The Belts and Philosophies of Songahm Taekwondo

Taekwondo offers a systematic method of student development and progress measured by colored belts. The concept of belts and rank is probably one that most people associate with Taekwondo and martial arts in general, even if they only have a passing interest in the subject.

In Songahm Taekwondo, our belts reflect a member's proven level of competence and (just as importantly) the progression of colors reflects an inner journey that never truly ends. Each belt achieved is truly an accomplishment worthy of respect.

It is also worth noting that achieving a belt isn't just a matter of "spending enough time" in a previous belt. In order to achieve their next rank, a student must demonstrate their proficiency in their current belt's techniques, to include Basic Moves, Sparring, and Forms.

Trautwein's ATA Black Belt Academy's instructors will guide the willing student through the intense training required to achieve the rank of "black belt."

 

White Belt: Pure and without the knowledge of Songahm Taekwondo. As with the Pine Tree, the seed must now be planted and nourished to develop strong roots. The student has no knowledge of Songahm Taekwondo and begins with a clean (pure) slate. Purity is often signified by the color WHITE.

Orange Belt: The sun is beginning to rise. As with the morning's dawn, only the beauty of the sunrise is seen rather than the immense power. The beginning student sees the beauty of the art of Taekwondo but has not yet experienced the power in the technique. ORANGE is found among the many colors of a sunrise.

Yellow Belt: The seed is beginning to see the sunlight. The student begins to understand the basics of Taekwondo. The sun appears to be YELLOW.

Camo Belt: The sapling is hidden amongst the taller pines and must now fight its way upward. The student begins to realize their place in the world's largest martial art. CAMOUFLAGE patterns are used to hide among the trees in the forest.

Green Belt: The pine tree is beginning to develop and grow in strength. The student's technique is developing power. The components of the basic techniques are beginning to work in unison. As the pine tree develops, it sprouts GREEN pine needles.

Purple Belt: Coming to the mountain. The tree is in midgrowth and now the path becomes steep. The student has crossed over into a higher level of Songahm Taekwondo. The techniques, forms, and level of sparring becomes more difficult creating a "mountain" that must be overcome. Mountains are often depicted as PURPLE.

Blue Belt: The tree reaches for the sky toward new heights. Having passed the mid-way point, the student focuses their energy upward toward black belt. The sky appears as BLUE.

Brown Belt: The tree is firmly rooted in the earth. At this point the student has mastered the basics and developed deep roots in Taekwondo. BROWN is known as an earthy color.

Red Belt: The sun is setting. The first phase of growth has been accomplished. The first day (the period of time from white belt to red belt) of growth is coming to an end. The physical skill has been developed but lacks the control; therefore, physical and mental discipline must now be achieved. Variations of RED are found among the many colors of a sunset.

Black (Recommended 1st Degree Black Belt): The dawn of a new day. The sun breaks through the darkness. The previous day has ended giving way to a new dawn. The student must begin a new phase of training; that of being a black belt. The RED is the sun (in a sunrise) as it breaks through the BLACK of the night.

Black Belt: The tree has reached maturity and has overcome the darkness.... It must now begin to 'plant seeds for the future. The color black is created when all the colors of the light spectrum have been absorbed into an object. That object has taken control of the colors and retained them. If one color was to escape, the object would no longer be black but would appear as that color. The student has mastered the nine geup (grades) of Taekwondo. He/She has absorbed all the knowledge of the color ranks and overcome or mastered that level of training. The colors of the spectrum are bound together and are not reflected off an object, resulting in the absence of light known as BLACK or darkness.