Kup Grading & Technical Guidance Syllabus. Taegeuk Pal-Jang — trigram Gon ☷, the earth: the foundation everything else was built on, and the last colour-belt form.
This is candidacy. From here the test is not whether you can perform the syllabus — it is whether you can perform it with full power and speed using the whole body, and whether you can teach it. The successful candidate is simultaneously teacher, leader and role model for every student below them.
| Syllabus poomsae | Taegeuk Pal-Jang — 27 movements, trigram Gon ☷. Any three forms between Kibon Il-Jang and Pal-Jang, at the examiner's discretion |
| Time in grade | 6 months minimum from the previous kup grade to be recommended for 1st Dan / Poom |
| Grading to | 1st Dan — or 1st Poom for candidates under 15 |
| New at this rank | Advanced step sparring 1–5 · any three forms called at random alongside Pal-Jang · weapon defence against a stick or bat |
| Written work | A written mental test before the physical test, plus a two-page essay on a prompt assigned during candidacy |
| After this | Your next grading is a minimum of two years away |
The poom grade — sometimes called a junior black belt — is for candidates under 15 years of age. The Kukkiwon in Korea will only issue dan certificates to students aged 15 or older. A poom holder converts to dan on application once they reach the age.
Minimums are not entitlements. Meeting them makes you eligible to be considered. Instructor recommendation is required in every case, and is based on standard rather than on time served.
At this stage you should be exhibiting full power and speed of technique by using the whole body: reaction force, hip movement, balance, breathing, and synchronisation of the body with the completion of the technique. That is what produces the traditional snap of the dobok. Transitions between techniques should be sharp, balanced, and show an awareness of the environment around you.
It is a lot to live up to. But if you have trained hard for your black belt and your instructor has put you forward for testing, they already believe you are worth it. The test is only to prove it to you. Higher grade patterns continue as a journey of self-realisation, with patterns and techniques subtly transformed to suit the preferences and abilities of the individual. They take a while to master.
Taekwondo's emphasis on kicking, its origins as a combat sport and its current status as an Olympic sport mean the practical applications of its techniques are often maligned. Self-defence and combat technique have been taught throughout the syllabus, but at black belt level you should begin to develop the martial application of the techniques — which is what pre-arranged sparring (Il-bon Kyorugi) exists to reveal.
You should be able to explain the practical application of every one-step move in this syllabus — and, ideally, develop your own. A candidate who can only perform the sequences has met the colour-belt standard, not this one.
The teaching requirement that opened at red belt continues and is weighted more heavily here. Sessions you assist or lead are recorded in the leadership log with the ranks taught and the supervising instructor. Never alone with a group. Never alone with a child. Without exception.
You are marked on the group's safety and understanding — not on your own technique.
Six combinations, five repetitions each, both sides. The examiner calls a number and you perform it without further instruction and without being talked through it. At this rank the examiner may also call any technique combination in any stance used up to this grade.
Every sequence is written left-lead — left foot forward — and is mirrored on command. Stances are named by the forward foot. In Beom Seogi the named foot is the forward, lightly weighted one. The lead hand blocks and the rear hand strikes unless a step says otherwise.
The whole colour-belt vocabulary examined from one stance, in Korean, without translation. Naming it wrongly scores the same as performing it wrongly.
There is no list to memorise here — that is the point. This is where the panel finds out whether the syllabus was learned or rehearsed.
The arc hand returns from red belt, now off a kick. Indicated to the line and stopped — the neck is never contacted at any rank.
The combination opens and closes on the same two-armed block, in different stances. Step 4 is graded — the sequence ends re-guarded, not standing in range with the hands down.
Four stances in one sequence, at one height. Graded on whether the head rises through the cross step and the kick — the whole thing travels level.
Three open-hand techniques with no reset between them — the hand changes job twice without changing shape. Consecutive means consecutive: a pause between any two is a fail on the mechanic.
Every neck-line technique — the arc hand in Combinations 3 and 4, the inward knife hand in Combination 6 — is indicated to the line and stopped. The fingertip thrust in Combination 5 is indicated. The target punch goes into the practitioner's own open palm, where full power is permitted.
