Rachel Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 My 5 and 8 year old had their first belt test today. They take Taekwondo through the community center but there is a larger martial arts program that sends the instructor. The testing was at the martial arts center with kids from three different sites and a couple adults participating. It seemed to me the younger kids were held to a different standard than the older kids. It was definitely true among the white belts who were testing for yellow. I didn’t feel like my 5 year old really deserved the yellow belt and could tell it was at the discretion of the master. Because it was the first belt test I thought maybe there is leeway until kids learn what to expect. The adults who were yellow and orange belts seemed to have a much harder test than the kids (10-12ish) that were blue or purple belts which is a higher rank. I’m curious if this is the norm or unique to this facility. There were not any kids who were yellow or orange belts for me to compare though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 At our taekwando dojang, the adult belts mean more than the kid ones. As in, they obviously have more strength and muscle tone so what they accomplish is harder. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Definitely the case. We’ve gone to DD’s BFF’s black belt tests, and the kids don’t have to do the physical fitness component of the test and just plain do less. I assume that a black belt earned young does not mean the same thing as one older, and that should these kids continue, they would have to retest for adult levels when they are old enough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted June 16, 2018 Author Share Posted June 16, 2018 9 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said: At our taekwando dojang, the adult belts mean more than the kid ones. As in, they obviously have more strength and muscle tone so what they accomplish is harder. That makes a lot of sense to me. My kids were white belts and there were also 5 older kids testing who were also white belts. It seemed the older kids had more questions that were more difficult. They also were asked to redo a couple things that they didn’t do quite right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 I think that for young kids, the sensei (our experience is with karate) walks a fine line between them earning the next belt and keeping them interested. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 1 hour ago, arctic_bunny said: I think that for young kids, the sensei (our experience is with karate) walks a fine line between them earning the next belt and keeping them interested. I think this is often the case and that most martial arts studios lean towards keeping them interested. My son did traditional karate, and there was no difference in the requirements related to age and at every large belt testing there were always people that failed. People who failed but kept with it were the ones that the head sensei would call out individually for recognition. Also, since you couldn’t test for a black belt until at least 16, there was no rush to get them through the lower belts. And except with rare exceptions, kids could not start training until age seven. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 For our experience in TKD, there is no difference between a young belt earner and an older belt earner. A yellow belt is a yellow belt. I did not feel like some kids earned the belts they were given. But, whatever. My DS earned his 1st degree BB at about 13. He was full on sparring with adults and on level with adults. There were young BBs though. They were not held to the same standards. He advanced as far as 3rd degree and quit in the middle of 12th grade. So, the levels do stretch out once a BB is achieved. There are "midterm" tests and weapon tests to pay for though. DS could not have tested for 4th degree until age 18. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 At our studio- the kids take the same test as the adults. The only ones who takes different one are those who need it modified for disabilities. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted June 16, 2018 Author Share Posted June 16, 2018 The adult test for the orange and green belt was definitely more difficult than the kid blue and purple belts. The tests for the yellow belt were technically the same for the different aged kids but he asked the older kids harder questions. He was also stricter with their form. It seemed appropriate, with the exception of my 5 year old. Knowing nothing about TKD, I would not have passed him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 The work is cumulative and they will keep working on skills used in previous belts. I think as he continues you will see more similarity between execution of the higher belt skills. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 My kid does karate, and the belt tests are different. They won't move you up to an older age group class right before a belt test specifically because they don't want to move you to a group with a harder test that you aren't prepared for. For example, 6-8yo do 15 pushups for their fitness component, while 9-12 do 25. At our school, time to a black belt seems to be a minimum of 6 years and you have to repeat all previous kata when you test for a new belt. So, if your first set of forms looked the same as it did when you tested for your first belt at a young age, at some point they wouldn't pass you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Expectations vary tremendously between studios. At my dc's studio, students generally study for 4-5 years before they test for 1st degree black belt, then another 3 years for 2nd degree, and another 3 years for 3rd degree. Other places in our area the students work for only 2-3 years for 1st degree, then another 2 years for each level beyond that. From what I've seen in competitions, 1st degree at our studio is roughly equivalent to the 2nd degree elsewhere, as far as skill level. ETA: At our studio there are junior black belts and adult black belts. Students have to be 13 to test for an adult black belt, because they have to have the strength and stamina to function at adult level. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndGenHomeschooler Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 We do Tang Soo Do which is similar in many ways to TKD. Kids have to be 6 to start classes and the younger ones definitely have things easier when testing. I’m pretty sure they do it to keep them interested and get them going. Things typically slow down as they progress though and expectations are gradually increase. My youngest two stayed the same rank for quite a while before things started clicking and the started moving up again. I’d probably be a bit pickier earlier but it seems to work long term. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogger Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 I will double check with my son when he gets home from work but I believe their are official differences in expectations at least in USAT groups. It was my understanding there were even different official expectations of what forms were expected for competition by age but I would have to double check. My son also takes Judo in an adults only class. When they had to jump over someone and make a safe roll on the other side 2 older men (in their 60's) were allowed to go kind of to the side. It didn't help that the guy being used to jump (dive? Not sure of the proper term) over was bigger than the older men but the point is that they were able to safely land though they didn't go over the top of the guy whereas my son was expected to go over the top. I think it is wise to give people appropriate expectations for their age. As they children grow they will gradually add to the expectations. Some groups are better of at least requiring good discipline than others but it really depends on the instructor and the instructors knowledge of the student. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Yes, both age and rank impact how much they demand of the kids. In our dojang, which may be more relaxed than some, they will usually keep letting a person try again (during the test) until they get it. I am not sure I've ever seen anyone flunk a belt test - though you aren't allowed to test in the first place until your teacher says you're ready, which can take a while if you aren't trying / remembering. The last test my kids did, they were ready for the form, but somehow hadn't practiced the breaking. One of my kids had to try like 8 times before she broke the board. She passed. I myself have been given multiple chances to break a board. But I might fall into the "respect / feel sorry for the elderly" category, LOL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted June 16, 2018 Author Share Posted June 16, 2018 Thanks all! This is my first experience with any type of martial arts so it is all new to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 My son goes to a very traditional dojang run by a Grandmaster trained at the kukiwon in Korea. He has 2 tracks for black belt - one is for kids under 9 years old and the other is for those older than 9. For the kids under 9, the requirements is that they learn 1/2 their Form and learn answers to theory questions (they are questioned on theoretical aspects of TKD during the belt test as well) that are assigned for under 9 year olds. The reality is that all the kids learn all the Forms in full - but, during testing, even though they require only 1/2 the Form from the smaller kids, they perform the full Form and the Masters are pretty lenient if the form is not sharp enough or if the kids don't execute it perfectly because of their very young age. The testing is rigorous and detailed for kids older than 9. If any kid is unable to make it, they give them several chances during the test. If they are still unable to meet the expectations, they are told to test again the next month. During the whole of next month, the instructors pay special attention to the kids who failed the test to ensure that their technique is in order. This is our second martial arts school and both the schools have similar policies (maybe it is a regional thing). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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