How Long Does It Take To Earn A Taekwondo Black Belt

In Hapkido, Shaolin or kenpo there is a certain length of time that it should take to earn a black belt. These things are pretty much standard, but have been abused and altered by the various martial arts schools. Still, it is possible, if you understand certain basic facts about the fighting disciplines, to make your system easy to learn in as little as a couple of years.

First, you should understand that karate, kenpo and taekwondo have evolved from the same beginnings, and that is why there is a relative standard of time that it takes to achieve the first dan. Ed Parker learned and taught Heian forms from karate in the beginning of kenpo, and tekwondo developed form the eight houses, or Kwans, that were basically Japanese karate. Gung Fu arts rely on the same commonality of body motion, and thus are defined by the same rules.

There should be eight forms to the first black belt ranking. These forms are usually the five pinans, or Heians, descended from Okinawa and have equivalent forms in taekwondo. Kenpokas and other types of stylists will have to look a bit further to find eight forms that define their art.

There should be about 72 techniques learned. This is the number of techniques that if practiced will cover the basics of the art, and will take a student to the intuitive state of mind that is necessary to be promoted to the dan ranks. More than this and it is confusing, less than this and there isn't (normally) enough data.

The art should consist of a blend of forms, techniques, and freestyle. Blending martial arts kata, bunkai and kumite allows the concept of a perfect move to be constructed and bridged from theory to reality. Any art that doesn't have all three should actually not be considered an art, as it will not give the benefits, no matter what anybody says, that are possible through these three practices.

The essence of the art should be always be towards good control. No matter how people proclaim that an art must be more real, it becomes less real as an art if it forsakes control. One must learn to control their body, their fellow man, and then the world becomes a better place where fights just don't happen.

An art should be a balance of speed, power and technique. Speed can lead to power, but power doesn't necessarily lead to speed, so speed is superior to power. Technique, however, is superior to both.

These items all held to in one's training, along with a proper study of how basics really work, and one can earn a black belt in as little as one year, though two years is probably a better time. If one learns too fast it shows that he hasn't spent enough time actually controlling his body, and so lacks the basics of controlling his mind. To learn slower is spinning your wheels.

The methods listed in the preceding article are adhered to in the book and DVD courses offered at Monster Martial Arts. Learn Martial Arts quick and efficient at Monster Martial Arts. f4