EveryDojo

Grading theory

What a taekwondo grading might look like, why it varies from body to body and club to club, and a practice set of 15 example theory questions.

Read this first. Every association, and every instructor within it, sets the details of a grading: the content, the order, the words used, the spellings, the ages and the waiting times. The examples here are a general picture built from published documents. They are not any association's syllabus, and they vary on purpose between the two families. Before a grading, the only syllabus that counts is the one your own club and association give you.

What gradings tend to have in common

With that caveat, this is what the published documents share.

  • Basics in lines: stances, blocks, punches and kicks. British Taekwondo's dan gradings ask for three lines of basic technique; its Gup gradings test basic technique, poomsae, self-defence and sparring, with some clubs adding theory. 81,82
  • A pattern for the grade. Poomsae in the WT and Kukkiwon family, tul in the ITF family. 62,80
  • Partner work: step sparring, then free sparring at higher grades; self-defence. 62,82
  • Knowledge and attitude. General Choi's Encyclopedia marks five headings: pattern, sparring, power, education and attitude, with a pass mark of 60. 62
  • Breaking at some grades, with the rules for children on the belts page: none for children in the Encyclopedia, foam boards for 15 and under at British Taekwondo dan tests. 62,82

Three real examples of how it varies

  • British Taekwondo: gradings about every three months in the club; a 1st Poom rather than a 1st Dan for those 14 or younger; Taegeuk 8 plus two other Taegeuk at the first Dan grading; the Kukkiwon certificate follows from Korea. 81,82,83
  • ITF Encyclopedia: gup tests at the student's own gym; three step sparring for the lowest grades; Chon-Ji at 9th Gup; a thesis from the higher degrees. 62
  • TAGB: the same syllabus in every school, and every grading by an external examiner, never the student's own instructor. 96

Two families and an independent association, with different patterns, different examiners and different rules for children. A club in any of them may add its own expectations on top.

Two rows of taekwondo belts laid out in the same order from white to black, with stripes between colours.

Practice set: 15 example theory questions

These are examples of the kind of question a theory section might ask. Each answer shows its source. A WT club and an ITF club would ask different questions, so both kinds are here; an instructor may want a different answer or a different spelling, and the instructor is right for that grading.

  1. What does taekwondo mean? Tae, foot; kwon, fist; do, the way: roughly the way of the foot and the fist. 46
  2. When was the name Taekwon-Do approved, and who called the meeting? 11 April 1955, at a board called together by General Choi Hong Hi. 64
  3. What are the five tenets? Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control and indomitable spirit; in Korean ye-ui, yeom-chi, in-nae, geuk-gi and baekjeol-bulgul. 1,46
  4. When and where was the ITF founded? 22 March 1966, in Seoul. 3,64
  5. What is the Kukkiwon? The World Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, named on 6 February 1973, which issues Poom and Dan certificates. 5,50,51,53
  6. How do gup and Dan grades count? Gup grades count down from 10th to 1st; Dan grades count up from 1st to 9th. 1,51,62
  7. What do charyeot, kyeong-rye, joon-bi, shi-jak and keu-man mean? Attention; bow; ready; begin; stop. 40,61,87
  8. Count from one to five in Korean, as in class. Hana, dul, set, net, daseot. 20,40
  9. What is the first ITF pattern, and how many movements does it have? Chon-Ji, heaven and earth, with 19 movements. 13,62
  10. What is the first Kukkiwon poomsae, and what does it stand for? Taegeuk 1 Jang, heaven and light, the beginning of all things. 54
  11. Name the three heights a technique is aimed at. Eolgul, high, the face; momtong, middle, the body; arae, low. 87
  12. What is ap chagi, and what is dollyo chagi? Front kick, and turning or roundhouse kick. 87
  13. What does a child under 15 receive instead of a Dan in the Kukkiwon system? A Poom, 1st to 4th. 51,53
  14. In WT sparring under the 2026 rules, what do a punch to the trunk, a kick to the trunk and a kick to the head score? 1, 2 and 3; a turning kick doubles the kick to 4 or 6. 40,42
  15. Who brought Taekwon-Do to Britain, and when? Rhee Ki Ha, arriving on 2 July 1967. 15,100

Questions only your instructor can answer

The exact techniques and pattern for your next grade, your own association's terms and spellings (British Taekwondo writes makki and jireugi where the ITF writes makgi and jirugi), the meaning your association gives each belt colour, your association's own history questions, and anything about fees or dates. Those come from your instructor. 61,62,87,97

Written from checked sources, listed on the sources page. Pictures are drawn, with computer help, under our direction; none shows a real child. Recorded chapters and words are read by a computer voice; a word not yet recorded uses your device's own voice.