How Frequently Do You Test for Belts?

[dancingalone]

I'm interested in striking a balance between teaching material and allowing the students to absorb and retain it. Most places seem to test every 3 months which I believe is a little fast. Do you think holding exams every 6 months is too long for a TKD (mostly) class? This is my preliminary yellow belt curriculum below to give you an idea.


Yellow Belt Requirements
=======================
20 pushups
30 crunches
50 jumping jacks
50 mountain climbers

natural stance
front stance
back stance
horse stance
8-directional stance shifting

lunge punch
reverse punch
back fist

front snap kick
front scoop kick
instep round house kick
heel side snap kick

upper block
down block
inside to outside block

arm hardening exercises 1-3

one steps 1-5

combinations:
lead hand punch, reverse punch
back fist, front leg sidekick
lead leg side kick, advancing forward, down block, lunge punch

self-defense:
front choke escape #1
wrist grab escape #1
wrist grab escape #2
cross wrist grab escape #1
front hair grab escape #1
bear hug escape #1
back bear hug escape #1

mat skills:
front roll
front shoulder roll (both sides)
front break fall
side break fall
demonstrate basic clinch
demonstrate half nelson
demonstrate full nelson
demonstrate side head lock

anatomy:
locate solar plexus on another person
locate philtrum on another person
locate liver on another person

break 1 board

Chon-Ji hyung
Chon-Ji applications 1-3

Sanchin kata
Sanchin applications 1-3

Perform choice of Pinan Shodan or Gekisai Dai Ichi

 

[terryl965]

I have a schedule out for the year so people will know what days, but I do not test people every month. I have some people that are red belts after five years, in my school it takes about 5-7 to reach BB. I put together a list of qualify people three weeks in advance so they will know.

Now on to your requierments. they look fine except for this part are you making a difference between your young kids and the teenagers and the older adults. What I mean is a six year is not going to be able to remember or do all of that while a 60-70 year old may not be able to preform some of the materials. If memory serve me right this is a church program correct with both young and old and families correct, so do you really need to be asking for so much in the beginning of there training? Are you using a Little Tiger or dragon program for the smaller ones and if so how much is really on that test. I am not saying water it down but maybe tone it down since this is a church thing with mainly family's and youngsters. Just a thought.

 

[dancingalone]

Now on to your requierments. they look fine except for this part are you making a difference between your young kids and the teenagers and the older adults. What I mean is a six year is not going to be able to remember or do all of that while a 60-70 year old may not be able to preform some of the materials. If memory serve me right this is a church program correct with both young and old and families correct, so do you really need to be asking for so much in the beginning of there training? Are you using a Little Tiger or dragon program for the smaller ones and if so how much is really on that test. I am not saying water it down but maybe tone it down since this is a church thing with mainly family's and youngsters. Just a thought.

Thanks for the reply.

I have struggled with this, Terry, wavering between making it beginner friendly or setting the bar a bit higher than usual. In the end, given the setting of the class, I've decided to make it somewhat 'harder' to earn a belt with us. It's a free class - the payment the students make is through their dedication and hard work and commitment to becoming better people.

At this point, I would rather keep the curriculum the same for the adults and kids (8 and above). Since we only accept kids under 12 if their parent(s) is training with them, I think it makes it easier on the parent to keep track of only 1 set of requirements. I am open to changing this if this initial effort falls flat on its face though. I hope not.

 

[chrispillertkd]

I'm interested in striking a balance between teaching material and allowing the students to absorb and retain it. Most places seem to test every 3 months which I believe is a little fast. Do you think holding exams every 6 months is too long for a TKD (mostly) class? This is my preliminary yellow belt curriculum below to give you an idea.

At my instructors' school students are tested not so much on months passed but on hours of class attended.

Each belt level is approximately 100 hours of training, which means one gup test per 50 hours generally. Testing for I dan black belt requires at minimum 500 hours of training (and it's quite often much more than that; I've seen upwards of 700 hours at times). Juniors members (those under 15) and seniors (those over 40) tend to require higher hours between tests since they take longer to get the physical requirements down.

Tests are held every two months and you have to wait at least one test between testing (so no sooner than four months between tests for a student). This tends to ensure that students have adequate time training before testing for the next rank. There are a total of 11 hours of class offered per week so there can be a difference in speed of rank advancement for students, depending on how much they choose to train. Even if you train for 11 hours each week, however, you're not going to be testing every two months. It's just an added bonus of experience under your belt (so to speak).

