Yellow Belt - "Setting and achieving a goal." - This is the first level of achievement formally recognized and granted to the student for achieving a goal based upon a given curriculum. It is probably one of the most important primary acknowledgements in his/her long journey of development in the art of Tae Kwon Do. This is like a birthing period into a new world of thought, new terminology, and formalities of conduct. In a purely physical sense, it is the beginning phase of processing new relationships of mind and body movement.

Orange Belt - "Consistency, repetition, and pledging of respect are necessary ingredients of the martial artist." - This is the critical period of time when the student starts to develop formative habits and character traits for martial arts as well as for his/her entire life. Lessons are learned about the foundation of a martial artist's character and the creed he/she must live by in order to develop and make improvements. Consistency of training habits and repetitive practices of thousands of techniques require perseverance and commitments of time, energy, and dedication from the student. The student learns how to appreciate his/her own accomplishments and to respect others for theirs. Consequently, the value of these formative learning experiences in Tae Kwon Do are lessons learned about self improvement and what it takes to live productively with achievements.

Green Belt - "The understanding of oneself" - Victory in Martial Arts is experiencing harmony of one's mind, body, and spirit. The challenge of Martial Art is to defeat one's limitations and compare one's self to none other than him/herself. Martial Arts focus on the development of an individual with emphasis on physical, spiritual, intellectual, and competitive aspects. This distinguishes Martial Arts from a sport where the mere goal is victory by defeat.

Blue Belt - "Honoring great persons or achievements in Korean history relates to us all." - Korea is a nation that has faced hardships and has endured struggles that all mankind can relate to. Each Tae Kwon Do pattern memorializes the universality of this experience brought on by the forces of nature by such persons or achievements in Korean history It is the hope that by studying each meaning one will develop the admiration and inspiration to emulate these people and like events.

Purple Belt - "Mistakes and achievements are each equal experiences gained from the past and are used as stepping stones to progress towards the future." - This is a significant level of accomplishment in Tae Kwon Do. The student has attained the intermediate level of acknowledgement in his/her chosen Martial Art. This is a time to reflect on accomplished goals and to reaffirm and move towards new and greater goals. A new resiliency takes place with the motivation to seek a higher plateau of learning and accomplishment.

Brown Belt - "Tae Kwon Do as a Martial Art requires a balance of physical, mental, spiritual, and intellectual fundamentals of life." - This level of development in Tae Kwon Do is achieved by concentrating on goals and certain commitments relative to these components. As one pursues training to an advanced level, they are never to lose sight of the goal that true mastery is a balance of these fundamentals

Red Belt - "Taking a lesson from the past and carrying the knowledge gained into the future provides wisdom." - Wisdom gained from experiences provides the spirit and courage to reaffirm goals and a revitalization of self-esteem and personal respect. Achieving the prestigious rank of red belt requires traveling a very long journey encompassing courage and spirit. With the wisdom one has gained from this success he/she have learned that higher goals in Tae Kwon Do are achievable which will provide even greater esteem, self-respect, and wisdom with accomplishment.

1st Dan (Degree) Black Belt - "The essence of martial arts is a union between the mind and body." - The dedication required to achieve this level of ranking is the years of practice to demonstrate physically and mentally, by performance, that one has learned the lessons and has developed insight into the art. Traits of humility and respect for yourself and others are a part of one's code of conduct and are as natural to him/her as the air he/she breathes. Confidence and concern for fair play is reflected in all activities and most importantly, one's own person is realized and gains respect for that. Proceeding from this level requires great care and appreciation for beginning still another journey. The tasks are difficult with many despairs that will taunt you and require much patience of you. But, if you are willing to make the effort and commit yourself, the rewards are limitless, more than you can really imagine; this is a promise.