belts in the past

[Manny]

My master told me in the past there were only 4 belts, white,blue,red and black (as the colors of the Korena flag) why this changede? mercadotecnia, more income? I think we don't need a lot of belts inside TKD, I think we can return to the first ranks/colours and then test for every one each year, so a kid or adult can earn his/her BB afther 4 years of dilligent work inside dojang.

Manny

 

[msmitht]

The belt colors changed with the Olympic push in Korea. They modified so that the colors would match the Olympic rings(yellow, green, blue, red and black).

 

[dancingalone]

I think we don't need a lot of belts inside TKD, I think we can return to the first ranks/colours and then test for every one each year, so a kid or adult can earn his/her BB afther 4 years of dilligent work inside dojang.

I think the actual colors used for student grades is relatively unimportant if we still stick with the conventional 9 geup grade scheme. That's 9 possible examinations (if you test for white belt like some schools do!) and rankings even before we get to the dan levels. If we reduce the number of colored belts, it might be equally desirable to reduce the number of student grades as well, no?

For the record, I don't have a strong opinion about any of that. When I ran a TKD club, I used less colors myself. Then I purchased a commercial TKD dojang and I stuck with the scheme the previous owner used.

 

[StudentCarl]

The belt colors changed with the Olympic push in Korea. They modified so that the colors would match the Olympic rings(yellow, green, blue, red and black).

Sir, I'm interested in this idea. Do you have any sourcing to support this?

 

[Earl Weiss]

Depends on "When" and "Where" in the past you refer to Different Kwans may have followed systems different from each other and different over time.

See: https://1c47d0f0-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites...A4NppEFQX1Eepitrujf2kGLBsBSvk=&attredirects=0

As per GM Nam there were only 3 colors in 1946, Whirte, Brown and Black, but 8 Gup levels.

At least one person criticised my article saying it was not Brown, but red, however further research seems to indicate there was a change from Brown to red or vica versa at some point in time.

When the Chang Hon ysytem was created General Choi decided to have 10 gup levels assigning the smallest 2 digit number and 9 Dan levels assigning the larges single didgit number plus apparently 3 is a revered number and 9 is 3x3. Along with the 10 gups came the seperate colors White, Yellow, Green , Blue, Red, and Black each with a particular meaning.

Remember in those days there were no kids. In the military you had fit young adults who could train hours every day. Testing once a year is an eternity. The kids in my class even had difficulty testing for a gup every three months absorbing all neccessary materials. Rather than making them wait longer I found that testing every half gup level for a $10.00 charge for the Half gups (None for the first one, was a good way to break down material and measure progress.

 

[dancingalone]

Also, there has been a previous thread discussing the usage of colored belts in TKD. Some interesting factoids and conjecture there: http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php/99033-Original-belt-colors, especially this one: http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php/99033-Original-belt-colors?p=1435345#post1435345

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I think the actual colors used for student grades is relatively unimportant if we still stick with the conventional 9 geup grade scheme. That's 9 possible examinations (if you test for white belt like some schools do!) and rankings even before we get to the dan levels. If we reduce the number of colored belts, it might be equally desirable to reduce the number of student grades as well, no?

For the record, I don't have a strong opinion about any of that. When I ran a TKD club, I used less colors myself. Then I purchased a commercial TKD dojang and I stuck with the scheme the previous owner used.

I only use four between white and black; yellow, green, blue, and red. That is quite enough for adult students in my opinion. Kids and teens do benefit from a broader palette, however.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

My master told me in the past there were only 4 belts, white,blue,red and black (as the colors of the Korena flag) why this changede? mercadotecnia, more income? I think we don't need a lot of belts inside TKD, I think we can return to the first ranks/colours and then test for every one each year, so a kid or adult can earn his/her BB afther 4 years of dilligent work inside dojang.

Manny

So far as I know, the original colors were white, green, blue, brown, and black. Red replaced black at some point and I had read a long time back that Jhoon Rhee had introduced the yellow belt. Keep in mind that whatever the original color scheme was, it was inherited from Japanese arts, most likely judo, as prior to the occupation, colored belts were not a part of Korean arts.

Belt proliferation (the adding of many more colors), was a long process. When I started training, I remember there being like six at the school where I trained. When I stopped training in the early ninties, I remember eight. When I went back to train, there were twelve at the school I attended. So it was a fairly long process, most likely influenced by the shift to teaching children. I'm sure that profitability was a factor as well.

 

[chrispillertkd]

Depends on "When" and "Where" in the past you refer to Different Kwans may have followed systems different from each other and different over time.

See: https://1c47d0f0-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites...A4NppEFQX1Eepitrujf2kGLBsBSvk=&attredirects=0

As per GM Nam there were only 3 colors in 1946, Whirte, Brown and Black, but 8 Gup levels.

At least one person criticised my article saying it was not Brown, but red, however further research seems to indicate there was a change from Brown to red or vica versa at some point in time.

That's odd. As late as 1965 there was no red listed for Taekwon-Do belts. The 1965 textbook has white, blue (added to the above colors you list), brown, and black. As far as I am aware, red was added sometime in the 1970s. It was certainly around by 1981 when I started training as a kid.

When the Chang Hon ysytem was created General Choi decided to have 10 gup levels assigning the smallest 2 digit number and 9 Dan levels assigning the larges single didgit number plus apparently 3 is a revered number and 9 is 3x3. Along with the 10 gups came the seperate colors White, Yellow, Green , Blue, Red, and Black each with a particular meaning.

IIRC, the number of gup ranks listed in the 1965 book is 8. No number of dan ranks, but I believe Gen. Choi is identified as a IX dan in the book.

Pax,

Chris