The goal of achieving the rank of black belt is not a simple task. Often, students come to Master Taekwondo more focused on what they WANT rather than what they NEED. Therefore, the initial orientation meeting with Master Phil is crucial to a student’s overall success. As in life, everyone progresses from initially crawling, to walking, THEN running.

It takes about 3-4 years of committed intensive training to reach the rank of Black Belt. Besides the physical training required, the student must also gain an understanding of “the tradition of the Black Belt.” Most people are unaware, that in taekwondo, there was originally only one belt - the white belt!  The student was never allowed to wash his/her white belt throughout the many years of vigorous training. Dirt, blood, and stains would darken the belt’s color over time, and it would eventually turn black.

In today’s modern taekwondo belt system, a student’s journey through the belt ranks is signified by colors. Master Taekwondo students must embrace the mindset of the true origins of the Black Belt, so the journey to the rank of Black Belt should be --- and will be intense.

Master Taekwondo’s belt rank by color is listed below.

Rank - Color
10th Geup - White
9th Geup - White-Yellow
8th Geup - Yellow
7th Geup - Yellow-Green
6th Geup - Green
5th Geup - Green-Blue
4th Geup - Blue
3rd Geup - Blue-Red
2nd Geup - Red
1st Geup - Red-Black
1st Dan - Black