How Many Forms and Self Defense Applications Does It Take to Master Tae Kwon Do?

When I first started studying the martial arts, a branch of Korean Karate called Kang Duk Won, I was told it would take three lifetimes to master Tae Kwon Do. Over time I realized that this was just ignorance, just a diluted form of racism, but I did start to wonder how long it would take. I've been practicing Tae Kwon Do for over forty years now, and I think I have an answer. Sort of.
The example I have encountered, over the years, is that it takes a 1000 repetitions to learn a Taeguk, or a Palgwe or a Song Am or a Pyung An, if you prefer, and 10,000 repetitions to master. This would include, of course, practical applications, appropriate types of freestyle, assorted drills, and so on.
Counting the number of Tae Kwon Do forms--you can increase or decrease the numbers I am about to tell you according to your individual method of training--we can come up with some interesting times to mastery.
If you have 15 forms to Mastery, which is probably a fair count according to organizations such as the World Taekwondo Federation, or the International Taekwon-Do Federation, then you need to do 15,000 repetitions.

15,000 patterns = 15,000 minutes = 250 hours

If you practice five hours a week, you could master Tae Kwon Do within a year.
There are a few things this formula doesn't take into account, however.
Most people aren't going to practice five hours a week.
Most Taekwondo styles are not logically taught, which increases the length of time to mastery, sometimes considerably.
Most taekwondo systems are not logically arranged, which, again, increases the time to mastery, sometimes considerably.
The taekwondo arts have been muddled, mixed with other systems, or otherwise made impure, which increases time considerably.
This doesn't include, as I stated before, times needed for self defense applications, various freestyle drills, and so on.

Now, you can probably use the information I have given you here to find the times to master Kungfu, or master Aikido, but you will have to work it a bit.
The point here, however, is that the formula I have given you seems approximate to my own Tae Kwon Do research.
And, I give you this information to encourage people to take the long view, and to study harder, and to become more streamlined and efficient in their pursuit of the Tae Kwon do Martial Arts.
This is the best way to Master Tae Kwon Do.

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