Your syllabus looks OK to me. Are you using yellow belt as 9th gup or as 8th gup? If for 8th students will already have tested once and have a good working knowledge of the material already. If it's for 9th gup it would be their first test. You might want to cut back on the number of individual self-defense and mat skill techniques until the next test. This would allow them to get a good grasp on the stand up skills before moving to grappling. My instructor has ho sin sool starting at 10th gup but it's filtered in and increases as you advance in rank (I don't know if he's ranked in it or not but the man moves like maybe a 2nd or 3rd dan in Hapkido when he gets going on stuff - sheesh).

If it is the first test you might also consider cutting down on the patterns. Having students concentrate on one or two patterns at first is better, IMO. Just make them respinsible for all the patterns they know at every test and be sure to hit up lower ones on tests instead of just concentrating on their most advanced one or two.

Pax,

Chris

 

[terryl965]

Well your requirements are fine, I would really like to see something for the younger people.here is a brief of mine for you to compare.

Adults Yellow Stripe Test

50 of each exorcise
running laps
squarts
squarts thrust
calf raises
mountain climbers
push-ups
sit ups
crunches
Jump n jacks

Basic 8

one steps 1 and 2

lead hand reverse
lead hand ridge hand
lead hand backfist

With the punches we are looking for proper placement as wel as hip rotation before delivery.


snap kick
fast kick or front leg roundhouse
back leg roundhouse
sidekick
strecthing axe kick

on all kicks we are looking for proper techs with the kicks not so much power yet.

Rear bear hug
front choke
front bear hug
ground escape 1-2
standing arm bar
leg defense 1-2

Now for my little ones under 8 years old

all the above exorcise except they do only ten each looking for proper tech with each of them.

basic 8 and 4 directional still looking at proper foot position and hands and arms.

one step 1

lead hand reverse once again proper position of the punch and making sure the fist is done right.

kid friendly rear bear hug

as you can see it is different but it still carries what is being tought in the classroom. It is just a path for the little dragons, they recieve a belt with the black stripe down the middle. This way when they get older they just move into the regulars belts and they will know everything for the real yellow belt test and can grow and understand. I hope this helps and not trying to tell you what to do but over the years I have really found out this is best for the school and it does not take away from what I teach on a daily basis.

 

[dancingalone]

At my instructors' school students are tested not so much on months passed but on hours of class attended.

Each belt level is approximately 100 hours of training, which means one gup test per 50 hours generally. Testing for I dan black belt requires at minimum 500 hours of training (and it's quite often much more than that; I've seen upwards of 700 hours at times). Juniors members (those under 15) and seniors (those over 40) tend to require higher hours between tests since they take longer to get the physical requirements down.

Tests are held every two months and you have to wait at least one test between testing (so no sooner than four months between tests for a student). This tends to ensure that students have adequate time training before testing for the next rank. There are a total of 11 hours of class offered per week so there can be a difference in speed of rank advancement for students, depending on how much they choose to train. Even if you train for 11 hours each week, however, you're not going to be testing every two months. It's just an added bonus of experience under your belt (so to speak).

I intend to hold examinations twice a year at set times. Students will either be cleared to test or not, based on their readiness. There's no guarantee they'll be permitted to test every six months, although I hope that will be the goal that everyone pursues and succeeds at. At this time, I don't intend to keep attendance or training hour logs... it'll be the eyeball test to determine if they are ready.

Classes are only 2x a week at an hour and 15 minutes roughly, so it will require a lot of home practice for the students to stay on target to test every 6 months.

Too ambitious, you think?

Your syllabus looks OK to me. Are you using yellow belt as 9th gup or as 8th gup? If for 8th students will already have tested once and have a good working knowledge of the material already. If it's for 9th gup it would be their first test. You might want to cut back on the number of individual self-defense and mat skill techniques until the next test. This would allow them to get a good grasp on the stand up skills before moving to grappling. My instructor has ho sin sool starting at 10th gup but it's filtered in and increases as you advance in rank (I don't know if he's ranked in it or not but the man moves like maybe a 2nd or 3rd dan in Hapkido when he gets going on stuff - sheesh).

If it is the first test you might also consider cutting down on the patterns. Having students concentrate on one or two patterns at first is better, IMO. Just make them respinsible for all the patterns they know at every test and be sure to hit up lower ones on tests instead of just concentrating on their most advanced one or two.

