Taekwondo

Taekwondo (also spelled Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do) is the most popular of the Korean martial arts. It is also one of the world's most commonly practiced sports. The World Taekwondo Federation's form of Taekwondo is currently an Olympic sport.

Belts

Traditionally there are 10 color belt levels, called Gup or Kup ranks, and 10 black belt levels, called Dan ranks. There is also a Poom rank, for black belts who are under 16 years of age. Once a Poom rank turns 16, he/she is considered the equivalent Dan rank.

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The traditional belt colors recognized by the Kukkiwon (headquarters of the World Taekwondo Federation) are white, yellow, green, blue, and red. Between solid colors, a central stripe down the middle of the belt reflecting the next full belt color is added to indicate progress in Gup level. For example, from white the next belt would be white with a yellow stripe. Some schools instead place a "tip" or belt-end stripe of the next color on a student's belt to signify a rise in rank. Other schools opt for two-tone belts, reflecting both the lower rank and the next rank (eg., between the white belt and the yellow belt would be a belt half white, half yellow). Some schools opt to use a solid color alternative instead of stripes. For example, a common belt-color scheme is: white, yellow, gold, orange, green, purple, blue, brown, red. There is NO standardization in belt colors in the United States or elsewhere. Rank advancement records are kept by the school of origin and often by the style's association headquarters. Black Belt ranks are recognized as: 1st - 3rd, Instructor. 4th - 6th, Master. 7th - 9th, Grand Master. Tenth Dan has historically been reserved as a posthumous award, but in recent years it has seen presentation to a few living recipients.

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The International Taekwondo Federation also uses a system of 10 Gup ranks and nine or 10 Dan ranks. The 1st through 3rd Dans are associated with an Assistant Instructor; 4th through 6th are associated with an Instructor; 7th and 8th with a Master, and 9th degree with a Grand Master. However, in recent practice, particularly in North America, this system has been relaxed. Many consider instructors who have attained a rank of 4th dan and have their own students (or have promoted their own black belts) to be Masters in their own right. Many Masters who have attained the rank of 7th dan claim the title Grand Master (or it is near universally applied to them), and almost all 8th Dan holders get the title Grand Master. See also the ITF ranks article.

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