How many belts at your school

[jthomas1600]

Hey I've have a question. Is there a standard number of belts at most schools? How many do you have? The reason I ask is we seem to have some extras at my school. Including white and black we have 12. I of course am not involved in running the school so this is just an assumption: I think we have the extra belts as part of a "checks and balance" kind of thing. We test fairly frequently and new students can advance through the first few levels quickly and I think the extra belts give advanced students a chance to mature and perfect before they test for black belt.

Sort of a related question. Our purple belt curriculum includes no new material. At this point you are tested on all of the material you are supposed to know at this point. From my observation it is the first difficult step at our school as the expectations for execution seem to step up at this point. Do other schools do anything similar?

Thanks

 

[Hudson69]

At my school there are white, two blue, two green, two brown and black. The progression seems to be fairly slow.

 

[chrispillertkd]

Hey I've have a question. Is there a standard number of belts at most schools? How many do you have? The reason I ask is we seem to have some extras at my school. Including white and black we have 12. I of course am not involved in running the school so this is just an assumption: I think we have the extra belts as part of a "checks and balance" kind of thing. We test fairly frequently and new students can advance through the first few levels quickly and I think the extra belts give advanced students a chance to mature and perfect before they test for black belt.

Well, in ITF Taekwon-Do rank is divided into 10 gup and 9 dan levels. There are a total of 6 belts (white, yellow, green, blue, red and black) but each non-black belt has two gup ranks. For example, 10th and 9th gup are white belt, 8th and 7th gup are yellow, etc. Differentiation between gup levels is indicated by a stripe of the up-coming belt at the end of the belt instead of a whole new belt. Thus, testing from 10th gup to 9th gup means you get a yellow stripe to sew onto the end of your belt instead of a whole new belt.

Black belts rank from I dan to IX dan.

Sort of a related question. Our purple belt curriculum includes no new material. At this point you are tested on all of the material you are supposed to know at this point. From my observation it is the first difficult step at our school as the expectations for execution seem to step up at this point. Do other schools do anything similar?

Thanks

This is the first time I've ever heard of testing over the same material twice in the sense that there is no knew material added. During all of our rank tests we're responsible for everything we've been taught before and my instructors will often have students demonstrate a selection of patterns, step sparring or basic techniques from a lower rank during a test. Besides this, it's hard if not impossible to not use techniques or theories that you were taught before, no?

That being said, you seem to be saying at purple belt you have kind of a comprehensive exam and, while you're not responsible for new material you're expected to kick things up a notch. That I haven't heard of before.

Pax,

Chris

 

[terryl965]

Firsst off what organization?
Here is ours

White
Yellow stripe
Yellow
Orange Stripe
Orange
Green Stripe
Green
Blue stripe
Blue
Red stripe
Red Black stripe
Half red/Half black
Black

Now WTF and the KKW does not do the Yellow stripe and Yellow belt, I do because I believe one should stay at the beginner level a little longer than most people. Hope that helps you.

 

[chrispillertkd]

Firsst off what organization?
Here is ours

White
Yellow stripe
Yellow
Orange Stripe
Orange
Green Stripe
Green
Blue stripe
Blue
Red stripe
Red Black stripe
Half red/Half black
Black

Now WTF and the KKW does not do the Yellow stripe and Yellow belt, I do because I believe one should stay at the beginner level a little longer than most people. Hope that helps you.

I have heard this before but when I was training at a WTF club in college they also used yellow (just the belt, no stripe). Seems like it might be a somewhat common addition for KKW Taekwon-Do.

Is orange a KKW/WTF color? I thought it went white, green, blue, red, black. Just curious.

Pax,

Chris

 

[terryl965]

I have heard this before but when I was training at a WTF club in college they also used yellow (just the belt, no stripe). Seems like it might be a somewhat common addition for KKW Taekwon-Do.

Is orange a KKW/WTF color? I thought it went white, green, blue, red, black. Just curious.

