Kup Grading & Technical Guidance Syllabus. Taegeuk Yuk-Jang — trigram Gam ☵, water: formless, adaptable, and every form before it judged harder than when you learned it.
The syllabus form at this grade is Taegeuk Yuk-Jang. Kibon Il-Jang through Taegeuk O-Jang all still have to be clean, and the hand techniques introduce the cat stance, the wedging block and the X-block — the shapes the black-belt forms are built from.
| Syllabus poomsae | Taegeuk Yuk-Jang — trigram Gam ☵, water. Kibon Il-Jang through Taegeuk O-Jang remain examinable |
| Time in grade | 4 months · 30–35 classes, minimum two sessions per week |
| Grading to | 3rd Kup — Red Stripe |
| New at this rank | Taegeuk Yuk-Jang · Beom Seogi (cat stance) in combination · wedging block · X-block · one-for-one kicking |
| Belt meaning | Blue signifies the heaven towards which the plant matures into a towering tree as training progresses |
Minimums are not entitlements. Meeting them makes you eligible to be considered. Instructor recommendation is required in every case.
Step sparring demonstrates a variety of defences and counters against a standard punch to the face. The punch is thrown in the traditional way rather than as a street attack, so by its nature the defences can and should have slight pauses between them — the examiner and the audience need to see what is being performed.
For coloured belts each punch is preceded by a step back into long stance, a low block and a kihap. When the defender is ready they kihap to signal it, and the attacker punches in long stance to the body.
What matters most is that the defender never steps directly into the attack — and that they kihap on the last counter-strike of the defence.
The reverse knife hand block in long stance is awkward and hard to develop power for without a strong core. Taegeuk O-Jang is also the first pattern with a slow breathing exercise in it — take it to a count of five, don't rush it, stay confident throughout.
In self defence you can request where you are grabbed, so there should not be a long delay before the defence. This is a new area of Taekwondo at this stage, so some leeway is given.
Six combinations, five repetitions each, both sides. Called by number, performed without demonstration and without being talked through.
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.
Step 3 is the whole combination. Kicking out of a cat stance and returning to it means the weight never transfers forward — most candidates land in a forward stance and have to correct.
The low guarding block is examined standing still because the shape is what is being graded, not the delivery.
Two lines defended in one movement. Scored on whether both arms genuinely arrive at the same instant — the same standard applied again at red belt.
Block and strike with one arm, one rotation, from the stance that gives you the least leverage. If the arm resets between the two, the mechanic has been lost.
The wedge opens through the knees, not the shoulders, and the knee strike is the payoff it creates. Step 4 is graded — the sequence ends re-guarded and out of range, not standing in the clinch.
Two techniques delivered into the practitioner's own palm, which means both may be thrown at full power. Graded on whether the horse stance holds on the landing.
The knee strike in Combination 5 is delivered to a held pad only — never to a partner, including the thigh. Face-line back fists are indicated and stopped. The crescent kick and elbow in Combination 6 go 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 face-line element, and lose no marks for it. The throat, neck, temple, eyes and spine are never contacted, at any speed, at any rank.
All from fighting stance, moving forward, resetting to the starting position after each set. Five repetitions each.
The 360° kicks arrive here. The landing is graded as part of the kick — the rotation has to be killed by the landing leg and dumped into the floor, not carried into the next technique.
| Syllabus form | Taegeuk Yuk-Jang — required with accuracy and presentation |
| Trigram | Gam ☵ — water |
| Character | Water and its formlessness and adaptability. Techniques are performed fluidly, showing twisting techniques to adapt to the lines of attack and defence |
| Also examined | Kibon Il-Jang through Taegeuk O-Jang, called without warning and out of order |
| Standard | Accuracy — correct technique, stance, direction and sequence. Presentation — speed and power control, rhythm, balance, breathing, expression |
| Step sequences | Taegeuk Sam-Jang · Taegeuk Sa-Jang · Taegeuk O-Jang · Yuk-Jang reference performance |
Yuk-Jang is the sixth Taegeuk form, trigram Gam ☵, water. Water takes the shape of whatever holds it and still wears the rock away: the form is performed fluidly, and the twisting techniques adapt to the lines of attack and defence rather than meeting them head-on.
The forms you learned at green stripe, green belt and blue stripe are now examined to the standard expected at red stripe, and the panel calls them without warning and out of order.
Watch the Kukkiwon reference performance the whole way through once before copying any of it — it is linked on the school's Poomsae page. Then work one line of the floor pattern at a time.
