The Nuances of Earning a Black Belt in Taekwondo
For many students, from the moment they enter their taekwondo school, they wonder about how and when they will earn their black belt. While the end goal of taekwondo is not to have a black belt, it is completely natural to be curious about this process. Here’s our taekwondo school’s process in Oakville and Milton.
Progression Through the Other Belts
There is more than just the black belt in taekwondo. Instead, there are ten belts before the black belt. You must earn each belt in succession in order to be eligible to earn the black belt. In fact, even the first belt, the white belt, must be earned. Newcomers to taekwondo start out with no belt at all.
Each belt presents new and specific challenges to the student. These challenges will likely cover four different elements of taekwondo, which are:
- Forms: Also called Poomsae, these are the specific movements that taekwondo teaches.
- Sparring: This is a combat between two taekwondo practitioners.
- Breaking: As you’ve no doubt seen online, this is the practice of breaking boards of wood or other objects, a demonstration of physical prowess.
- Special technique: This is a unique category that has special challenges. Sometimes these are left up to the taekwondo school itself.
Time Commitments
Students also want to know how long it takes to earn a black belt. Well, the time is substantial and can vary by student. The first five taekwondo belts can be earned in 2 months or 36 hours each. That is almost a year’s worth of time to most students, although some may earn faster if they are putting more hours in. The next five belts before the black belt may take another two years to earn. Although, again, students can earn them faster. It all depends on what their taekwondo academy offers.
In general, though, this means you are two to three years away from earning a black belt if you have just begun your taekwondo journey now.
The Black Belt is Not the End Goal
In fact, there isn’t just one black belt. The first black belt is the first “dan” rank. After this, you can earn up to eight more, although achieving those highest ranks is quite rare and takes a great deal of time. As with many disciplines, the black belt, or any of the belts past it, are not as important as the skills you learn on the way.
Try Our Taekwondo Academy
If you are looking to earn a black belt in Milton and Oakville, you can through Dragon Taekwondo. There are no shortcuts here, but that makes the journey more enjoyable. Contact us to get started.