Your taekwondo yellow belt - here's how you lay good foundations.

On this page

• We tell you what your taekwondo yellow belt represents.
• We give you tips for working towards your yellow belt so you start your martial arts journey the right way.
• And we explore some of the challenges you might face along the way.

Your taekwondo yellow belt represents the earth. The earth from which a strong plant (your taekwondo) grows.

This is an incredibly important time in your martial arts journey.

You are laying down the foundations of your taekwondo- your basic techniques.

And if you lay those foundations down wrong?...

...at some later stage you'll have to go back and lay them down again.

It can seem a bit boring to go over and over basic stances, blocks, strikes and kicks. And you may find yourself thinking 'we did that last week... can we just move on?!'

If you feel like this - try to relax - have trust in your instructor and the martial arts process. Do what you are being asked to do and do it to the best of your ability with passion.

Later in your journey...

...you will thank yourself and reap the rewards with a big smile on your face :-)

Help with your yellow belt basics

For your tkd blocks work on your chamber as well as your block. Practise getting a twist on the end of each technique.

For your taekwondo strikes again think about your chambers and getting your punches to come out straight.

Your basic stances are incredibly important. Practise getting a solid front stance and horse stance.
Work on them whenever you can.
(Trying holding your horse stance while you brush your teeth).

For your taekwondo kicks your knee chamber is probably the most important thing at yellow belt stage.
Lift your knee high on every kick. And think about your bottom foot. Learning to turn your bottom foot on every kick is vital for proper kicking technique.

taekwondo yellow belt challenges

We remember finding our training physically very tough at this early stage.
We weren't that fit when we started. So at times during class we used to feel really out of breath and tired.
And we always woke up very sore and stiff after training because our bodies weren't used to it.

If this is you...
... there is nothing to do but push through this time. Try to train regularly. Try to eat well and get enough sleep.
In time your body will adjust to physical side of your training. And this aspect of your taekwondo will get less demanding.

Learning taekwondo patterns can be a big challenge. Neil particularly finds remembering poomse difficult. Again our advice is stick with it.
Take your time.
Practise when you can.
And be patient.
You will know your patterns in time.

If you train in WTF taekwondo here's free video downloads and written instrucations for taegeuk-il-jang (taekgeuk 1) and taegeuk-e-jang (taegeuk 2).

And if you train in ITF taekwondo here's the help you need for your yellow stripe pattern Chon-Ji and your yellow belt tul Dan Gun.

And here's 10 great tips to help you remember your taekwondo forms.

For self defense at yellow belt stage the most important part is learning to get out of the way of an attack.
Practise moving in a balanced way to avoid the punch. Try to keep your body upright and balanced and check that you are using the right stances.

At tkd white or yellow belt you might start to do some basic sparring.
Most people find taekwondo sparring difficult at first. And you might find yourself feeling quite strong emotions like fear and/or anger.
This is normal.
Part of your martial arts journey is about getting a handle on these emotions and not letting them control you.

Here's some taekwondo sparring tips to help you on your way.

Your early taekwondo days are also about finding your spirit. About starting to realize that martial arts is not easy and you will need to push through tough training sessions.
It's important that you show your instructor your spirit.
To key-up with passion.
And give 100%.

Finding this spirit is very important when you take your taekwondo yellow belt test.
You will be nervous. That's normal. They key is not to let those nerves beat you.
You need to dig deep and focus. And to give 100% with passion.
Do this and you'll likely be fine- even if you make a few mistakes.

Here's more help with your taekwondo belt test.

More taekwondo belt colors

Go from taekwondo yellow belt to taekwondo belts

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