In the Korean martial art of tae kwon do, rank is indicated by the color of the belt. The beginning student starts at the rank of 10th gup, or white belt rank. Each new gup rank is represented by a different colored belt, until the student reaches 1st gup and becomes eligible to test for a black belt. However, there is no standardization on the colors used for the lower ranks.
Belt Rank Systems
One belt rank system found in many British tae kwon do clubs begins with white belt, followed by yellow, green, blue, red and black, with additional ranks in between, such as green belt with a blue stripe. A system found in some Australian tae kwon do clubs is white, yellow, orange, green, blue, red and black, with additional ranks in between, such as blue with red. Neither of these widespread systems uses a purple belt at any rank. Purple belts are used in some tae kwon do systems but without any standard rules or requirements outside of the particular school that uses that rank.
Sample Requirements
Shamrock Tae Kwon Do in Asheboro, North Carolina, uses a purple belt for the 5th gup rank. The requirements for a purple belt in this school include the ability to execute the "poomse," or choreographed form called Taegeuk Sa Jang, and spar for two rounds of two minutes each, plus the skill to perform spin kicks and head locks, the third "keibon" technique, vertical hammer strikes, shuffling and spinning footwork and one-step sparring. The student also must be able to perform all of the material for previous ranks.
More Sample Requirements
The York Area Tae Kwon Do Academy in Pennsylvania uses a purple belt for the 3rd gup rank. Blue belt students wishing to test for a purple belt at this school must be able to perform four knife disarms, three one-step sparring techniques, the hammer fist, back fist and elbow attack, the jump spin back kick, jump inside crescent kick and cross stance fighting position. They also must also be able to perform a staff form and the Taegeuk O Jang poomse.
Gup Requirements
Even though the requirements for a purple belt are different from one school to another -- and some schools may not use a purple belt at all -- the requirements for the different "gup" ranks are more likely to be similar in different schools. For instance, students at the 5th gup rank in the York Area Tae Kwon Do Academy are expected to know the Taegeuk Sa Jang form, just like 5th gup students of Shamrock Tae Kwon Do. However, while Shamrock Tae Kwon Do uses a purple belt for this rank, York Area Tae Kwon Do uses a "high green" belt for the same rank. The rank number gives you more information in a tae kwon do school than the color of the belt.
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