Pax,

Chris

Yes Chris Orange is the first two colors with the stripe ornge belt being the first real belt.

 

[jthomas1600]

We're WTF and Kukkiwon affiliated. Our belts are as follows; white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, the rest of the belts are split like red/high red, brown high brown, then we have two that I've not seen anywhere else, bodan (SP?) and high bodan and then black.

Chris, yes for white through blue there is only a little spot testing to ensure that previously taught material is being retained but from purple and beyond the school seems pretty stringent in this regard.

 

[ATC]

Belts don't matter, it is the Kup or Gup that matters. Anything earned between Kups is just school preference and used for progressing and marking that progress. You can use any belt colors (other than white and black) that you want.

 

[dancingalone]

My new, fun TKD group (9 gup ranks):
white
yellow
orange
green
blue
purple
brown
red
red/black


My Goju-ryu karate class:
(8 kyu ranks before black)
white
white
green
green
purple
purple
brown
brown

My Aikido class (5 kyu ranks)
white
white
white
brown
brown

 

[mango.man]

Firsst off what organization?
Here is ours

White
Yellow stripe
Yellow
Orange Stripe
Orange
Green Stripe
Green
Blue stripe
Blue
Red stripe
Red Black stripe
Half red/Half black
Black

Now WTF and the KKW does not do the Yellow stripe and Yellow belt, I do because I believe one should stay at the beginner level a little longer than most people. Hope that helps you.

Please correct me if I am wrong Terry, but officially KKW does not care anything about any color belt other than Black as there is no mention of any other belt color that I can find on the KKW website.

I remember a topic several years back that I started either on MT or some other forum after I paid a visit to the first Dojang where Samantha started out for her first 8 years or so of TKD. During that visit I noticed a sign in the lobby for all the parents and students:

"Due to increased belt testing fees from Kukkiwon, our testing fees will increase by $10-20 per belt. Thank you for your understanding."

2 thoughts popped into my mind:

1) I haven't heard that KKW increased any fees. I later confirmed that they hadn't.
2) Even if KKW did increase their BB fees, what has that got to do with little Johnny testing for his yellow or green belt? Answer - Nothing because KKW doesn't have anything to do with or say about color belts.

Everyone on this BB or where ever I posted that, got a real kick out of it. Another sign that we started off in a real McDojang but were so blind to that fact until we escaped.

 

[ATC]

Please correct me if I am wrong Terry, but officially KKW does not care anything about any color belt other than Black as there is no mention of any other belt color that I can find on the KKW website.

I remember a topic several years back that I started either on MT or some other forum after I paid a visit to the first Dojang where Samantha started out for her first 8 years or so of TKD. During that visit I noticed a sign in the lobby for all the parents and students:

"Due to increased belt testing fees from Kukkiwon, our testing fees will increase by $10-20 per belt. Thank you for your understanding."

2 thoughts popped into my mind:

1) I haven't heard that KKW increased any fees. I later confirmed that they hadn't.
2) Even if KKW did increase their BB fees, what has that got to do with little Johnny testing for his yellow or green belt? Answer - Nothing because KKW doesn't have anything to do with or say about color belts.

Everyone on this BB or where ever I posted that, got a real kick out of it. Another sign that we started off in a real McDojang but were so blind to that fact until we escaped.

You are correct. Only your BB is certified by KKW. Anything under that is school preference. You can and a rainbow of belt colors between white and black. You can have any number of belts before getting black. All school pref.

That is why I always tell anyone that ask about what color equates to what rank, what is the kup? The kup is all that matters until Dan or Poom.

 

[terryl965]

Please correct me if I am wrong Terry, but officially KKW does not care anything about any color belt other than Black as there is no mention of any other belt color that I can find on the KKW website.