Under-13 candidates substitute a Momtong Bandae Jireugi for any elbow, knee or neck-line element, and lose no marks for it. The chain is scored, not the omitted finish. The throat, neck, temple, eyes and spine are never contacted, at any speed, at any rank.
| Element | Standard |
|---|---|
| Continuous roundhouse kicks | 30 onto a pad, each leg |
| Push-ups | 30 |
| Squats | 50 |
| Burpees | 10 |
| Sit-ups | 30 |
| Plank | 2 minutes |
A candidate training under the para pathway, or with a documented injury or medical restriction, is assessed against an equivalent standard agreed with the Head Instructor before the grading. The adapted standard is a full pass, not a concession, and is recorded as such.
All from fighting stance, moving forward, resetting to the starting position after each set. Five repetitions each.
Bandal Chagi is a half-moon kick — a 45° roundhouse to the mid-section. It is not a crescent kick. The crescent kicks are An Chagi (inward) and Bakkat Chagi (outward). You are examined on the distinction, and on the striking surface of every kick you throw.
| Syllabus form | Taegeuk Pal-Jang — the last of the eight Taegeuk forms |
| Movements | 27 |
| Trigram | Gon ☷ — the earth |
| Character | Just as the earth holds all the basic elements of life, this form holds all the basic techniques of Taekwondo. It is the foundation for the black-belt forms that follow |
| Introduces | Dubal Dangsang Ap Chagi (flying front kick) · pulling uppercut · single-hand wide open block · consecutive jump front kick |
| Also examined | Any three forms between Kibon Il-Jang and Taegeuk Pal-Jang, chosen by the examiner, called without warning |
Pal-Jang was learned at 2nd Kup. Nothing new to learn means nothing new to hide behind: here it is examined to black-belt standard, and any three forms from Kibon Il-Jang upward are called without warning and out of order beside it (Decision D-6).
Pal-Jang is 27 movements, trigram Gon ☷, the earth. It is the form of the 2nd and 1st Kup, and after it candidates test for black belt and begin Koryo.
Pal-Jang runs backwards relative to the other Taegeuk forms — it starts on the far line and finishes on the near one. The two kihaps are on the flying front kick near the start and on the consecutive jump front kick near the end; nowhere else.
Nothing is announced at this rank. Grabs and strikes are called at random from every previous rank, and the weapon set now includes a stick or bat as well as the knife.
| Set | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Grabs from the front | Any three, ×2 each |
| Grabs from behind | Any three, ×2 each |
| Strikes from the front | Any three, ×2 each |
Training knives and padded sticks only. No live blade and no rigid bat is ever brought onto the WTM floor. No weapon technique is graded for candidates under 14 (Band D).
Disengagement and escape are the primary response. These techniques are a last resort against an attack already in progress.
Nothing in this syllabus is legal advice on the use of force in Jamaica.
| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Three step sparring | Sambon Kyorugi 1–3, both sides |
| One step sparring | Il-bon Kyorugi 16–18, plus Advanced 1–5, called by number |
| Free sparring | One against one (1:1) and one against two (2:1) |
| Free sparring — under 15 | Controlled contact, no head contact |
| Free sparring — 15 and over | Full contact to the trunk |
| All bands | Mandatory equipment · age and weight matching enforced · a tactical objective is set before each round |
2:1 sparring is supervised directly and is stopped the moment the candidate is enveloped. It exists to test positioning and movement, not toughness.
Concussion protocol applies on grading day with no exceptions: Recognise — Remove — Refer — Return. A candidate removed for suspected concussion does not return to the grading, and reschedules at no penalty.
| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Hands — 1-inch boards | Fore fist punch, back fist strike or reverse knife hand — 1 or 2 suspended boards |
| Hands — 1-inch boards | Fore fist punch, outward knife hand strike — 1 to 3 boards |
| Feet — three corner break | Kicks only, one board at each break, one attempt only |
| Feet | Jump side kick or back kick — two attempts only |
| Feet | Back kick and side kick, jumping or from the ground — 1 to 3 boards |
| Boards | Rebreakable boards for all candidates under 16 |
| Scoring | On the technique, not the outcome |
| Stop rule | Any candidate reporting hand, wrist or foot pain stops immediately. No marks lost |
At this rank the mental requirements are taken as a written test before the physical black belt test, not as questions on the floor.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the meaning of the black belt? | The opposite of white: it signifies maturity and proficiency in Taekwondo, and the wearer's imperviousness to darkness and fear. |
| What does WT stand for? | World Taekwondo. |
| What is the meaning of Taegeuk Pal-Jang? | The eighth Taegeuk form. 27 movements, trigram Gon ☷ — earth. |
| Which part of the foot strikes for each kick? | 360° spinning hook kick — back of the heel. Jumping front to axe kick combination — ball of the foot, then back of the heel. |
| How do you address instructors? | Kwanjang-nim — Head Master. Sabum-nim — Master, 4th degree or higher. Kyo-sa-nim — Instructor, 1st to 3rd degree black belt. |
| Key components of each kick | Be able to identify what makes each kick correct — chamber, pivot, striking surface, recovery. |
| Korean terminology — kicks | All kicks, named and performed on command. |
| Korean terminology — hands and stances | All hand techniques and stances (adults only). |
| Essay | Two pages, double spaced, standard font and margins. Prompts are assigned by the instructors during candidacy. |
| All previous mental requirements | Examinable without warning. |
Attacking side — stands in fighting stance in front of the defender, in preparation to start. Defending side — stands upright with the hands in Junbi, in front of the attacker, anticipating the attack. Advanced 1–4 answer kicks; Advanced 5 answers a high punch.
The groin is a prohibited target in training at every rank. Where the source syllabus names it as the attacking target in Advanced 1, the attack is delivered to the low mid-section and the defence is drilled from there.
The throat, neck, temple and spine are never contacted, at any speed, at any rank — the high X-block, the elbow to the temple and the ridge hand to the neck are all indicated to the line and stopped.
All sweeps and takedowns are performed on a matted surface, with the attacker's balance managed and never dropped. Knee and elbow strikes go to a held pad or are indicated. Under-13 candidates substitute a Momtong Bandae Jireugi for any elbow, knee or neck-line element and lose no marks.
Stepping forward into the kick is the graded element — the low X-block only works if it meets the kick before extension. Everything after step 1 is indicated: this is the most heavily controlled sequence on the syllabus.
Catching the leg is worthless if the 45° step does not happen first — the defender must be off the line before the hand closes. The sweep is taken with the caught leg still supported.
Outside, not inside — the side kick is the one attack you must never step behind. The spinning sweep is the finish, and it is graded on control of the fall, not on the speed of the spin.
Step 4 is graded. Every other advanced sequence finishes on the floor or in the clinch; this one finishes at range, which is the answer a black belt candidate is expected to know how to give.
Matted surface. The attacker is controlled to the floor with the grip retained and never released mid-fall. The neck lock and the finishing punch are both indicated at every age and every speed.
Decision D-7. Advanced 5 is the sequence formerly printed as "One-Step 4" on the 2nd Kup page. It had no place in the 1–18 register (2nd Kup owns no number) and now sits here. It is the only advanced sequence that answers a punch rather than a kick.
Patience is choosing to control your emotions rather than letting your emotions control you.
Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.
David G. Allen
Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered; those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus, the wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win.
Morihei Ueshiba
Patience is choosing to control your emotions rather than letting your emotions control you.
Mark Merrill
The rank makes its own argument for the virtue. Your next grading is a minimum of two years away. Nothing about the next stage can be rushed, and the syllabus stops rewarding the candidate who tries.
| Merit stripe | How it is earned at 1st Kup |
|---|---|
| Kicking | All rank kicks and every previous rank's kicks, named in Korean and performed on call |
| Poomsae | Taegeuk Pal-Jang to standard, and any three forms called from Kibon Il-Jang upward |
| Sparring | Demonstrable progress in 1:1 and 2:1, with match strategy applied |
| Self-defence & step sparring | One-Step 16–18, Advanced 1–5, and the random grab, strike and weapon sets |
| Life skills | Awarded on the parent's word — behaviour at home and school (children only) |
| Physical strength | The standards on the fitness table |
| Jump rope | 100 consecutive skips |
| Board breaking | The Kyukpa requirement, demonstrated safely |
| Combinations | All six combinations performed on call by number, without demonstration |
| Teaching | The leadership log, signed off by the supervising instructor |
Examined in writing at this rank: all kicks, and — for adults — all hand techniques and stances.
Ten questions drawn at random from this syllabus, in the areas you are examined on. Nothing here is scored by the school — it is for finding the gaps while you still have time to close them.