How long does it take to get a black belt in Taekwondo

2:59:00 AM Tkd kwan 10 Comments

As a Taekwondo master, most people who are planning to start martial arts especially Taekwondo have many questions to ask, which is the right thing to do, but I noticed there is a question that I get a lot.

- How long does it take to be a black belt in Taekwondo or how many years I should train Taekwondo to earn my black belt?

The answer can not be as easy (1+1=2), and i can not answer by saying four or five years of practice.  so what are the factors that make this period of earning the black belt different from a person to another?

1 - People are physically different

      - Some would be already fit and healthy while others can be over           weight.

      - Injuries:

        Injuries can be prior joining Taekwondo training or after                   starting practicing it)

      - Flexibility:

        It is an important factor that helps the student to practice and            master techniques faster than people who are not flexible                   enough, and we mean only the amount of flexibility needed for           logical kicks in martial arts, and you do not need to be                       a gymnast to be good in Taekwondo.

2- The age of the practitioners:

      - Young people respond to training faster than older people, but            it does not mean that age is an obstacle, but it is making the 

        physical response a bit slower and the result of the training               would be different of course between different ages.

3- The commitment :

      This is a very important factor, and most people get bored after a        short time of practice and they quit then go back to it, this is why        some people can be in martial arts for so many years, but their          achievement is too little and their struggles with the techniques         is the same, because they always leave the mission unfinished             every time they leave the practice.

4- the school (Real of fake):

    Some fake masters and also grand masters open training studios        similar to grocery shops, it is what they call Mcdojos. In this 

   ''schools'', money matters more than anything else, and the                  business man (master or school owner) does not care really about      the practice its self. In this fake schools it is easy to get a black          belt with less efforts if you have enough money to fill your                  master's pockets :).

Let's go back to the question about the period required to earn a black belt :).

Let's try to do some Mathematics, even though I was not good at it and I do believe many readers are not, just joking :) 

In most schools a student can be allowed to have a test after each three months of Taekwondo practice, and if we follow this plan, the student should do 9 or 8 tests before being eligible to have a test for the black belt.  Therefore the student will reach the 1 Gup in red belt after 27 months (2 years and 3 months) or at least in 24 months (two years). but unfortunately this period is too long when inpatient student meet a Taekwondo business man ''master'', and this period can be reduced much. 

I do believe that the Taekwondo organizations such as Kukkiwon or ITF organizations can not have a complete control on the schools or about their promotions tests, because school owners can do illegal acts without being caught.

Taekwondo schools can do their own color belts certificates and the national or the international Unions have no control on that, which make school owners promote their students whenever they want.

I  have been asked once to have a deal of one year training with a student and allow him to test for a black belt, but I found it ridiculous, and it would look like selling a black belt certificate, because in one year of training, the student will be still a beginner.

In my personal opinion the average time to test for black belt better be above 4 years or even more, because the period of practice in martial arts is very important, and many techniques are achieved by thousands of repetitions, and this goal can not be reached in a short period.

''Black belt is not something you wear, but something you become''

                     By master Hamael