question from a karate person

[gyaku-zuki queen]

how long does it take to get your black belt in TKD? i know a girl that is a black belt in TKDand she has only been in it for a year and a half. also, i saw a girl that was a black belt in TKD do a back kick.. and it wasnt what i expected from a black belt. this was wen i was a blue belt i karate and i saw that i could take her in sparring easy. ive seen people with their black and their kicks are weak an suck.. but then again, i seen a video of these ppl in TKD and they are all pro n doin this trippy stuff...so about how long does it take to get your black? (and if you have anything about the other stuff i said in this post i'd like to hear it )

 

[terryl965]

First and formost do not put all TKDers in the same sentence. That is a touchie subject,let just say there are more than one way to get a Black belt in TKD I.E. you can buy one for the right amount of money second you can go to a Belt factory and last which is my favorite you can earn it through sweet and hard work. The later being the hardest of course. To answer your question there is no set time frame it is when you and your instructor feel confident you know your materials...GOD BLESS AMERICA

 

[TigerWoman]

I think the average is 4-5 years to 1st Dan. Students of TKD that have only spent a year and a half, have just got into the conditioning needed for TKD and should know how to do a decent spin side kick or back kick. Testing for green belt includes breaking a board doing spin side kick - about 9 -12 months needed for that. I would question any black belt / 1st dan rank under 4 years. TW

 

[Tae Kwon Doughboy]

It depends. At our school if a person with no prior experience fulfills all the requirements and tests on the normal schedule they can have there BB within two years. The time requirements are three months to test for Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue and Red. Six or nine months for BB.

If a person comes from another school they don't have to start over unless it is obvious they haven't earned their rank. If they come from a different style or have obviously been practicing at higher rank level on their own, they will be tested after a few months at the level the instructor feels appropriate.

I know what you mean. I had better form when I tested for my first belt (yellow) than some of the black belts I've seen. Some just look lazy.

I've also noticed that with some of the higher ranking students that can kick head high, the front, round house, pchagi (spelling?) and side kicks all look alike. Their foot position doesn't change between the kicks either. All kicks are head high even if they are supposed to be midsection kicks. They are definitely not lazy though.

With others it is obvious which kick they are doing. They have excellent form. Those are the ones I watch and learn from.

 

[Sarah]

At our Dojo, which is BASED in TKD it would take 4 1/2 years minimum from white if gradded 2 a year, but saying that it our criteria is really tough especially from Green belt on, so alot of the seniors will grade between 6-9 monthly. Also our instructor will not Double Grade.

I have been training a year and have gradded twice am now Yellow Belt Green Tip, but I do know of other TKD orginization here in New Zealand that have people who have been training a year and are Blue Belts (5 graddings). it pretty common to get there BB in 3 years.

 

[Zepp]

As you can probably tell from everyone else's responses, there's no standard time for black belt. In my org, the WTA, the average time is about 3-4 years of steady training. I received my 1st dan after about 3 years, but a couple guys I tested with had been training for 5 years.

In Tae Kwon Do, the black belt isn't a sign of having acheived a level of mastery, as it is in some arts- it's a sign of basic proficiency.

The girl you know who has her black belt after only a year and a half is probably either a prodigy, or (more likely) another victim of the McDojang epidemic that has come to define Tae Kwon Do to the rest of the martial arts world.

 

[Rob Broad]

Different schools have different guidelines, and means different times between belts from one school to the next. People learn differently from each other so they all progressat their own rates. Since peopel learn differently and progress differently there are a wide variety of skill levels seen by all belt levels.

 

[bluespacething]

Like everyone else said...it does depend on where you go. I've been in TKD for three years and I'm a brown belt right now. But I do my training at my college and we only test for 2 belts/year. The gym we are affiliated with goes by quarters so they can technically test for 4 belts a year.

They did split it up a bit though since it seemed like people were getting their BB so fast..so our belts go ...white, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, purple trim(senior), brown, brown trim(senior), red, red trim(senior), black. I don't know how many schools do this type of belting. I know it takes most people at least 2 1/2-3 years to get their BB....if I decide to continue...it would take me about another year to get my Black Belt at my current rate...unless I go to the main gym instead of just my college class.

 

[Damian Mavis]

As a school owner operator I am going to fill you in on the nasty secrets. If a school is elevating students to black belt in 18 months to 2 years it's because it is prudent in the pursuit of money.

1.) they test often which means testing fees coming in ALL the time, depending on the school that can be alot of money.

2.) the students KNOW that they will get black belt fairly quickly and have more incentive not to quit and to stick with it until they get black, most schools have a high drop out rate, this curtails that and brings in more tuition fees than normal.

3.) Some people will deliberately join a school that has fast testings as opposed to one that tells them they will have to wait 4 to 5 years, good for business.

If a school is adding belt levels that means more testing fees, why not just slow down the testing process? Why add more tests? Money.

Ok newsflash, there are NO prodigies, there is no reason for ANYONE to get black belt in 2 years (or less!) Except that it is good for business. Any serious martial arts school that puts out skilled black belts will take minimum 3 years if they train 4 times a week but more like 4 years. This is why Tae Kwon Do has a bad name, people running around with black belt that couldnt fight their way out of a wet paper bag because in reality they are only green belts! But someone put a black belt on them for the right amount of money!

