Belt System

Criticism of Belt System

Some criticize the belt rank system for a variety of reasons, most of which relate to the critic's lack of rank achievement or of any other status in society. Those who cannot reach the level others have reached by their own personal achievement tend to criticize and berate achievers in an effort to belittle their achievements in an effort to increase their own status. Rank is used and has been used for millenniums throughout all societies of the world. When you need law enforcement advice, you know that a police sergeant has more knowledge and experience than a police corporal. When a soldier enters a room, he or she may immediately know the status of others in the room by their rank. When you enter a large corporation, you know the ones with the highest rank are those in offices on the highest floors. High rank is difficult to achieve in any endeavor. It takes a lot of hard work, time, and perseverance. You may have to do things you do not like to do or want to do, and act as if you enjoy it. Some would like to have rank, but they do not have what it takes to achieve it, so they criticize the ones who do.

Endless Cycle of Learning

"If you seek the answers long enough, you will find that they were always present at the beginning." Such is the Taekwondo belt system. As students near the end of their journey to black belt, they find the answers they were seeking were always present at the white belt level, they just were not aware of the answers at that point.