Taekwondo Doesn't Have Orange Belts
"Taekwondo doesn't have orange belts!"
That's what a student of mine got from talking to a friend who is a Taekwondo black belt, and who was adamant that Taekwondo didn't have Orange belts. Instead the kyu or gup range had other colours plus lots of 'stripes.'
How many times do I hear what Taekwondo is and what Taekwondo isn't? And how many times do I have to use the word 'Traditional' in front of Taekwondo to denote that what I'm doing is the old forgotten cousin of ITF and WTF. The misbegotten love child of Karate.
In GM Keith D. Yates' Taekwondo Forms Book, it does explain, "colors will vary" due to the differences between "various schools of Taekwon Do" (1982 p29). And yes, if GM Yates says there is Orange, Orange is good for me.
What he doesn't mention is the presence of 'lots of stripes'.
Man ... I gotta keep up!
Colin
-- Colin Wee Traditional Taekwondo Techniques, Patterns, and Applications at the Traditional Taekwondo Blog. [Subscribe using email or RSS feeds] [Tkd Sitemap]. Colin is a martial art instructor with 25+ years of experience across three continents. Colin leads a small Traditional Taekwondo group for adults in Perth, Western Australia. Connect with Colin on FaceBook and Traditional Taekwondo Group on FB.
That's what a student of mine got from talking to a friend who is a Taekwondo black belt, and who was adamant that Taekwondo didn't have Orange belts. Instead the kyu or gup range had other colours plus lots of 'stripes.'
How many times do I hear what Taekwondo is and what Taekwondo isn't? And how many times do I have to use the word 'Traditional' in front of Taekwondo to denote that what I'm doing is the old forgotten cousin of ITF and WTF. The misbegotten love child of Karate.
In GM Keith D. Yates' Taekwondo Forms Book, it does explain, "colors will vary" due to the differences between "various schools of Taekwon Do" (1982 p29). And yes, if GM Yates says there is Orange, Orange is good for me.
What he doesn't mention is the presence of 'lots of stripes'.
Man ... I gotta keep up!
Colin
-- Colin Wee Traditional Taekwondo Techniques, Patterns, and Applications at the Traditional Taekwondo Blog. [Subscribe using email or RSS feeds] [Tkd Sitemap]. Colin is a martial art instructor with 25+ years of experience across three continents. Colin leads a small Traditional Taekwondo group for adults in Perth, Western Australia. Connect with Colin on FaceBook and Traditional Taekwondo Group on FB.
Comments
Belt rankings.
At my first TKD school I was an orange belt. My second school did not use orange.
It just depends on the school and instructor.
Horse pucky!
Spot on!
Cheers,
Colin
It's a progress meter, not an end-all be-all. I mean, they could have barber-pole striped belts so long as it was an important designation in advancement, in my opinion.