Taekwondo is a tough kind of martial arts. This imposes certain requirements on the clothing of a fighter (dobok), which includes trousers, a jacket and a belt.
Taekwondo belts represent a certain system for assessing the athlete’s skill, which has developed from the colors of the uniforms of the Korean army, adopted from ancient times: white, yellow, green, blue, red, black. The highest level of mastery corresponds to a black belt.
An excursion into history and eastern philosophy
Even in the early Eastern chronicles, there are records of Koreans wearing white suits with black silk belts. Presumably, these costumes were traditional Korean clothing in everyday life, the elements of which were subsequently brought into the outfit of this type of martial arts. Taekwondo belts have become an important element of fighting clothing.
Like everything that exists in Korea, the costume of a taekwondo fighter carries elements of Eastern philosophy. First of all, this is the name of a sports uniform - dobok (do - way, side - suit).
Further, philosophers present the fighter’s clothes in the form of a combination of geometric shapes: waist - circle, trouser legs - rectangle, hips - triangle. Also, in the understanding of Eastern philosophers, the circle represents the sky, the rectangle - the earth, the triangle - the man.
According to the existing eastern concept of Yin and Yang, man represents only a small part of universal being. In relation to the equipment of a taekwondo fighter, a belt (circle) is a symbol of the person himself, trousers (earth) - Yin, a jacket (heaven) - Yang.
Belt colors, their meaning
The color of the belt in taekwondo plays the role of a kind of business card of a fighter. In total, there are nineteen degrees of mastery: 10-1 grades - student, I-IX dan - from assistant instructor to grandmaster.
Each degree is indicated by its belt color: white, yellow, green, blue, red and black. There are intermediate degrees. In this case, the belt has an additional strip, the color of which corresponds to the next degree of skill.
The person who first entered the taekwondo path is given a white belt. This color is associated with a blank sheet of paper on which to write the first basics of martial art.
The yellow taekwondo belt indicates that the student is assigned the 8th gyp. In this case, the color of the belt is connected by Eastern philosophy with the color of the rising sun, illuminating the soil in which the seeds of future craftsmanship already lie. But these seeds have a long way to go to grow into a mighty tree.
The green color of the belt symbolizes the color of the sprouts of germinating seeds of knowledge. This means that the student begins to perceive taekwondo as a whole, he is assigned the 6th gyp.
The blue color of the belt represents the sky and the depths of the sea, indicating that the owner of this belt has mastered the new heights of martial art and the depths of its philosophy. Corresponds to the 4th gyu.
The last student’s degree corresponds to a red belt - the color of not only ripe fruits and pores of the harvest, but also the danger associated with a possible reassessment of strength.
Between the listed belts there are intermediate ones that have an additional strip. Its color corresponds to the color of the belt of the next degree of skill.
Next come the black belts. This is the color of wisdom, which includes the entire spectrum of colors. It is believed that the owner of such a belt comprehended not only technique, but also morality and Taekwondo culture.
Belt-tying technique
How to tie a taekwondo belt, perhaps, is the first thing that a student learns.
First of all, you should smell the jacket. Then, holding the belt at the waist, bring the ends of the belt back (the ends should be of equal length). In this case, the right should pass below the left.
After that, the right end is brought forward, to the middle of the abdomen, and is passed under the belt from below so that it hangs. The left is held forward from above and threaded under the belt from below.
Tightening the ends, you should pay attention to the fact that the lowered part is not twisted, and the ends were the same length and symmetrical to the body.
Mastery certification
Certification for Taekwondo belts is carried out according to special programs. These are programs: for each of ten student graves and for the black belt of the 1st dan.
Certification on the 1st dan practically sums up the knowledge, skills and abilities that the student received in the process of moving from the tenth to the first weight.
For example, a taekwondo green belt certification program includes verification of:
- basic equipment (racks, kicks, blocks);
- sparing technique (kicks);
- general and special physical fitness (physical exercises);
- theoretical knowledge.
The examination committee consists of three or more people.
A candidate for a black belt is examined by a master who is qualified VI dan, not lower. During the exam on the 1st dan, the level of technical knowledge, skills and the absence of gross errors are assessed. The ability of an examiner to use acquired knowledge in various situations is also tested.
Famous faces with black belts
Oriental martial arts are very popular in Russia, and black belts in taekwondo are not uncommon here. Among the owners of a high degree there are famous Russians.
In November 2013, the World Taekwondo Federation was awarded the honorary IX given to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The black belt and diploma were handed to him by the head of the federation, Chu Cheong Won. By the way, Putin also has a black karate belt.
In August 2015, ATF President Sergei Kovalev was awarded the black belt VII given to the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. The diploma states that a well-known politician was awarded this honor for the development of taekwondo in the republic.