Taekwondo without a doubt is a journey, a journey that puts your body and mind to the test and allows you to reach a new level of physical and mental confidence, and this will happen no matter if you are learning it as a martial art or to compete at an Olympic level.
During that journey, you will be rewarded not just with knowledge but also with something that will distinguish you from those who preceded you and those who came before you as well as those who have the reached the end of their journey and are now helping those behind them, we talk about taekwondo belts.
In Taekwondo, there are six different belts (depending on every school or academy) that you need to go through before you reach the maximum level represented by the final belt which is black color (in black color, grades are called “Dan”, 1st Dan the lowest level and 10th Dan the maximum level), the first one is the white belt, that’s the one you get the minute you start the journey and wear your taekwondo uniform for the very first time.
A JOURNEY OF HARD WORK
Once you start the journey you will put your body to the challenge, you will be required to learn how to be agile, strong, coordinated and this is just the physical conditioning part, you will also be taught the principles of taekwondo as well as kicking, punching and forms.
This is quite important as you will need to pass a test before you can attain your first color belt: the yellow one. At this point, your taekwondo uniform will look completely different as you will be wearing a belt that will show your peers that you have acquired the first level of knowledge and have passed the required test.
The next level, which of course will require a higher level of effort to learn more and more complex forms and types of punches and kicks (alongside improving your speed and agility) is the green belt, you’re getting closer to the higher levels now.
The Blue belt could be considered the frontier between the first levels and the higher levels, once you reach this level you will be required a higher and deeper level of knowledge as previously mentioned, after it, you will be heading right for the two higher levels that precede the black belt.
THE LAST STEPS OF THE JOURNEY
Now you see yourself in the mirror and you have a blue belt, you’re ready to reach the next step: the red belt. In Taekwondo knowledge, you must attain strength and courage when you reach this level. At this point, you must have attained a level of self-control and knowledge that prepares you for what is ahead.
The red belt is the last belt you’ll get before you reach the black belt and become a master, getting to that level requires a very high skill in taekwondo and your knowledge at this point will be more and more centered on your self-control.
Once you reach the red belt you will be on your way to the final exam, an exam that will change your life forever and mark not the end but actually the start of a new journey as a Taekwondo Master (and a new taekwondo uniform).