Malta IMA Tang Soo Do 몰타당수도 
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Earning a black belt

"A black belt is a white belt who never gave up"
Grading requirements for 1st Dan

Black belt status 

There is no greater pride than having the Grand Master or Master tie your First Dan Black Belt around your waist. You have persevered and conquered great personal challenges. You have passed the test for this coveted Tang Soo Do belt. "Black Belt" has a new meaning for you. But how did all this start?

  • An Urban Legend

One common “legend” concerning the tradition of belts claims that early martial artists began their training with a white belt, which eventually became stained black from years of sweat, dirt, and blood.

However, there is no real evidence for this story, so it should be relegated to the status of myth. In fact, given the standard of cleanliness common in the traditional Judo or Karate dojo, a student arriving with a bloodied or dirty uniform would probably not have been allowed to train.

In some arts and schools there is the opinion that the belt should not be washed; by doing that one would "wash away the knowledge" or "wash one's ki away."

  • Levels of Advancement

Another common misbelief is the "black belt as master" stereotype,. In reality, a black belt indicates the wearer is competent in a style's basic technique. Since in Tang Soo Do a black belt takes approximately 3 to 4 years of training to achieve, a good intuitive analogy would be a 1st Dan Black Belt is equivalent to a college  degree. The 1st Dan black belt is thus seen not so much as an end, but rather as a beginning, a doorway to advanced learning.

Originally, the white belt was simply dyed to a new color. This repeated dying process dictated the type of belt color and the order of the colors.

Due to the dying process, it was only practical to increasingly use darker colors. All of this came about shortly after the Second World War, when Korea and Japan were very poor countries. Dying the belts to a new color was a cheap way to have a visible, simple and effective ranking system.

Cho Dan meaning

Picture
Meaning Chodan
let's look at the term "Chodan", and more specifically "Cho". Sure, it means first degree black belt. But let's look deeper at this Chinese character. It's made up of two symbols, "a Knife" (刀) and "Clothing" (衣). The idea behind this symbol is at the beginning of making a garment of clothing, you must first cut the fabric. Thinking of this, the Chodan rank of black belt is not mastery at all. It's the beginning of creating the martial artist.

You see, as colored belts, you are being taught the basics of the martial art. How to walk, how to breathe, how to move efficiently within the techniques of the art. As a First degree Black Belt, you should now be proficient enough with the basics that you can begin to explore the art more deeply, without the need to be instructed on how to perform basic stances, steps, blocks, strikes, kicks, etc... If told to perform a technique, there should be no thought, no question, just the correct demonstration of that technique.

Having a black belt is about starting a new cycle, do not get so full of yourself.... 

​
Once upon a time, there lived a wise Zen master in Japan. People from far and near would visit him to ask for wisdom about life.

One day, a famous samurai came to visit the master.

"I am a great warrior. I have come today to ask you to teach me wisdom. Open my mind to enlightenment, master."  

The Zen master smiled and said that they should discuss it over a cup of tea. 

As they sat down, the master poured the samurai a cup. 

He poured and he poured, but didn't stop. As the tea rose to the rim, it began to spill over the table.


The samurai shouted "Stop! You are spilling the tea everywhere. Can't you see the cup is full, old man?" 

The Zen master stopped pouring, and smiled at his guest.

"You are like this tea cup. So full of yourself that nothing more can be added. Come back to me when your cup is empty, because there is nothing I can teach you." 

The samurai ran out and never returned.

Now, here's my question: 

Are you like this samurai? Is your cup full?

Do you have a mindset that holds you back from knowledge?
  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • About >
      • The IMA
      • Grandmaster Ki Yun Yi
      • Master Nar
      • European Tang Soo Do Federation
    • The Power of Tang Soo Do
  • About us
    • Clubs >
      • Mtarfa Dojang 용기 >
        • Mtarfa DoJang Prices
      • Zejtun Do-Jang
      • Naxxar DoJang 心 功
    • Instructors >
      • Master Wallace
      • Ronnie Attard
      • Boris Curmi
      • Daniel Portelli
  • Students Section
    • No Jewelry Rule
    • Etiquette 예의
    • Membership
    • Grading application
    • Consent Form
    • Events
    • Hyungs 형 >
      • Kicho Hyungs >
        • Kicho Hyung Il Bu 기초형 일부
        • Kicho Hyung E Bu 기초형 이부
        • Kicho Hyung Sam Bu 기초형 삼부
      • Pyung Ahn Forms >
        • Pyung Ahn Cho Dan 평안초단
        • Pyung Ahn E Dan 평안이단
        • Pyung Ahn Sam Dan 평안삼단
        • Pyung Ahn Sa Dan 평안사단
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      • Bassai Hyungs >
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      • Weapons >
        • Bong 장봉
      • Download
    • Techniques >
      • Ki Hap
      • Stretching
      • Kicks >
        • Front Kick
        • Jump Front Kick
        • Turning Kick
        • Jump Turning Kick
        • Jump Around Turning Kick
        • Turning Side Kick
        • Back Kick
        • Axe Kick
        • Twisting Kick
        • Side Kick
        • Crescent Kick Inside to out
        • Crescent Kick Outside to Inside
        • Hook Kick
        • Spinning Hook Kick
        • 360 Degree Spinning Hook Kick
        • Jump Spinning Hook Kick
      • Strikes >
        • Elbow Strike
      • Blocks >
        • Low Block
        • High Block
        • Knife Hand
        • Outside to Inside Block
        • Double Arm Block
      • Stances
      • Conditioning >
        • Moo Shim- conditioning of the mind
      • Kyuk Pa - Breaking
    • Gradings >
      • Black belt grading guidelines >
        • General knowledge question papers
        • 1st Dan Syllabus to 2nd Dan
        • 2nd Dan Syllabus to 3rd Dan
        • 3rd Dan Syllabus to 4th Dan
      • CDB to 1st Dan
      • Red 1 stripe belt to CDB
      • Red belt to Red 1 stripe
      • Purple belt to Red
      • Brown belt to Purple
      • Blue belt to Brown
      • Green belt to Blue
      • Orange Belt to Green
      • Yellow belt to Orange
      • White belt to Yellow
    • Weight Training
    • Terminology >
      • Do Jang & Do Bok
      • History of Tang Soo Do
      • History >
        • Bowing
        • Moo Do Jaseh
        • Muye Dobo Tongji
        • Kum Kang Ryuk Sa
        • Song of The Sip Sam Seh
        • Korea 한국 >
          • The Three Kingdoms of Korea 삼국시대 >
            • Goguryeo 고구려
            • Baekje 백제
            • Silla 신라
        • Great Grandmaster Hwang Kee
        • Hwarang Warriors
        • Moo Duk Kwan
      • Belt Tie
      • Philosophy of the Moo Do - 무도 >
        • Folding a Do Bohk
        • Mook Yum - Meditation >
          • History of Mook Yum
        • 4 human developments
        • Philosophy of Belts
      • Korean Flag 태극기
    • Student progression tracker
  • News & Events
    • EUROPEAN TANG SOO DO FEDERATION IRISH INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
    • 2023 Schedule
    • Resources >
      • Training
      • Articles
      • Form's
  • Black Belts Section
    • Sword training 해동검도
    • Black belt >
      • Readings
      • Do - Tao
      • Leadership
  • Instructors Section
    • TSA Pricing
  • Link Page