Destination...YELLOW!!

Ok, so I just have to say it one more time...I TOTALLY and ABSOLUTELY LOVE Tae Kwon Do!!!! It is so much fun and holy cow, is it a workout!!! I can barely lift my legs off the floor and my arms and shoulders ache BUT it's a good kind of pain!! LOVE IT!!

So, I began learning my first set of patterns/skills last night. I was thrilled by the end of class because I had already memorized them. My instructor told me that he wants me to test for my yellow belt on the 19th with the rest of the students who have been there at least 2 months longer than I have! I was so proud and excited...but now I'm a little nervous! I hope I don't make a fool of myself.

Anyway, I am just so happy that I found something that I really enjoy and that doesn't feel like an inconvenience. Running was more of an "inconvenience" to me because I didn't enjoy it much. It was like pulling teeth to get myself motivated to get out and run. But with Tae Kwon Do, it's different. It's something that I look forward to, in fact, I'd go every day if they let me :)

Here are the levels (belt colors) that I'm hoping to attain and their explanations for each. Hopefully on the 19th, I'll be a new proud owner of a yellow belt!! :) YIPPEE!!

Belt color epxlanation

The explanation of belt colors was derived from the book of General Choi Hong Hi.
In WTF Taekwondo there are 10 Geups, starting from the 10th Geup (white belt) and ends with the 1st Geup (red-black belt). The term "Geup" means degree. The term "Dan" means phase. There are 9 Dan degrees, starting with the first and ending with the 9th. All Dan-degrees are represented by a black belt.

White Belt (10th Geup)
The color white indicates that a person is "innocent", has no knowledge of Taekwondo. The white-belt is automatically gained by taking Taekwondo classes.

Yellow Belt (8th Geup)
The color yellow indicates that the person is getting to know the basic techniques, this stadium is compared to a plant growing its roots.
The student going for yellow-belt is usually not skilled enough to show "Chayu daeryon" (non-contact sparring). Instead the student has to show "Sajoe" ("four-direction-movement", one specific technique shown to all directions).

Green Belt (6th Geup)
The color green indicates that a student is growing as a Taekwondo student. The color of the belt is compared to a plant growing its leafs.

Blue Belt (4th Geup)
The color blue indicates that a student is reaching higher, like a plant that is growing towards the sky.

Red Belt (2nd Geup)
The color red indicates danger. The student is warned to practice the control of his/her movements. The color red also warns an opponent.

Poom
W.T.F. Taekwondo requires that one has to be 16 years old to get a black belt. If younger, you get a Poom, which can be replaced by a black-belt when passed the age of 16. The requirements are the same as for the black-belt.

Black Belt (1st dan)
Black is the opposite of white and means the maturity of the student in the art. It also is an indication of being impenetrable for fear and darkness.


Pretty cool...huh? :)