James Dickinson's Black Belt Academy

Changing one Million Lives

RESOURCES

Top of Page

Note: Documents marked with this icon "

" require the free Adobe® Reader for viewing,
and will launch in a new browser window when clicked.
Click here to download the free Adobe® Reader.

Belt Meanings

ATA SONGAHM TAEKWONDO BELTS (RANKS)

WHITE WHITE BELT "Pure and without the knowledge of Songahm Taekwondo. As with the Pine Tree, the seed must now be planted and nourished to develop strong roots." The student has no knowledge of Songahm Taekwondo and begins with a clean (pure) slate. Purity is often signified by the color white.

ORANGE ORANGE BELT "The sun is beginning to rise. As with the morning's dawn, only the beauty of the sunrise is seen rather than the immense power." The beginner student sees the beauty of the art of Taekwondo but has not yet experienced the power of the technique. Orange is found among the many colors of the sunrise.

yellow YELLOW BELT "The seed is beginning to see the sunlight." The student begins to understand the basics of Taekwondo. The sun appears to be yellow.

CAMOUFLAGE (CAMO) BELT "The sapling is hidden amongst the taller pines and must now fight its way upward." The student begins to realize his/her place in the world's largest martial art. The student must now begin to spar in order to promote in rank. Camouflage (greens) is used to hide among the trees in the forest.

GREEN BELT "The pine tree is beginning to develop and grow in strength." The student's technique is developing power. The components of the basic techniques are beginning to work in unison. As the pine tree develops, it sprouts green pine needles.

PURPLE BELT "Coming to the mountain. The tree is in the mid-growth and now the path becomes steep." The student has crossed over over into a higher level of SOngahm Taekwondo. The techniques, poom-sae (forms), and level of gyeo-roo-gi (sparring) becomes more difficult, creating a "mountain" that must be overcome. Mountains are often depicted as being purple.

BLUE BELT "The tree reaches for the sky toward new heights." Having passed the mid-way point, the student focuses his/her energy upward toward black belt. The sky appears as blue.

BROWN BELT "The tree is firmly rooted in the earth." At this point the student has mastered the basics and developed deep roots in Taekwondo. Brown is known as an earthy color, such as dirt.

RED BELT "The dawn of a new day. The sun breaks through the darkness." The previous day has ended, giving way to a new dawn. The student must begin a new phase of training; that of being a black belt. The red is the sun (in a sunrise) as it breaks through the black of night.

RED/BLACK BELT "The dawn of a new day. The sun breaks through the darkness." The previous day has ended, giving way to a new dawn. The student must begin a new phase of training; that of being a black belt. The red is the sun (in a sunrise) as it breaks through the black of night.

BLACK BELT "The tree has reached maturity and has overcome the darkness... it must now 'plant seeds for the future.'" The color black is created when all the colors of the light spectrum have been absorbed into an object. That object has "taken control" of the colors and retained them. If one color was to "escape", the object would no longer be black but would appear as that color. The student has mastered the nine geup (grades) of Taekwondo. He/she has "absorbed" all the knowledge of the color ranks and overcome or "mastered" that level or training. The colors of the spectrum are bound together and are not reflected off an object, resulting in the absence of color which we call black.

Belt Requirements

BELT # OF CLASSES/WEEKS BASIC & KICKS FORM & FREE SPARRING ONE STEP SPARRING OTHER

TINY TIGERS JUNIORS 1ST STRIPE 2ND STRIPE 3RD STRIPE

WHITE 21/7 21/11

ORANGE 21/7 21/11

YELLOW 21/7 21/11

CAMO 21/7 21/7 BLACK BELT CLUB
SPARRING GEAR

Black Belt Club Special - get all the gear you need, plus membership in the Black Belt Club for the combination price of $225.

GREEN 21/7 21/7

PURPLE 21/7 21/7

BLUE 21/7 21/7

BROWN 21/7 21/11

RED 21/7 21/11

BLACK 1ST DEGREE 42/14

BLACK 2ND DEGREE 42/14

Parent Stripe Form (2 per page)
Parent Stripe Form (1 per page)
Application For Blue Star Form (2 per page)
Application For Blue Star Form (1 per page)
Application For Gold Star Form (2 per page)
Tournament Rules
The following documents represent our most current Tournament rules and clarifications.
As new rules or information become available, they will be posted here.
(These rules take effect beginning at 2009 Fall Nationals)
SONGAHM TAEKWONDO TOURNAMENT RULES
Comprehensive document listing our ATA tournament rules. Includes appendix of changes.
COMBAT WEAPONS POINT SYSTEM
OFFICIAL RULES FOR THE CREATIVE FORMS/CREATIVE WEAPONS COMPETITION
OFFICAL RULES FOR THE ATA XTREME FORMS/WEAPONS COMPETITION
SPECIAL ABILITIES COMPETITION FORM
TEAM DEMONSTATION COMPETITION RULES
TEAM SYNCHRONIZED COMPETITION RULES

Tournament Registration Forms

Etiquette/Academy Rules

Class and Student Courtesy

1. Students and Instructors will bow to the flags each time they enter and/or leave the mat, even if the area is not being used for workout. (The “bow” is the oriental “handshake”, and is used in showing respect for the flags, fellow students, and Instructors.)
2. If a student is unavoidably tardy for class, he/she should bow at the edge of the mat and wait to be recognized by the Instructor; he/she man then ask permission to join the class.
3. Students should use the restroom before coming to class. If necessary, it is acceptable during class to ask permission to be excused.
4. Students should respond “Yes/No Sir”, or “Yes/No Ma’am”, as appropriate, in all conversations with Instructors.
5. Students should address Instructors by the last name and proper title (Master, Mr., Mrs. Ms., etc.), regardless of any personal or family relationship.
6. Students are encouraged to participate in class enthusiastically; however, students should avoid unnecessary conversation and should speak only at the proper times.
7. No student, regardless of rank, may instruct or correct another student without the direct and specific permission and supervision of the instructor.
8. A student’s personal appearance in class is a reflection of his pride. Cleanliness of person and uniform is imperative.
9. Students in informal workout sessions may not engage in free sparring without the direct supervision of an instructor.
10. If a student is in the room when the “SongAhm Spirit of Taekwondo” pledge is recited, he/she should stand at attention and recite the pledge with the group, whether or not he/she is in uniform or a participant in the group session.
11. Hair should be short or pulled back; no headbands or “sweatbands” are to be worn.
12. There is to be no smoking or use of tobacco products in the school at any time; there should be no smoking, use of tobacco products or consumption of alcohol at any time while in uniform.
13. There will be no use of profanity on the school premises or at any ATA function, class or activity.
14. Permission of the student’s Instructor is required before a student may attend another ATA school or other martial arts school.
15. High-ranking visitors to the class should be greeted with appropriate respect; if class is in session, it should immediately be interrupted for this salutation.
16. Students will turn away from the instructor or opponent when adjusting uniform or belt.
17. Female students must wear a white shirt under the uniform. Male students may not wear a shirt under the uniform.
18. No jewelry shall be worn with the uniform with the exception of a wedding ring.
19. Students, parents and guests are encouraged to observe, but we ask that you not converse with any person involved in a class session without the permission of the instructor.
20. No student may work on forms or techniques of any rank higher than his own without permission from his instructor.
21. No gum or candy is allowed in class.

Correct Patch Placement

Shop Online