I remember a topic several years back that I started either on MT or some other forum after I paid a visit to the first Dojang where Samantha started out for her first 8 years or so of TKD. During that visit I noticed a sign in the lobby for all the parents and students:

"Due to increased belt testing fees from Kukkiwon, our testing fees will increase by $10-20 per belt. Thank you for your understanding."

2 thoughts popped into my mind:

1) I haven't heard that KKW increased any fees. I later confirmed that they hadn't.
2) Even if KKW did increase their BB fees, what has that got to do with little Johnny testing for his yellow or green belt? Answer - Nothing because KKW doesn't have anything to do with or say about color belts.

Everyone on this BB or where ever I posted that, got a real kick out of it. Another sign that we started off in a real McDojang but were so blind to that fact until we escaped.

Yes you are right the wording I should have used is the norm for most WTF or KKW school is

Orange stripe
Orange
green stripe
Green
Blue stripe
blue
red stripe
red
black stripe
half red/half black also known as the poom belt
Black belt

Then again I could have said it this way as well

10 gup
9 gup
8 gup
7 gup
6 gup
5 gup
4 gup
3 gup
2 gup
1 gup
Black belt

or I could have said this

10 gup gold
9 gup orange
8 gup green
7 gup brown
6 gup brown 1 stripe
5 gup brown 2 stripe
4 gup brown 3 stripe
3 red 1 stripe
2 gup red 2 stripe
1 gup red 3 stripe
black belt or poom

There are so many ways of doing it and I should have watched they way I stated it but my God people for the most part the ten gups rank follow the orange stripe though the half red/ half black. Now some have that purple belt somewhere in them as well, hell I have even seen a pink belt in there.

If you want to get technical sense we are years a go you was a student or a teacher and they just said you are a 5 gup or whatever, we did not even wear the dam things. Now I am off my soapbox and will return you back to your original program of what belts are the right one's brought to by who in the **** really cares.

 

[Gorilla]

White
Yellow
Yellow-Green Stripe
Green
Green-Blue Stripe
Blue
Blue-Red Stripe
Red
Red-Black Stripe
Half Red/Half Black
Black

We have been with our current Master 4 years only 3 have made it to Black Belt.

 

[d1jinx]

10.

although i thought about adding a stripe to each belt (for a fee of $25) then also adding 3 more belts (Pink, Camo, and tie dye). :rofl:

kidding. there are 10 and will always be 10. Nobody will have to wear a pink belt!

 

[Gorilla]

10.

although i thought about adding a stripe to each belt (for a fee of $25) then also adding 3 more belts (Pink, Camo, and tie dye). :rofl:

kidding. there are 10 and will always be 10. Nobody will have to wear a pink belt!

I think you would look cute in Pink Belt!!!!

 

[mango.man]

We had a pink belt at our first school. It was to be worn by anyone that forgot to bring their belt to class.

We had 1 little girl that was always "forgetting" her belt. It was kinda cute at first, but got old real quick.

 

[mango.man]

We have been with our current Master 4 years only 3 have made it to Black Belt.

We have been with our current master for approaching 3 years (over 4 if you count individual private lessons before he decided to take on students on a full time basis) and Team X has had just 1 testing, in Feb 09.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

our club goes as follows-

white
yellow 1st
yellow 2nd
blue 1st
blue 2nd
blue 3rd
red 1st
red 2nd
red 3rd
black
1st degree/dan black

 

[jthomas1600]

I didn't realize so many schools had the yellow 1/yellow 2, green 1/green 2 system so now that I'm thinking about the gups (which I knew before but wasn't thinking) our school is about like everyone else. We have 10 belts between white and black. This sounds like it might be one extra still. I'll have to look at my kids certificate for their purple belt when I get home and see if that was actually a gup advancement since as I said before there really is no new material at that level at our school.

 

[IcemanSK]

My school has a 10 gup belt system. We follow the KKW 9 dan system for dan ranks. My original dojang as a gup student was a 12 gup system. I like a 10 gup system better.