# Skipping Belts Good or Bad???



## 2IRISH (Mar 3, 2007)

I have a question if anyone could give me some insight to this I would really appreciate it.  I enrolled my sons in Tae Kwon Do six months ago and every testing they have had the instructors seem to choose three students to skip the belt their testing for and get the next one up.  Now to me this doesnt seem right especially when your skipping white belts who have been there only for a month or so to Orange and an 8 year old who has been there for 5 months from Orange to Green, is something that is done in all schools and do you think its good to skip belts?  That to me is a lot of cramming and not really moving up in belts the right way, sometimes I think its just about the school making more money or keeping kids in it.  They do charge a lot and every testing runs from $50 to $75, plus the $100 I pay for each kid to take it a month.  If you have any input on this sort of thing please let me know, Im not sure if I should find a new school or stick it out....  Thanks, a concerned mother


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## Just4Kicks (Mar 3, 2007)

2IRISH said:


> I have a question if anyone could give me some insight to this I would really appreciate it.  I enrolled my sons in Tae Kwon Do six months ago and every testing they have had the instructors seem to choose three students to skip the belt their testing for and get the next one up.  Now to me this doesnt seem right especially when your skipping white belts who have been there only for a month or so to Orange and an 8 year old who has been there for 5 months from Orange to Green, is something that is done in all schools and do you think its good to skip belts?  That to me is a lot of cramming and not really moving up in belts the right way, sometimes I think its just about the school making more money or keeping kids in it.  They do charge a lot and every testing runs from $50 to $75, plus the $100 I pay for each kid to take it a month.  If you have any input on this sort of thing please let me know, Im not sure if I should find a new school or stick it out....  Thanks, a concerned mother



It is common for older beginners to skip from yellow tip and go straight to yellow, usually my school only makes the young kids do that belt.

We grade every three months till black tip, which is $40. Those fees look rather excessive.

Which art is he enrolled in? How is the teaching environment? Do the instructors make it worth the money? How often do they train? Does your child enjoy the classes?

If they don't add up in your estimation then by all means find a new school. I am not a believer in skiping any other belt as it is not just the skills learnt but the journey and the time it takes. People will not appreciate what they haven't worked hard to earn, it makes it meaningless.

I know many youngsters who go well in ITF Taekwondo in my experience, and if you have one in the area then that may be an option. Of course I haven't studied much else besides and every art has its value.

Just use your judgment.


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## fnorfurfoot (Mar 3, 2007)

I have only double promoted three students since I started teaching.  For two of them it was because I had scheduled them for a test earlier, but they could not make it.  By the time I could get them into a test, they new more than enough material for the next rank up.  The only other was for an adult student who's children had been with me for a year before he decided to start.  Since he had been working with the kids at home and knew most of what they new by the time he started, I felt that he could jump over yellow to orange.  I did not charge them anything extra for the second belt.  That was basically a gift from me because I made the decision to promote them above the rank that they were expecting.


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## terryl965 (Mar 3, 2007)

First off I would like to welcome you to Martial talk.

Now on to your question, I would first ask alot of question of your instructor and find out what is there criteria for skipping a grade, maybe these student are doing alot of privates lessons thta the general public is not aware of or doing extra classes. Try to give them the benefit of the doubt before condemming what we do not know of his teaching.


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## MasterWright (Mar 3, 2007)

I would have to agree that skipping an inexperienced person makes little sense. 

The only ones that I skip were already involved in some other martial art, and able to perform to our standards in their new chosen art.

Everyone wants to be succesfull but we really need to take the time and learn it inside and out. If I were to cave in and test someone too soon they may get hurt sparring at a tournament,for example. 

If a person skips at this school,do they pay for two testings? 