9 gup levels with white belt as 9th gup. You start out as a white belt, no test needed, so yellow is indeed a first test.

As for the mat skills coming in early... I hold the opinion that it's actually fine to integrate those skills from the beginning as much as possible. I don't want people potentially developing a dislike for short range work. It's better for them to realize that this really is a significant component of the curriculum.

Same idea with the patterns. As they advance, pattern analysis will become a bigger and bigger part of the class. The goal is to allow the TKD students to learn best the Choi forms since it is their 'home', but I want them to also understand the fighting philosophies taught in the other two classical karate school lines. I am designing the early part of the curriculum for more breadth in this aspect rather than depth. The number of patterns will slow down soon enough to allow refinement and self-discovery.

 

[Tez3]

That's very close to what we have in our childrens class, I love that you've put the liver shot in!
We don't specify what fitness techniques they have to do but are expected to do a warm up that is longer than usual on the grading. it's a longish warm up with the lower grades being told to sit out at intrvals so that in the end it's just the higher grades. We also only expect one kata to be learnt for the first grading. Our ground work techniques are different but they are expected to know as many as yours. Self defence techniques too are about the same amount and almost exactly the same as yours. We don't do the hair one for the first grading though it's tempting to put loads in.
We grade only about twice a year depending on how everythings going, we don't have set dates. I don't find there's too much in your grading equiements, it may seem a long list but a lot doubles up ie stances in the katas as well as strikes.
Have you considered tags? if someone is doing a good job but not quite up to the yellow would you consider giving them a yellow tag? This can be good for the young ones, they still grade, get to do their best but don't compromise the gradings integrity. You won't have watered anything down that way and they are still recognised as having done a good job for their age.

 

[dancingalone]

Have you considered tags? if someone is doing a good job but not quite up to the yellow would you consider giving them a yellow tag? This can be good for the young ones, they still grade, get to do their best but don't compromise the gradings integrity. You won't have watered anything down that way and they are still recognised as having done a good job for their age.

A good thought. Right now I am hoping we have a 100% pass rate so no such measure would be needed. The trick is to make sure the other teacher and I only clear students to test that will PASS the exam. I guess it might get dicey with some students who might be riding the line, but with some additional hard work they might get into the clear.

 

[Manny]

I'm interested in striking a balance between teaching material and allowing the students to absorb and retain it. Most places seem to test every 3 months which I believe is a little fast. Do you think holding exams every 6 months is too long for a TKD (mostly) class? This is my preliminary yellow belt curriculum below to give you an idea.


Yellow Belt Requirements
=======================
20 pushups
30 crunches
50 jumping jacks
50 mountain climbers

natural stance
front stance
back stance
horse stance
8-directional stance shifting

lunge punch
reverse punch
back fist

front snap kick
front scoop kick
instep round house kick
heel side snap kick

upper block
down block
inside to outside block

arm hardening exercises 1-3

one steps 1-5

combinations:
lead hand punch, reverse punch
back fist, front leg sidekick
lead leg side kick, advancing forward, down block, lunge punch

self-defense:
front choke escape #1
wrist grab escape #1
wrist grab escape #2
cross wrist grab escape #1
front hair grab escape #1
bear hug escape #1
back bear hug escape #1

mat skills:
front roll
front shoulder roll (both sides)
front break fall
side break fall
demonstrate basic clinch
demonstrate half nelson
demonstrate full nelson
demonstrate side head lock

anatomy:
locate solar plexus on another person
locate philtrum on another person
locate liver on another person

break 1 board

Chon-Ji hyung
Chon-Ji applications 1-3

Sanchin kata
Sanchin applications 1-3

Perform choice of Pinan Shodan or Gekisai Dai Ichi

Congrats about the yellow belt requiremts, it seems well balanced for the beginer, but I just wonder are you teaching the Taeguks? no? why? the poomsae you put lines above seems to me karate alike and not tae kwondo.

Now, let tell you in my dojang we have kup examination every three months and Dan examination twice a year (june/july and december, the examination on december is the large one and the june/july not always is done).

I think 6 months is not enough time to do do examintaion to change the color of the belt.

From my perspective I would rather do examniation once a year, this means to become a black belt a studente has to have at least 5-6 years practicing.

Manny

 

[terryl965]

manny the Chon-ji set is the poomsae it is ITF not WTF or KKW so he does have a TKD poomsae in there.

