Belt Levels

There are nine colored belt levels in Tae Kwon Do: new student, white, yellow, green, high-green, blue, high-blue, red, and high-red.

Belt tests for yellow and up occur twice a year. New students may test for white belt after roughly 10 classes.

Each belt level has it’s own set of techniques. This page provides a general guideline of what each rank should know. The actual learning process will vary from student to student based on individual skills. The only things that are always the same are the forms and sparring techniques.

Rank Stances Hand Techniques Blocks Foot Techniques Sparring Forms
new student front middle punch low front Chun Gi
  back high punch high inside swing  
  cat low punch outer palm outside swing    
  ready front punch inner palm side    
  sitting roundhouse    
 
Rank Stances Hand Techniques Blocks Foot Techniques Sparring Forms
white fighting back punch knife hand axe 3 steps: 1-4 Chun Gi
  twist punch double outer palm sliding side   Tan Gun
  jab double outer knife sliding roundhouse    
    single knife hand chop double knife hand sliding axe    
    reverse knife hand chop double low knife hand sliding inside swing    
    palm strike single outer knife hand jump front    
    jump axe    
 
Rank Stances Hand Techniques Blocks Foot Techniques Sparring Forms
yellow   spear finger front back 1 steps: 1-4 Do San
    horizontal backfist double inner palm hook   Suh Kang Il
        alternating back    
        back kick forward    
        sliding hook    
        front side    
        front round    
 
Rank Stances Hand Techniques Blocks Foot Techniques Sparring Forms
green Won Hyo ready ridge hand   skip-in side 3 steps: 5-7 Won Hyo
    lunge punch   skip-in round 1 steps: 5-7  
    vertical backfist   jump side    
        jump round    
        double round    
        double side    
 
Rank Stances Hand Techniques Blocks Foot Techniques Sparring Forms
high green       sweep 1 steps: 7-10 Yul Gok
        jump back    
        jump hook    
        flying side    
        front hook    
        jump 180 front (+rev)    
 
Rank Stances Hand Techniques Blocks Foot Techniques Sparring Forms
blue Choon Gun ready high belt strike with punch high cross jump turn back 3 steps reverse: 1-7 Choon Gun
    high belt strick with chop low cross jump turn hook    
    hook punch (choon gun)   reverse roundhouse    
    hammer fist   jump 180 round (+rev)    
 
Rank Stances Hand Techniques Blocks Foot Techniques Sparring Forms
high blue Hwa-rang ready   double lower inner palm jump turn inside swing 1 steps reverse: 1-10 Toi Gye
      x block jump turn outside swing   Hwa-rang
      mountain jump 180 side (+rev)    
 
Rank Stances Hand Techniques Blocks Foot Techniques Sparring Forms
red       tornado HapKiDo: 1-5 Suh Kang Ei
        jump double front    
        double front    
 
Rank Stances Hand Techniques Blocks Foot Techniques Sparring Forms
high red       triple front HapKiDo: 6-10 Choong Moo
        split    
        jump double round    

Meaning of Belt Colors

 
1st Gup   White

Signifies innocence, as that of a beginning student who has no
previous knowledge of Taekwon-Do.

 
2nd Gup   Yellow
Signifies the Earth from which a plant sprouts and takes root
as Taekwon-Do foundation is being laid.
 

 

   
3rd Gup
4th Gup		   Green

Signifies the growth as the Taekwon-Do skills begins to develop
like the green of a young plant.
 

 

   
5th Gup

6th Gup

   Blue
Signifies the Heaven, towards which the plant matures into a
towering tree as training in Taekwon-Do progresses.
 

 

   

 

     
7th Gup
8th Gup
9th Gup		   Red

Signifies danger, cautioning the student to excersise control and
warning the opponent to stay away.
 
1st Dan+   Black
Opposite of white, therefore, signifying the maturity and proficiency
in Taekwon-Do. It also indicates the wearer’s imperviousness to
darkness and fear.

 

Taken from “the Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do” by General Choi Hong Hi.