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[Han-Mi]

3 1/2 years minimum in our school. I was training for 6 years before I got my student black and then another 6 months til my 1st dan. I was a kid still though, so I really needed that much time to understand what I was doing. I was 15 when I got my 1st dan. Anything less than 3 years is not enough time, and If it's a kid, it should be longer.

 

[The Kai]

We actually got a local TKD school that promises a Black Belt in 14 months (due to thier efficient training methods). A lot of kids (Movie trailer "the Knee High Black belt") and IMHO most of thier Yudansha have no basics, spirit or understanding of principles)

 

[karatekid1975]

I've been training in TKD for almost three years, and I recently got my red (a couple of month back). I won't test for high red till the spring. I won't test for prob black till fall of 05. The color belts test every three months (white, orange, yellow, green, purple, blue, brown), the red and prob black belts test every 6 months, till first dan.

The quickest I've seen in this school was 2 and 1/2 years, but that's rare. The average is about 4 and 1/2.

 

[rainbows]

I'm 2 years in TKD, and I'm grading for red belt in about a month's time. My club (a college club, and the top college club in Ireland) averages 4 to 4.5 years for black belt, but if you make every testing you can get black belt in approx. 2 years 9 months. Our instructor will decide whether you can go for every testing. I'll probably grade for black tip just before Christmas and then (hopefully) black belt next summer. I was a junior black belt in kenpo before I did TKD, and in that it took me 5 years 3 months to junior black belt.

 

[Pale Rider]

I agree with the majority of the posts in here that it should take app. 4 years to achieve Chodan status. Granted I am in TSD and not TKD, but the applications and techniques are pretty much the same - maybe different forms, but in essence a similiar format.

I achieved my Chodan back in 1991, four years after I first started in TSD. I have seen where the schools who promote faster then 4 years to Chodan and from my experience they couldn't go toe to toe with someone who has the same rank but took 4 years to gain the same rank.

As it was mentioned earlier - Black Belt isn't the end of the training - it is really the Beginning. As it was told to me - Chodan / Shodan means literally (First Step or Level) and that is what Chodans are... they are now taking their first steps in becoming a Master. When someone asks me how long does it take to learn martial arts - I tell them simply ................. "a lifetime..."

 

[bignick]

As the head instructor likes to tell black belts that have just earned their rank..."You now know what you need to know to begin to learn", it sounds trite...but it's the truth....sometimes there's a very good reason a saying is cliche...

 

[ipscshooter]

It took my stepson and me 3-5 lessons per week for 3 years, 11 months to test for and receive our 1st Dans. He had 2 years of training in a different program before starting at this school. My son tested at the same time, but failed a break, so he had to retest. He earned his 1st Dan after 4 years, 6 months, at the age of 10 1/2. He'll be starting Tang Soo Do lessons this fall in a program that has a 4 year track to black belt, and he hopes to earn his 2nd Dan in TKD by the time he turns 16.

 

[MichiganTKD]

Tae Kwon Do 1st Dan should take a minimum of two years, with regular practice (2-3 days a week) and being the right age (14+). The maximum amount of time for this (assuming the above is still correct) is about 4 years. Anything less and they simply haven't had time to adequately practice. Four or more years probably indicates a. Student is very young b. Instructor uses too many belt rank to string students along or c. Student is not particularly good at Tae Kwon Do but does try and comes to class. It can also indicate the Instructor is not trying very hard. Likewise, a student who is not doing well in school can likely have bad parents as well as a bad attitude or learning disability.

 

[MichiganTKD]

Hey, I just made MT Black Belt.

Thank you, thank you very much!

 

[Tkang_TKD]

In my school, the average grading to black belt (probationary) is about 3 years. 1st Dan Kukkiwon at about 3.5/4 years depending on the abilities of the student.

I have been training since May of 2001 and have gotten to my red belt/brown tip at this time. I'll be grading for brown belt in approximately 2 months. I have been at my current ranking for about 5 months now.

Normally, we grade quarterly at the junior ranks, and then about every 4-months after blue belt.

Our grading system is loosely based on WTF with our grading as follows:

White - 10th guep Ki Cho
Yellow - 9th guep Palgwe/Taeguek 1
Green - 8th guep Palgwe/Taeguek 2
Green/blue tip - 7th guep Palgwe/Taeguek 3
Blue - 6th guep Palgwe/Taeguek 4
Blue/red tip - 5th guep Palgue/Taeguek 5
Red - 4th guep Palgwe/Taeguek 6
Red/brown tip - 3rd guep Palgwe/Taeguek 7
Brown - 2nd guep Palgwe 8
Brown/black tip - 1st guep Taegeuk 8
Black (probationary) Koryo
1 DAN KUKKIWON Kumgang (I think)

We are more towards traditional TKD with only minor emphasis on olympic style sparring. Our curriculum does incorporate Palgwe and Taeguek forms (as indicated per rank above), as well as several Hapkido techniques and some grappling/take down techniques.

It took my wife a little over 3 years to reach probationary BB, while it is taking me closer to 4 years. This is mostly due to deploying overseas for 6-9 months at a time for the post 9/11 opertations.

 

[Shogun]

As has been stated, it depends on thr style you are doing. I have heard it done in as little as 1 year, and as long as 7 years. its all a matter of the school. I contacted a Hapkido school in my area (Enso Center) and the instructor told me that if one practiced 3-4 times a week for 2 hours a day, it would be approximately 3 years, depending on person.