Taekwon-Do translated literally means: "Tae" stands for jumping or flying, to kick or to smash with the foot "Kwon" denotes fist, chiefly to punch or destroy with hand or foot "Do" means an art or way The tenets of TaeKwon-Do (TaeKwon-Do Jungshin ) Courtesy- Integrity-Perseverance- Self Control- Indomitable Spirit These should serve as a guide for all serious students of Tae Kwon-Do. Courtesy - Ye Ui Tae Kwon-Do students should attempt to practice the following elements of etiquette.
To promise the spirit of mutual concessions.
To be ashamed of one's vice. Contempting that of others.
To be polite to one another.
To encourage the sense of justice.
To distinguish the instructor from student and senior from junior. Integrity - Yom Chi In Tae Kwon-Do, the word integrity assumes a looser definition than in a dictionary. One must be able to define right and wrong and have the conscience, if wrong, to feel guilt. Listed are some examples where integrity is lacking.

The instructor who misrepresents himself and his art by presenting improper techniques to his students because of a lack of knowledge or apathy.

The student who misrepresents himself by fixing breaking materials before demonstrations.

The instructor who camouflages bad techniques with luxurious training halls and false flattery to his students.

The student who requests rank from an instructor or attempts to purchase it.

The student who gains rank for ego purposes of the feeling of power.

The instructor that teaches and promotes his art for material gain. Perseverance - In Nae There is an old Oriental saying , "Patience leads to virtue or merit" - "One can make a peaceful home by being patient 100 times". Certainly, happiness and prosperity are most likely brought to the patient person. To achieve something, whether it is a higher degree or the perfection of a technique, one must set his goal and constantly persevere. Robert the Bruce learned his lesson of perseverance from the persistent efforts of a lowly spider. It was this perseverance and tenacity that finally enabled him to free Scotland in the 14th Century. One of the most important secrets in becoming a leader in Tae Kwon-Do is to overcome every difficulty by perseverance. Self Control- Guk-Gi This tenet is extremely important inside and outside the do-jang, whether conducting oneself in free sparring or in one's personal affairs. A loss of self control in free sparring can prove disastrous to both student and opponent. An inability to live and work within one's capability or sphere is also a lack of self control. Indomitable Spirit- Baekjul Boolgool "Here lie 300, who did their duty", a simple epitaph for one of the greatest acts of courage known to mankind. Although facing the superior forces of Xerxes, Leonidas and 300 Spartans, at Thermopylae, showed the world the meaning of indomitable spirit. It is shown where a courageous person and his principles are pitted against overwhelming odds.A serious student of Tae Kwon-Do will at all times be modest and honest. If confronted with injustice, he will deal with the belligerent without any fear or hesitation at all, with indomitable spirit, regardless of whosoever and however many the number may be. Tae Kwon-do Programme Students are promoted in the Main Tae Kwon-do Programme after being successful in their grading examinations, which they are allowed to sit after having trained and studied for the required amount of time & when their Instructor feels they are ready to take the next step.
The grading system is as follows:

Colour Belt Grades Black Belt Ranking
10th Kup White Belt 1st Degree (Novice)
9th Kup White Belt / Yellow Tag 2nd Degree
8th Kup Yellow Belt 3rd Degree
7th Kup Yellow Belt / Green Tag 4th Degree (Expert-Sabum)
6th Kup Green Belt 5th Degree
5th Kup Green Belt / Blue Tag 6th Degree
4th Kup Blue Belt 7th Degree (Master-Sahyun)
3rd Kup Blue Belt / Red Tag 8th Degree
2nd Kup Red Belt 9th Degree (Grand Master-Sasung)
1st Kup Black Tag
Junior and Senior Belt Colours
Colour Belt Grades Definitions of the Belts
10th Kup White Belt Signifies innocence as that of the beginning student who has no previous knowledge of Tae Kwon-do
9th Kup White Belt / Yellow Tag
8th Kup Yellow Belt Signifies earth from which the plant takes root and sprouts as Tae Kwon-do foundation is laid
7th Kup Yellow Belt / Green Tag
6th Kup Green Belt Signifies the plants growth as Tae Kwon-do skill begins to develop
5th Kup Green Belt / Blue Tag
4th Kup Blue Belt Signifies the heaven towards which the plant matures into a towering tree as training in Tae Kwon-do progresses
3rd Kup Blue Belt / Red Tag
2nd Kup Red Belt Signifies danger, cautioning the student to exercise control and warning the opponent to stay away
1st Kup Black Tag Opposite of white, therefore signifying maturity and proficiency in Tae Kwon-do. It also indicates the wearers imperviousness to darkness and fear
There are six main belts - these are white, yellow, green, blue, red and black.

White is the first belt given to the beginner and black is given after progression through the grades. The minimum time from white to black belt being 3 ½ years.

Each colour, with exception of black, has two levels of grade, making ten in total. The definition of the belt colours are as follows:
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