Master Wright


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## wade (Mar 3, 2007)

I agree with Master Wright. If they have prior experience in the martial arts I might, but to be honest, in the last 40 years I've only done it a few times, very few. If they are point or light contact players they have to develop a whole new strategy to play our full contact game. I would rather have a very strong white belt than a week yellow belt. We are a competitive school and this is very important to us. So, on the average, I would say no. On the other hand, if I have someone come in with a prior belt rank, I don't take it away from them. They can volunteer to a drop in rank and start over or they can stay at their rank and defend it and grow into it. It is their choice. After all, if they want to play at an advanced level, well, once more, I let them make the choice.


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## IcemanSK (Mar 7, 2007)

What the above last 2 gentlemen said:asian:


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## matt.m (Mar 7, 2007)

The only time I have seen quick promotion is when someone was a high ranking gup.  I have a pal in my class who started over at white belt.  However, he was a red belt in our system as a kid.  So, it is not the same.

I have never seen someone go from white, past yellow and straight to orange.  We don't have tip ranks, only solid colors though.


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## Kacey (Mar 7, 2007)

Depending on when someone enters the class (toward the beginning or the end of the testing cycle) I _may_ allow an adult student to skip 9th gup (high white belt), as the difference between 9th gup and 8th gup is 1 pattern (19 moves) and 1 kick (side piercing kick), as well as some step sparring.  It really depends on when the person enters the class.  Children (under 12) always test for 9th gup - teens and adults test for 9th gup if they join the class late in the testing cycle and cannot meet the testing requirements for 8th gup in time to be ready for testing; as an instructor, I would rather have a student test successfully for 9th gup than unsuccessfully for 8th gup.  The cost is the same to test to either rank ($25 per testing) and the money goes into the class fund, to purchase class equipment and supplies.


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## searcher (Mar 8, 2007)

I was a V Dan when I first started training in TKD and I never had the opportunity to skip belts.   I will concede that I was testing at a faster rate than any other student.  I will not say it is because I had a Dan rank already, but more to the fact that I already had the basics and I tend to pick material up pretty quickly.


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## TKDmel (Mar 8, 2007)

I believe that skipping belts at the colored levels is not a good idea. So much of the basics can be mis-learned, and an unstable base will eventually fall. However, at the Dan level, a skip could make up for long period of sickness, or other issue that prevented a person from testing. If that person has put in the time, has fullfilled all of the requirements of that level, then it is acceptable, as long as the Master/instructor has given approval. JMHO


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## jfarnsworth (Mar 10, 2007)

It depends upon the person and the instructor.


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## Chizikunbo (Mar 11, 2007)

2IRISH said:


> I have a question if anyone could give me some insight to this I would really appreciate it. I enrolled my sons in Tae Kwon Do six months ago and every testing they have had the instructors seem to choose three students to skip the belt their testing for and get the next one up. Now to me this doesnt seem right especially when your skipping white belts who have been there only for a month or so to Orange and an 8 year old who has been there for 5 months from Orange to Green, is something that is done in all schools and do you think its good to skip belts? That to me is a lot of cramming and not really moving up in belts the right way, sometimes I think its just about the school making more money or keeping kids in it. They do charge a lot and every testing runs from $50 to $75, plus the $100 I pay for each kid to take it a month. If you have any input on this sort of thing please let me know, Im not sure if I should find a new school or stick it out.... Thanks, a concerned mother


 
In general I would say that it does not matter if you skip a rank here and there, if we look at the reason rank was initially created in martial arts was so instructors could keep a record of their students progress. When the arts came to US this got twisted into a progress marker that was more or less for the student, so the instructor could charge out the butt for it, and people would/do pay. 
However, skipping young kids as such would make it seem like a McDojo, as I dont know many 8 year olds who could be green belts in my system. So I guess another question would be relevent, are these junior ranks or full ranks???
In the end we have to see that this IS buisness, and instructors also need to be compensated for their time, so what matters is 1.) are you learning good curriculum correctly, and 2.) do you enjoy it?
From that you can reason what/how much you pay, and weigh that in with the benefits you receive, and that should help you out a bit ;-)
--josh


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