 

[Gorilla]

When we have color belts it is 6 months on average....sometimes 3 if the student works hard and are advanced....Tal

 

[IcemanSK]

I hold testing every three months. But, like Terry & others, that doesn't mean everyone tests on that schedule. Sometimes students wait 6 months, sometimes 9 months between tests. I have 2 students who haven't tested for 6th gup for more than a year because, despite them coming regularly to class, they still don't think it's important to remember their forms!:mst:

I schedule tests a year in advance (so I can get the room booked) & let students know when they are in advance. I've had parents come to me too often & say, "Jimmy can't make that day because of X event. Can you change the test to another day?"

But I digress.

 

[dancingalone]

Congrats about the yellow belt requiremts, it seems well balanced for the beginer, but I just wonder are you teaching the Taeguks? no? why? the poomsae you put lines above seems to me karate alike and not tae kwondo.

As Terry mentioned, Chon-Ji is the first form in the General Choi pattern set. I do plan to teach some karate kata as you noticed because they are the source material for some of the self-defense I will teach at higher levels.

I think 6 months is not enough time to do do examintaion to change the color of the belt.

From my perspective I would rather do examniation once a year, this means to become a black belt a studente has to have at least 5-6 years practicing.

I thought 6 months was a suitable compromise. Far enough apart to where examinations feel special with enough time to learn and retain the material. Sometimes it can be easy to get caught in the 'learn it just well enough for the test' rut.

 

[Twin Fist]

way too much crap, and most of it isnt needed for a gold belt in TKD

 

[d1jinx]

just show up and pay.... testing is nightly:shrug:

 

[dancingalone]

way too much crap, and most of it isnt needed for a gold belt in TKD

Probably!

 

[Twin Fist]

Yellow Belt Requirements
=======================
20 pushups
30 crunches
50 jumping jacks
50 mountain climbers
warm ups and exercises have no place on tests

natural stance
front stance
back stance
horse stance
8-directional stance shifting

lunge punch
reverse punch
back fist

front snap kick
front scoop kick
instep round house kick
heel side snap kick

upper block
down block
inside to outside block

arm hardening exercises 1-3
again, too advanced for gold belt, and dont need to be demonstrated
one steps 1-5
thats a crap ton of one steps for a FIRST belt
combinations:
lead hand punch, reverse punch
back fist, front leg sidekick
lead leg side kick, advancing forward, down block, lunge punch

self-defense:
front choke escape #1
wrist grab escape #1
wrist grab escape #2
cross wrist grab escape #1
front hair grab escape #1
bear hug escape #1
back bear hug escape #1

mat skills:
front roll
front shoulder roll (both sides)
front break fall
side break fall
demonstrate basic clinch
demonstrate half nelson
demonstrate full nelson
demonstrate side head lock
no place for this crap in TKD really, and at gold? no way
anatomy:
locate solar plexus on another person
locate philtrum on another person
locate liver on another person

break 1 board

Chon-Ji hyung
Chon-Ji applications 1-3

Sanchin kata
Sanchin applications 1-3

Perform choice of Pinan Shodan or Gekisai Dai Ichi

at gold belt they can barely DO a kata much less three of them

comments are bold, and solely my opinion

 

[dancingalone]

no place for this crap in TKD really

But that's really such a limited view of the art. I believe martial arts can and do evolve (or devolve too for that matter). We only have to look at the interesting twists and turns TKD took as Tode transmuted to Okinawan karate to Japanese karate to Korean karate and finally at this point to tae kwon do.

I dislike what is commonly taught in my area as TKD. It's too sport sparring oriented, teaching students to only punch and kick (mostly kick) at medium to long range. So I make the choices I do to teach a tae kwon do that I believe is better. It may not be your cup of tea, but that's fine. I am all for pluralism in martial arts and in tae kwon do.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

We test every 3 months and once at first gup wait 6 months prior to black belt testing and then once at black a further year of training before first dan/degree. Our instructors only send a student to grade if they have seen first hand that the student knows the curriculum up to the point they are at, so to a degree the grading is just a formality. Students do fail, but that is more the fault of the instructor for sending the student along in the first place. For our yellow belt test we have to know similar criteria as what you test only we dont have to demonstrate all of it as most of that is done and tested in class.

 

[Gorilla]

dancingalone.....I like your comprehensive test...HIgh standards make great Martial Artists