How long does it take to get a black belt in taekwondo?

Most practitioners take between 3 and 5 years training 2-3 times per week. The minimum age for black belt is typically 15 years.

How many belts are there in taekwondo?

The WT system has 10 geup (colored belts) before the black belt. Colors range from white to red with black stripe, passing through yellow, green, and blue with their intermediates.

What is the difference between WT and ITF taekwondo?

WT (World Taekwondo) is the Olympic style, uses Taegeuk poomsae, and emphasizes high kicks. ITF uses tul (Choi patterns), sine wave motion, and allows punches to the face in sparring.

Free tool

Taekwondo Belt Progression Calculator

Estimate how long until your next taekwondo belt and until black belt, based on your current rank, style (WT/ITF), and training frequency.

Style

Your current belt

Sessions per week:

1 2 3 4 5 6

How this calculator works

We use the typical minimum times between promotions in WT and ITF taekwondo schools and adjust them based on your training frequency. Taekwondo has a faster progression than many other martial arts, with exams typically every 2-4 months for colored belts.

Factors that influence progression

Training frequency and regular attendance.
Mastery of your level's poomsae (WT) or tul (ITF).
Sparring performance (kyorugi).
Board breaking ability (gyeokpa) at advanced ranks.
Minimum age for black belt (typically 15 years).

Running a taekwondo school?

MatGoat lets you configure your federation's geup and dan system and automatically track each student's progression.

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