Disclaimer

No parents, children, or Taekwon-Do coaches were harmed in the making of this blog. Parental pride levels may, however, have gone up a notch. As always, the following is just our family’s light-hearted take on sporting life and not an official endorsement of how to revise for martial arts exams.

A Kick-Start Three Years Ago

For the last three years our son has been doing Martial Arts. When we were looking around at the time, we stumbled upon Evolution Martial Arts (small but mighty, with 2–3 coaches). After a taster session, he came out grinning and immediately wanted to go back. That was it. Kit ordered, direct debit set up, and before we knew it, we were officially part of the “karate-parent-taxi” club.

Unlike most kids who try everything for a few weeks and then move on (RIP to all those unused clarinets and dusty football boots across the country), our son actually sticks with what he starts.

To be fair, we’ve probably nudged him towards activities he might enjoy, then let him test the waters. If he liked it, he carried on. If not, we parked it.

Case in point: football. Let’s just say David Beckham he is not.

What we love about martial arts is the discipline. No messing about, no wandering off mid-warmup. Just focus, respect, and energy channeled in the right direction. And—bonus—he’s absolutely shattered afterwards.

The Belt Ladder Explained

In Taekwon-Do, belts are more than colourful waist accessories – they show progress, discipline, and the knowledge gained along the way. For juniors, the journey is broken into manageable steps with “intermediate” stripes between the main colours. Here’s the usual order (some clubs tweak it slightly):

• White Belt – The starting point. Symbolises innocence, with no prior knowledge of Taekwon-Do.
• White Belt + Yellow Stripe – A stepping stone toward the yellow belt, showing the student is beginning to grasp the basics.
• Yellow Belt – Signifies the earth, from which a plant sprouts and takes root as the foundations of Taekwon-Do are laid.
• Yellow Belt + Green Stripe – Transition stage before full green.
• Green Belt – Symbolises growth, like a plant developing as skills and confidence improve.
• Green Belt + Blue Stripe – Progression toward blue.
• Blue Belt – Represents the sky, toward which the plant reaches as the student’s knowledge deepens.
• Blue Belt + Red Stripe – Stepping stone before red.
• Red Belt – Warns of danger and reminds the student to exercise control while others should be cautious around them.
• Red Belt + Black Stripe – Preparing for the big leap.
• Black Belt (1st Dan Junior Black) – Opposite of white, symbolising maturity and proficiency. For juniors, this is often called “provisional black” until they’re old enough to grade as an adult.

Grading Day: Patterns vs. Theory

Grading is a two-part ordeal:

1. Patterns (the physical bit) – sequences of kicks, blocks, and punches.
2. Theory (the brain bit) – including some Korean words, martial arts history, and etiquette.

Patterns? No problem. He smashed them.
Theory? Let’s just say his revision technique consisted of turning up and hoping the martial arts gods would whisper the answers in his ear.

Spoiler: they didn’t.

So, despite all the kicking excellence, he failed the theory part. To soften the blow, two of his classmates (also from his school, same belt) failed the theory too. Misery loves company, right?

Redemption Round

But here’s the good bit: the club gave them a second chance during their regular sessions. Due to a school cross-country clash, we ended up going on Tuesday instead of Monday. This time, our son actually revised (a minor miracle).

And lo and behold—Yellow Belt achieved! 🎉

Lessons Learned (Hopefully)

The moral of the story? Patterns will only get you so far. Sometimes, even in martial arts, you need to hit the books as well as the pads. Let’s hope he carries this forward so the next grading doesn’t come with unnecessary drama.

Until then, we’ll keep cheering from the sidelines and reminding him that even Bruce Lee had to learn his vocab.