The Indiana University Tae Kwon Do Club Meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:45-7:15 and on Saturdays from 12-4pm, all in HPER 163 and on Sudays from 5:30-7:30 in the fort. Club membership is open to anyone over 18 years or older, or any registered Indiana University student. (No affiliation with IU is required to be a member of the club.) No prior experience is necessary.
Club dues are $40 per semester, $20 for black belts.
The club instructors are Jim Thomas and John Bruner. Mr Thomas is a 4th degree black belt in both Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido, and has been a club instructor for since 1998.
TopThere are several reasons for wearing a Dobok (doh bock) when we practice Tae Kwon Do. Among these are:
You may not wear jewelry or watches in the dojang, partly because it’s unsafe, and partly because those things are considered disrespectful. Again, we are not in the dojang to show off. If you have a permanent piece of jewelry (a piercing) that can’t be easily removed, you must tape or bandage it down. No hats will be worn. Bandanas are acceptable.
The appropriate color is white. This is especially important during belt tests, whether testing or judging. Black belts have the option of mixing black and white tops and bottoms. The choice is entirely up to you. We have no preference. However, females wearing a traditional style top MUST wear a suitable undergarment. (T-shirt, etc). If you already own a black or colored uniform, you may wear it for practice. But if you plan on testing for rank with us, you will be expected to obtain a white uniform at some point, since white is the required color for testing.
Yes, you may still practice, but you will line up at the end of the last row after the white belts, with people in street clothes. You must have a complete uniform to line up in the position your rank should occupy in line.
In hot weather, in lieu of a dobok top you may wear either a plain white t-shirt, or (preferably) an IU TKD Club t-shirt and be considered in uniform. Check with the instructor beforehand to make sure it’s appropriate. This does NOT apply to promotion tests.
The club offers for sale both the IU TKD Club patch, which is worn on the left sleeve above the elbow, and the Ji Do Kwan patch which is worn over the heart. Some people wear other school patches and American or Korean flag patches. You might also see people wearing the Demo Team patch, which belongs on the right shoulder of your uniform. (See the Demo Team section of this FAQ for details on earning this patch.) It’s your uniform, you may attach whatever you want that’s appropriate. Appropriate in this case would mean relating to TKD or the club. The dobok is a working uniform, and shouldn’t be adorned with items just to show off. Humility and modesty are a part of our creed.
Though not strictly traditional, there are shoes made especially for TKD practice.
TopBow when you enter the dojang (training room) and before you exit. Bow to an instructor on greeting and parting, bow in line when instructed to. General rule of thumb is, if in doubt, go ahead and bow. Better safe than sorry.
Always err on the side of politeness, rather than being too casual. Those higher than you in rank are to be addressed as Ma’am and Sir, but its most polite to adress everyone as Ma'am or Sir.
Different systems of Taekwondo have different rules and types of etiquette. Many students are confused by the different styles, and don't realize that it's okay to be different, but that respect is a rule/ideal in ALL styles.
TopGenerally twice each semester for ranks up through brown belt. After that you’re expected to wait at least one full semester between each rank.
Beginning at the purple belt rank, you may volunteer to judge. Judging is an honor, a privilege, and a duty to those below you in rank, and to those above you who donate their own time at your promotion test. We are grateful for your participation. After purple belt you must be at least 2 ranks higher than the rank someone is testing for, if you wish to judge their test. All tests must be arranged with the permission of an instructor, either for a class or for club. IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE JUDGING A PROMOTION EXAM IT’S IMPORTANT THAT YOU WEAR A FULL, CLEAN UNIFORM.
You should receive a briefing before the test, but if you have any questions at all, ask an instructor.
TopBriefly, the WTF (see below) and the ITF(see below) have their own forms. Our forms, the Palgues, are older than either the WTF or ITF forms. Other forms systems have names like Pyong Ahn, Tae Geuks, etc.
It’s not good practice to learn a more advanced form until you have a very good grasp on the next form for your promotion. No matter how well you think you can do a form, there’s always room for improvement. This is an area where haste really does make waste.
TopClub does not require a specific rank for permission to spar, but you will be evaluated by an instructor as to whether you have the needed skill level to safely participate. You MUST bring a mouthpiece and (for males) a protective cup to be allowed to spar. There will be no exceptions.
TopDemo Team is a group of volunteers who practice after club one night each week. There are no requirements other than that you be a regularly attending club member. White belts are as welcome as black belts. The team has a set demonstration routine that they perform as an outreach program to show people what TKD is and introduce them to the club. Spirit of Sport, high schools, childrens’ classes are all venues where Demo Team has performed. A member who participates in at least one "live" demo in front of an audience earns a "Demo Team TKD" patch and the right to wear it on their upper right sleeve.
TopIf you’re a brown belt in Ji Do Kwan TKD here at IU and you’ve never head the term Kunja, something is amiss. There’s a very good definition of it in the class textbook and on several web pages. The requirements are that you must research the meaning and concept of Kunja and then write a paper detailing how it applies to you, your training in TKD and in your life in general. Before you test for red belt you must turn in an outline of your paper. Before your 1 st Kup (temp) test you must turn in a rough draft. 30 DAYS before your black belt test you must turn in a10-40 page paper. You must submit both a paper copy and an electronic copy. Hard copies are to be given to Mr. Burns. Electronic copies must be e-mailed, either as text or an attachment, to djburns@indiana.edu.The paper will be distributed to, and read by, your judges.
You must maintain regular attendance in club, especially for the last 2 semesters before you plan on testing. If you can’t attend club practices you’ll be obligated to show the panel that you have been practicing regularly outside of club.
The IU TKD club is honored to present an embroidered belt to qualifying black belts who have trained and tested at IU. See an instructor or a club officer for details on how you can earn one for yourself.
In our system, teaching experience is a critical criteria for promotion to black belt. This can be acquired by several means. Most people opt to take HPER P498, a 1-credit hour class which allows you to be an assistant instructor in an IU martial arts class. You may do this 3 times for credit. Another method is to assist the club instructors by working with new or lower ranked students in club. If you are unable to sign up or attend the P498 class, the club will make teaching time available for you during regular practice, and will require you to lead a portion (or all) of one club practice prior to your black belt test. You may also be asked to demonstrate teaching of a technique or concept during your black belt test.
Pre-tests are required for black belt candidates, and are strongly encourage for red and red/black candidates as well. The test(s) will be used by the Chief Instructor to determine whether you are ready to test for promotion, or if you should wait.
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