In taekwondo there are a range of belt levels representing experience and skill. In the beginning, it doesn’t take much time to advance between belt levels but later on it takes much longer to advance belt levels.
List of Taekwondo Belt Levels:
White Belt
Yellow Belt
Orange Belt
Green Belt
Blue Belt
High Blue Belt
Purple Belt
High Purple Belt
Red Belt
High Red Belt
Brown Belt
High Brown Belt
Red-Black Belt
Bodan Belt
Black Belt
There are degrees of black belt a person can attain. The highest level being a ninth degree black belt.
At each belt level, there is a curriculum a student must master in order to pass their belt test. A typical curriculum used in taekwondo studios would be:
White Belt testing for Yellow Belt
Nak Bup: Front, Back, Left, Right
Stances: Ready, Horseback, Walking and Forward
Basic Blocking Routine
Jab & Reverse Punches
Kicks: Front Snap Kick, Roundhouse, Rising and Crescent
Oral Test: Count 1-10, Five Aims, Basic Terminology
Yellow Belt testing for Orange Belt
Sa Bang Chuk 1
Poomse: Tae Guk Il Jang (Kee Bon Poomse for Children)
Kicks: Axe, Side, Basic Kicking
Board Breaking: Adults – Front Snap Kick, Children – Flying Side Kick
Nak Bup: Combination
Oral test: Student Creed, Count 1-20
Orange Belt testing for Green Belt
Sa Bang Chuk 2
Poomse: Tae Guk Ee Jang
Stance: Back Stance
Kicks: Skipping Front Snap, Roundhouse, Side, Axe
Oral test: Eleven Commandments of Taekwondo
Green Belt testing for Blue Belt
Sa Bang Chuck 3
Poomse: Tae Guk Sam Jang
Kick: Spinning Back Kick
Board Breaking: Adult: Knife Hand, Children: Front Snap Kick
Oral Test: History of Taekwondo (Children: 3 ancient Kingdoms of Korea)
Blue Belt testing for High Blue belt
Sa Bang Chuck 4
Poomse: Tae Guk Sa Jang
Kicks: Skipping Hook Kick
Oral Test: Philosophy of Taekwondo (Children: Meanings of the 5 Codes
High Blue Belt testing for Purple Belt
Sa Bang Chuck 5
Poomse: Palgue Il Jang
Board Breaking: Skipping Side Kick
Oral Test: Children-History of Taekwondo (Adults-No question for this test)
Purple Belt testing for High Purple belt
Sa Bang Chuk 6
Poomse: Tae Guk Oh Jang
Kicks: Spinning Back Hook Kick
Oral Test: Old names of Taekwondo (minimum of 3)
High Purple Belt testing for Red belt
Sa Bang Chuk 7
Poomse: Palgue Ee Jang
Board Breaking: Jumping Front Kick
Oral Test: Taekwondo/Olympic Relations
Red Belt testing for High Red belt
Sa Bang Chuk 8
Poomse: Tae Guk Yuk Jang
Kick: Narabang
Sparring
Board Breaking: Reverse Punch
Oral Test: No question for this test
High Red Belt testing for Brown belt
Sa Bang Chuk 9
Poomse: Palgue Sam Jang
Sparring
Board Breaking: Spinning Back Kick
Oral Test: Explain the meaning of the Ji Do Kwan symbol
Brown Belt testing for High Brown belt
Sa Bang Chuk 10
Poomse: Tae Guk Chil Jang
Sparring
Board Breaking: Spinning Back Hook Kick
Oral Test: Children-Biography (Sabumnim chooses subject), Adults-No question for this test
High Brown Belt testing for Red-Black belt
Sa Bang Chuk 11
Poomse: Palgue Sa Jang
Sparring
Board Breaking: Adult – 2 Boards, Spinning Back Kick, Children – 1″ Board, Spinning Back Kick
Oral Test: Student chooses one of the 11 Commandments of Taekwondo and explains its importance.
Red-Black testing for Bo Dan
Sa Bang Chuck 12
Poomse: Tae guk Pal Jang
Sparring
Board Breaking: 2 station breaking (1 hand technique and 1 kick)
Oral Test: No question for this test Bo Dan testing for Black Belt
Sa Bang Chuk: 1-13
Poomse: Palgue Oh Jang (Tae Guks 1-8 & Palgues 1-5)
Board Breaking: 3 Station Technical, 3 Board Back Kick, Power Breaking w/Hand
Sparring
Tests: Written Test, Written & Oral Essays
Black Belt – level testing
Poomse and Sa Bang Chuck for current and previous levels
Sparring
1 Step Sparring: 1-30 (first dan) 31-60 (second dan)
Self-Defense
Target Sparring
Board Breaking
Once a person has attained a 5th degree or 5th dan black belt he is a master of taekwondo.