Under the adopted ladder (Decision D-6) Taegeuk Yuk-Jang is the 4th Kup form: 4th Yuk-Jang · 3rd Chil-Jang · 2nd Pal-Jang · 1st Pal-Jang plus any three forms called at random. Earlier editions of this page carried "no new form" at this grade; that has been corrected here rather than silently. Open point: the syllabus index table lists Yuk-Jang at 19 movements — the Head Instructor confirms the movement count against the Kukkiwon textbook before this page is used on grading day, and a step-by-step floor sequence will be added once it has been transcribed from a WTM reference map.
Theme at this rank: escaping and countering from a head lock. Grabs are called from every previous rank, and you may request where you are grabbed.
Decision D-2. The knife attacks formerly listed at this grade — downward overhead strike, middle thrust and 45° slash — are no longer graded below 2nd Kup — Red Belt, where they now sit. Weapon awareness (recognise, distance, barriers, exits, run) is taught from 5th Kup. No weapon technique is graded for candidates under 14 (Band D).
No live blade is ever brought onto the WTM floor.
Disengagement and escape are the primary response. Every self-defence technique here is a last resort against an attack already in progress, and every scenario ends by reporting to a trusted adult or authority.
Locks are applied slowly, to the point of control, and released on the signal. Tuck the chin first — every head-lock escape starts by protecting the airway. Nothing in this syllabus is legal advice on the use of force in Jamaica.
| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Step sparring | One Step Sparring (Il-bon Kyorugi) 13–15, both sides, called by number |
| Kicking drill | One for one kicking |
| Free sparring | Controlled contact, age and weight matched |
| All bands | Mandatory equipment · a tactical objective is set before each round |
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 | Downward knife hand strike or outward knife hand strike — 2 boards |
| Foot | Spinning hook kick or back kick — 1 board |
| 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 |
Answer out loud, finishing with "Sir" or "Ma'am". All previous mental requirements still apply.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the meaning of the blue belt? | The heaven towards which the plant matures into a towering tree as training in Taekwondo progresses. |
| What is the meaning of Taegeuk O-Jang? | The fifth Taegeuk form. 20 movements, trigram Seon ☴ — wind. |
| Why is it important to get good grades in school? | To develop good self-discipline · to develop good work habits · to create opportunities to better my future. |
| Count from 1st to 10th | Il · Ee · Sam · Sa · Oh · Yuk · Chil · Pal · Koo · Ship |
| Written work: how you live the tenets | An example of how you live each tenet at home, at school or work, and at Taekwondo — fifteen examples in total, three for each of the five tenets. Typed and submitted with the belt test application before testing. |
| Which part of the foot strikes for each kick? | Low and high double roundhouse — instep. Jumping back kick — bottom of the heel. Jumping spinning hook kick — back of the heel. |
| Life skill concept (children only) | Identify, define, and answer questions on the current concept. |
| All previous mental requirements | Examinable without warning. |
The source syllabus answers the blue-belt question here with "the sky and the unlimited boundaries of Taekwondo". The school's own belt table, and the 5th Kup page, give heaven, towards which the plant matures into a towering tree. The belt meaning is stated once and the same at every grade, so that is the answer used here.
Attacking side — step back with the right leg into fighting stance, in preparation to start. Defending side — step back with the left or right leg depending on the situation, in fighting stance, until the attacking side commits. At this rank the attacks are kicks.
Block and counter arrive together in step 2, or the axe kick lands. Matted surface for the ground work, and the back kick is delivered under control to the mid-section only.
This is the distance theory examined directly — the defence is not being there. A candidate who blocks the kick with the arms has answered a different question.
The longest exchange on the colour-belt syllabus, and the first that answers a two-kick attack. Under-15s substitute a mid-section target for step 4.
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 skilled in combat do not become angered; those skilled at winning do not become afraid. The wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win.
Morihei Ueshiba
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
Aristotle
Patience is not the ability to wait, but how you act while you're waiting.
Joyce Meyer
The secret of patience is to do something else in the meantime.
Croft M. Pentz
| Merit stripe | How it is earned at 4th Kup |
|---|---|
| Kicking | The rank kicks and every kick from earlier ranks, with effort, accuracy and precision |
| Poomsae | Taegeuk Yuk-Jang learned to standard, with speed, focus, effort and direction; Kibon Il-Jang through Taegeuk O-Jang called out of order |
| Sparring | Demonstrable progress: different techniques attempted, match strategy applied |
| Self-defence & step sparring | One-Step 13–15 and the head-lock set, performed correctly and safely |
| Life skills | Awarded on the parent's word — behaviour at home and school (children only) |
| Physical strength | Set exercises at the instructor's discretion |
| Jump rope | 100 consecutive skips |
| Board breaking | The Kyukpa requirement, demonstrated safely |
Memorise as much as possible. All terms remain examinable on command.
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.