am i to old
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anything is possible if you stay with the art long enough and keep in good with the federation you belong to or change federations enough and get a promotion each time you change
9th dan? Why worry about that? That's like starting chess and worrying about whether you're going to become one of the top international grandmasters in time to have a crack at the World Championship. Or like deciding you want to be a physicist and then fretting about what the odds are that you'll win the Nobel Prize. Kind of a waste of time and energy, eh? If you enjoy it, just do it and see what happens. I suspect most 9th dans get more pleasure out of their real attainments and skills than out of those nine stripes on their belt, eh?
And as for 'old' vs. 'new' TKD... to my mind, the real distinction is TKD for sport vs. TKD for effective street defense against serious violence. You train for the two in quite different ways. Decide which way you want to go, find a school where you and the instructors are on the same page, learn all you can, and persist in your training. Whatever belt you wind up, you'll get an enormous amount of satisfaction from what you've accomplished.
And as for 'old' vs. 'new' TKD... to my mind, the real distinction is TKD for sport vs. TKD for effective street defense against serious violence. You train for the two in quite different ways. Decide which way you want to go, find a school where you and the instructors are on the same page, learn all you can, and persist in your training. Whatever belt you wind up, you'll get an enormous amount of satisfaction from what you've accomplished.
Old school new school it is about what you want a self defense art or a sport and then follow that wisdom, as far as being a 9th Dan who cares it is about the training not a belt. I have been training for 45 years and I am only a fourth on paper, it came a time in my life what was more important a belt or training I choose training of course.
If you want to train Taekwondo, do so. Most of us on this board enjoy a great deal & have for a number of years. If your goal is 9th Dan (when you haven't even taken a class yet) that is admirable, but you may be setting yourself up to fail. Set a shorter term goal & see if you enjoy the Art. If you enjoy it, rank will come in time. But if you focus solely on that, it will never come fast enough & you'll be miserable.
Try a classs & see if you like it.
Try a classs & see if you like it.
Well, my young friend, 9th dan is indeed a lofty goal. I would suggest you make it a goal to, make to one class at a time to your yellow belt, So on and so forth- all the through the ranks. One class at a time!
Well said, everyone! 
As long as you don't have a cardiac arrest while testing for your 9th dan you should do fine... Good luck to you. No, seriously, good luck. :asian:
Cirdan
Senior Master
I think of it like this:
No matter the time, today is always perfect for starting training or continue practice.
No matter the time, today is always perfect for starting training or continue practice.
Having a goal is a GOOD THING...However the goals ya make at 18 will usually vanish in a couple of years, mine did as most of people here...
BrandonLucas
3rd Black Belt
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Like everyone else has said, don't focus too much on acheiving 9th dan, per se...not that it's an unrealistic goal, but it's a little ways down the road.
I think you'll find that once you start training, you'll forget about trying to acheive 9th dan as a rank, and you'll get more involved in the training aspects of it.
Just enjoy the journey...it's far more rewarding than the rank itself.
I think you'll find that once you start training, you'll forget about trying to acheive 9th dan as a rank, and you'll get more involved in the training aspects of it.
Just enjoy the journey...it's far more rewarding than the rank itself.
I'll echo the consensus here that you should just focus on your traiing and not worry about rank so much.
however, doing the math (3 years to get from white belt to 1st dan and then 1 year to 2nd, 2 years to 3rd and so on)...if you hit every test in the minimum amount of time...you could theoretically reach 9th dan in your late fifties (57 doing the math in my head...could be wrong).
That's the concrete answer to your query...everyone else has given more useful advice however
Peace,
Erik
however, doing the math (3 years to get from white belt to 1st dan and then 1 year to 2nd, 2 years to 3rd and so on)...if you hit every test in the minimum amount of time...you could theoretically reach 9th dan in your late fifties (57 doing the math in my head...could be wrong).
That's the concrete answer to your query...everyone else has given more useful advice however
Peace,
Erik
I'm 33 and just starting out (that is, I didn't start as a teenager, or child)! I don't expect I will get to 9th dan, I'm just here for the journey and the training, I would be thrilled with 1st dan, but as of now, I'm testing for brown belt Friday, so that is where my focus lies.
While it's easy for some to say that you may not want to hold the exact same goals all through your life that you set at 18, some do! You're not getting any younger, so start now and enjoy the journey. What's more important than stripes on your belt and a certificate on your wall is what you actually learn to get there. It's great to have a long term goal, but you miss the best part if you don't focus on the steps leading you there.
While it's easy for some to say that you may not want to hold the exact same goals all through your life that you set at 18, some do! You're not getting any younger, so start now and enjoy the journey. What's more important than stripes on your belt and a certificate on your wall is what you actually learn to get there. It's great to have a long term goal, but you miss the best part if you don't focus on the steps leading you there.
Quality of training aside....
most schools will get you to blackbelt in fifteen months to two years. Most systems require you to have been at your current grade for a number of years equal to your current dan rank. So from that perspective...
1st dan: 20
2nd dan: 21
3rd dan: 23
4th dan: 27
5th dan: 31
6th dan: 37
7th dan: 43
8th dan: 50
9th dan: 58
So yes, it is possible. My calculation may be off due to one of the following reasons: Some ranks have a minimum age before they can be awarded, depending upon the association. Second, not all schools get you to blackbelt in two years. The "modern tkd" most likely will. But if you go old school, expect at least two years, more likely three to four.
Old TKD is much more SD oriented, though they had tournaments too.
Modern TKD is much more sport oriented and the training is focused very differently.
Terry hit the nail on the head: old vs. modern is the more pertinant question.
Daniel
I agree with all of those who say you shouldn't be focusing on reaching 9th Dan; that is more of a lifetime achievement award than anything else. It's great to have long-term goals; however, short- and medium-term goals are also necessary. If what you want is a belt, go buy one; they're cheap. If what you want is real, quality, earned rank, the start training and worry about rank as your instructor determines you to be ready for it. Rank is part of the journey - signposts along the way - but it is not the end-all and be-all of training... and desire for rank above all is not a good motivation for daily training.
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