How Long Does it Take to Master Taekwondo? | Explained
In this page we will go over how long it take to master Taekwondo, what skills need to be mastered, and how the length compares to other martial arts.
Table of Contents
- How Long Does it Take to Master Taekwondo?
- What Skills Do You Master From Taekwondo?
- Amount of Time to Master Other Martial Arts
How Long Does it Take to Master Taekwondo?
The average time to achieve a black belt in Taekwondo is 3 years of constantly practicing at a minimum of 3-4 times a week. Assuming a class is on average 45 minutes, you can expect to train 180 minutes a week, or 3 hours.
3 hours a week X 52 weeks equals out to 156 hours of training in order to achieve a black belt.
However, it’s important to know that achieving a black belt does not exactly mean that you are a master of Taekwondo, as there are degrees of black belts.
When you are working your way up the ranks, you began at white belt and progress through the different colors as you become more skilled.
When you are a black belt, you’ll begin at 1st degree black belt and it can go as high as 10th degree black belt (although 9th degree is really the highest rank, as 10th degree is only given to the founder and as an honorary belt post-death).
Advancing through degrees takes several years and require being tested on forms, sparring, board break and fitness levels while having to test for ‘Midterms’ in between the degrees.
Once you receive your first degree black belt, you aren’t immediately eligible to test for your second degree black belt. Due to this you will have to test for a certain amount of ‘Midterms’ until you achieve enough midterms to be eligible for second degree black belt.
What Skills Do You Master From Taekwondo
Becoming a master at kicking is the main skill that Taekwondo is known for, and the secondary being striking with the hands. Being able to master front kicks, side kicks, round house kicks, and afterwards adding a spins to them in order to do different variations of them are skills that will be prioritized.
Mastering middle to long range is another very important aspect of Taekwondo. Kicks are useless if you are too far away to hit your target, and too close to where you cannot extend your leg in order to land a meaningful kick on your opponent.
Being able to understand your range and your opponent’s range is a critical skill that is acquired through drilling and sparring.
Another skill that impacts range directly is footwork. Having the proper footwork and quick footwork to get in range to land, and exit out of range to avoid being hit is crucial in Taekwondo.
Taekwondo tournaments are famous for emphasizing point sparring, which is focused on the first person to land a strike.
The person who lands the first strike will receive a point, and depending on which technique it was, the point scored can be as high as 3 points. A kick to the body is scored as 1 point, where a kick to the head is scored as 2 points, and a jumping kick to the head is scored as 3 points.
Most matches are only up to 5 points, so you can immediately understand why it’s a very risky game as receiving one jumping kick to the head can quickly put your opponent past the halfway mark to winning.
Amount of Time to Master Other Martial Arts
Taekwondo is one of the quicker martial arts to be able to master when compared to other martial arts. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu takes 10 years on average to master which is over 3 times longer than Taekwondo.
Due to this, Taekwondo can be a great base to your martial arts journey, as it will instill discipline, equip you with fantastic coordination, and make your striking multi dimensional.
Taekwondo is one of the more old-school martial arts, which means students will consistently bow at their elders, higher ranks and the mat. For kids and teenagers, this is a great way to teach them to respect their peers, adults, and their environment.
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