Yellow Belts in Tae Kwon Do for kids?

[sha_lyn]

our school only tests the kids when the individual student is ready.. nobody ever fails a test or pays for a test that the child wasn't ready for. our black belts have a 4 hour test, including several board breaking combinations, 100 push-ups, forms from the white belt and up (so as not to forget the old ones).

we also do full contact sparring, with gear on, even for the higher belts.

That pretty much sounds like our Dojang.
Sparring can be either point or Olympic style following AAU rules or continuous point sparring following USSSA. My preference is USSSA continuous point.


I think my 1st degree test took 3 hrs. Included 6 or 8 breaks. It was the same for the youth BB. You can not BB test until 10 and that is a youth BB. Regular BB is 15 or 16. We start breaking around the green belt test. For Green it is 1 kick and one punch. No open hand techniques for under 12.

Average time from white to BB is 3 yrs. Then the amount of yrs between BB is equal to the BB you are testing for... IE to test from 1st to 2nd is 2 yrs. The test from 2nd to 3rd is 3 yrs. However I will test about 4 months early for my 2nd since our MI has streamlined the number of advanced and BB test he gives per yr. If I wasn't a student instructor getting in lots of extra time on the floor I would probably have to wait an additional yr.

Before I test I have to log in 5000 each of push-ups sit-ups and squats. 1000 miles on the treadmill or stationary bike, and 500 each of each form and 50
2-round sparing matches. I also have to earn 25 points. Points are earned by participating in, coaching, volunteering or officiating at sanctioned events belt test(ie serving on the approval boards for test), approved clinics, project action fund raisers etc.

 

[imstorm]

When i started in taekwondo i was 8 years old it tooks maybe 3 months, but recently i' ve seen some places or schools where it cost only 2 months, i understand this is very comercial for academycs, but i still belive that does not care if you can develop good tecnics, so it can change depends of the schools 2 or 3 months.

I have a site where i explian how taekwondo cintas works.

 

[DopeyDame]

At our school it depends on the kid. Our master won't let a kid test until they think they are ready. From white to yellow is a few months usually. As they move on, it gets further and further between tests. You can also really tell which kids are practicing their forms at home and which aren't - just like anything else, the more your son practices, the faster he'll move.
As for black belt... the pandemic hit just after DS qualified to start the black-belt prep. At our studio it's about 3 months of more intense lessons and practice before your test. The test includes an essay, a physical fitness test (run a mile, do pushups, situps, etc) and then about 3 hours of form and breaking. We stopped because of covid, and now DS doesn't want to start again. It kills me a little that he's SO CLOSE to having a black belt, but I also really feel that something that important needs to be coming from him, not me. So... I hope he doesn't hate me when he's an adult because "he coulda been a black belt!"

 

[Random Ninja]

At our school it depends on the kid. Our master won't let a kid test until they think they are ready. From white to yellow is a few months usually. As they move on, it gets further and further between tests. You can also really tell which kids are practicing their forms at home and which aren't - just like anything else, the more your son practices, the faster he'll move.
As for black belt... the pandemic hit just after DS qualified to start the black-belt prep. At our studio it's about 3 months of more intense lessons and practice before your test. The test includes an essay, a physical fitness test (run a mile, do pushups, situps, etc) and then about 3 hours of form and breaking. We stopped because of covid, and now DS doesn't want to start again. It kills me a little that he's SO CLOSE to having a black belt, but I also really feel that something that important needs to be coming from him, not me. So... I hope he doesn't hate me when he's an adult because "he coulda been a black belt!"

The OP is from 2007 so I’m pretty sure the kids got their yellow belts a long time ago.

I know a lot of things changed because of covid. Our schools went to online and/or socially distanced at a local park. I would recommend encouraging your DS to return to classes;. Not the pre-black belt class but the one he was in. A lot of kids have anxiety about returning to activities after a break and need the push of a parent. They have fun once they get back; they just need that help. They need someone else to tell them they are going. Give him one month or session, whichever your dojang does, and see if he still wants to continue after that.

 

[DopeyDame]

The OP is from 2007 so I’m pretty sure the kids got their yellow belts a long time ago.

I know a lot of things changed because of covid. Our schools went to online and/or socially distanced at a local park. I would recommend encouraging your DS to return to classes;. Not the pre-black belt class but the one he was in. A lot of kids have anxiety about returning to activities after a break and need the push of a parent. They have fun once they get back; they just need that help. They need someone else to tell them they are going. Give him one month or session, whichever your dojang does, and see if he still wants to continue after that.

DOH! Didn't notice the date.

Thanks for your thoughts though