I've been getting lots of inquiries from concerned parents about what is covered on belt promotion tests.

Little Dragons are asked to display their knowledge of the ABC's of Taekwondo: Agility, Balance, and Coordination.

Our promotion tests for Taekwondo Colour Belts are made up of 4 main parts:

1. Basic techniques: Kicks, Punches, Blocks
2. Kibon motion:  This could be Kibon Stepping for early belts (through Orange Stripe) to Kibon Sparring or One Step Sparring for Green and above
3. Poomsae: Students should have a good grasp of the required Poomsae pattern for their belt level. Very young students are expected to know the proper motions if they have trouble remembering the entire Poomsae
4. Sparring: Students must be able to demonstrate the application and understanding of Taekwondo in a sparring environment. Controlled sparring for early belts, protector sparring for Green
   Belt and up

>>>> Orange Belts Green Stripe and above may be required to break a board with a technique suitable for their belt level.

STUDENTS SHOULD BE PRACTISING THEIR POOMSAE AT HOME, NOT JUST IN CLASS.

We do have printouts of the motions for each poomsae if needed. It can also be found in many locations on the web.

For younger children in the White - Orange Belt zone, we tend to be a bit less demanding on the memorization requirements and more focused on the physical skills and situational awareness as their coordination and memory skills can develop at a different pace. Experience has shown we often see any gaps fill in themselves as the child matures and progresses.

Tips in between belts are used as a motivation tool, symbol of achievement, but not necessarily a denotation of rank.

We try to stay as organized as possible when awarding tips - please let your child know to feel free to ask if they are eligible for tip testing. We try to keep it practical within the confines of the class schedule.

If your child is concerned about the curriculum and needs some extra help, we'll try to accommodate. Consider trying to make it to the extra practice with Mr. Brewster or Saturday class which is a bit quiet and good for extra help.

We can also try to find 5 minutes before classes start with an older student, if available. Past that, please don't forget we are always available to provide private lessons as a single or package.

Let's go for that Black Belt!

 Mr. Ridabock