Taekwondo Belt Levels

Talk of martial arts and all I can think of is Bruce Lee! To me he is the ultimate epitome of agility, controlled and precisely aimed aggression and lethal martial arts moves. Whoa! I could go on and on! Somewhere down the line, I think the idolization of Mr. Lee led me to learn a bit of Taekwondo, how much ever I could learn and understand. The most prominent thing which I noticed when I used to learn taekwondo was the belt and their colors. Even though I had a faint idea as to what the colors of these belts are for, once I started training, it dawned upon me even more clearly, the true meaning of the colors of taekwondo belts. In case you too are learning taekwondo, you should know the Taekwondo belt levels, right? Read on then!

Taekwondo Belt Order

Starting from the white, as any other connected martial arts like karate, taekwondo belt rankings go till black belt, the ultimate one. Here are the details of the taekwondo belt system.

White Belt (10th Kup)
At this stage the individual has no knowledge of taekwondo whatsoever. A level up in this is white belt with Yellow Stripe (9th Kup) in taekwondo belt system.

Yellow Belt (8th Kup)
At this level, the stamina development and the very basic techniques of taekwondo are emphasized. The foundation of mastering taekwondo are laid at this level. Yellow Belt with Green Stripe (7th Kup) is a variation in this belt.

Green Belt (6th Kup)
At this stage the student or the practitioner of taekwondo has gone a step ahead of the yellow belt in his taekwondo training. The student continues to build up and develop his or her taekwondo skills. Green Belt with Blue Stripe (5th Kup) is a part of the basic green belt. A lot of taekwondo moves are taught at this level.

Blue Belt (4th Kup)
This is a crucial juncture depicted by blue color amongst taekwondo belt colors. Here the student starts getting a grip of what taekwondo is all about and has learned quite a few important techniques. This belt also includes Blue Belt with Red Stripe (3rd Kup).

Red Belt (2nd Kup)
This is the point in taekwondo training where the student is made to realize and understand the damage he can do with and other students are made aware of his skill. Red Belt with Black Stripe (1st Kup) is a level up of the blue belt.

Finally, you have the black belt, for which the exam happens a good year or so after the red belt. The reason is obvious - getting a black belt requires vigorous training in taekwondo techniques and body strength, which is a long and continuous process. Black belt is called the 1st Dan.

Taekwondo Belt Meanings

Apart from the practical explanations, connecting the taekwondo belts to the grade of the expertise of the practitioner, there is a philosophical connotation given to the colors of these belts. These are -

• White color depicts innocence and zero knowledge of the martial art.
• Yellow points out to earth, which leads a plant to gain root and grow.
• Green is an indicator of the growth of the plant as the students starts gaining taekwondo skills.
• Blue refers to the heaven, which is the direction of the growth of a plant, portraying the progress in a student's taekwondo training and taekwondo belt system.
• Red is an epitome of danger and caution, for the student gains this skills and for the opponents to keep him at bay.
• Black, on the contrary to white, marks maturity and proficiency of a taekwondo practitioner. A deeper meaning refers to the fearlessness and indomitability of the person wearing it.

These were the taekwondo belt levels and their meanings and significance! You can see that these are not just random colors, but these have been thought of very wisely by the masters in this art, the world over. I hope this was interesting to know! I sign off here!