might end up getting there yourself one day!
Is There A Colored Belt Ranking System In Taekwondo?
The simple answer is yes, there is a colored belt ranking system in Taekwondo, which many people might choose the art for.
Because how some combat sports lack a physical progression and the way that you can’t see what’s coming next, they might want to choose Taekwondo over some of these other sports. It’s always nice to have a goal to aim for.
It’s no secret that martial arts have been practiced all around the world for centuries, but you might be surprised to find out that the colored belt system is a relatively new craze that has done well for a lot of people trying to progress throughout their chosen combat sport, such as Taekwondo.
Typically, certificates and diplomas were handed out instead of colored belts.
The founder of Judo, Jigorō Kanō, was actually the first person to introduce these colored belts as a way to rank students and their progress.
This way, others are able to see what level they’re at, despite not knowing the person themselves. This way, you can take one look at them and see what their ability level is straight away.
Colored belts are especially useful for keeping younger students and children interested in the earlier stages of their martial arts experiences.
After all, if there are no younger people to learn these combat sports, then we’re bound to run out of people at some point, right? Having a reward system to help rank students keeps them interested and focused on their next goal.
How Many Belts Are There In Taekwondo?
If you’re wondering how many belts there are in Taekwondo, then we have the answer right here.
Different martial arts will have different belt systems with varying numbers of colors and degrees featured throughout.
However, there are some like Muay Thai that doesn’t actually have a ranking system like this. Taekwondo, fortunately, does!
There are eight different belts to be achieved throughout someone’s experience with Taekwondo and their time learning the combat sport.
The first belt, as you might have guessed, is white, much like with other martial arts and sports. The following colors are seen frequently throughout different martial arts, which we’ll look at now!
After white, you have yellow and blue as the next two degrees of experience. Then you have red, red/black, Cho Dan Bo, black/white, and finally, black.
The Cho Dan Bo belt literally translates to? preparing to become a black belt’. As you can see, the black belt is the eighth and final belt along your path, which means it would take the longest out of the eight to achieve.
How Long Does It Take To Achieve A Black Belt?
With some martial arts, it can take decades and many years to achieve a black belt, showing people that it isn’t easy to earn one.
This can be good because it shouldn’t be perceived as easy to just walk into a Taekwondo lesson and fly your way through. It can take years of dedication and perseverance to get to where you want to be.
For someone who picks Taekwondo up relatively quickly, it should take anywhere between 3 and 5 years to get to a black belt, which is the eighth degree of the Taekwondo ranking system.
However, there are some years that place a minimum amount of time that’s needed to make sure someone has the experience needed to be worthy of sporting a black belt.
Some schools and practices around the world will make sure that someone has a minimum of 4 or 5 years of training before they’re eligible to get a black belt.
However, this isn’t an official rule and is usually only enforced by specific teachers and organizations to ensure their students are definitely ready before earning a black belt.
Is There A Belt After Black?
If you’re wondering whether there’s a further belt to earn after black, it all depends on the specific school or practice. For example, a dan grade might be marked with colored stripes, like white.
Alternatively, the belt might be decorated with Roman numerals to mark a progression following the achievement of the black belt.
However, it is not uncommon for places to have nothing after the black belt, with the individual having enough motivation to carry on with less-clear goals ahead of them.
Final Thoughts
Yes, there is a black belt in Taekwondo and it can take anywhere between 3 and 5 years, depending on the person, the school, and the number of lessons attended.
At the end of the day, it takes everyone a different amount of time to complete their Taekwondo experience, but it’s not a reflection of a person’s motivation or lack of it.
Black belts aren’t easy to achieve and this should be remembered whenever someone enters the world of Taekwondo.
Because of this, you should be patient if you’re striving toward a black belt yourself, which is always important.
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