Call us today! (847) 253-1161
Call us today! (847) 253-1161
Copyright 2026 Lions Tae Kwon Do
Beginners : Foundations
Starting anything new feels slow and difficult at first. Work hard and be patient. As long as you work hard, your first colored belt is never more than 8 weeks away! In your first few months we’ll work on the following:
Colored Belts : Learning
As you progress into colored belt ranks, you’ll build on your foundation. This period lasts about two years, and consistent workers typically progress to a new belt every two months or so.
During this learning period, you will:
Black Belt : Where Learning Really Begins
Many people think that achieving a black belt represents the end of their learning experience. This couldn’t be further from the truth!
Although you “know” all the moves, you don’t know everything! (Keep in mind that it takes additional years of practice to earn progressive degrees of black belt). A typical fourth degree black belt has trained consistently for 12 years or more.
Our black belts focus on:
We get a lot of questions from students, parents, and the general public. Here a some of the most common, but if we’ve missed yours, please call Master Chung at (847) 253-1161.
What is the difference between Tae Kwon Do and other marital arts?
Tae Kwon Do evolved from ancient Korean combat arts. Now an Olympic sport primarily known for its powerful kicking, traditional Tae Kwon Do is a powerful, well-rounded martial art, including strikes, holds, and self-defense skills.
What are the various belt ranks in Tae Kwon Do?
The colored belts vary from school to school, but black belts are designated by degrees, from 1st to 9th.
What is the highest rank in Tae Kwon Do?
9th Degree (Dan) rank is the highest rank recognized by the World Taekwondo Federation. Our Grandmaster Kim holds this rank.
I want my child to become a solid street fighter in six months. Why is contact so carefully controlled in class?
This one isn’t so frequent, but it’s an important one. Sure, your children are small, but the techniques we teach are potentially dangerous. After all, martial arts originated in combat! We take our students’ safety very seriously, and still develop competent fighters. Tae Kwon Do is an Olympic sport, and tournaments are available to students that want an extra level of competition.
Why are the classes structured so similarly?
It seems like it would get boring. The middle part of class actually varies greatly between belt tests, but we keep a few things consistent for good reasons. First, by keeping classes similarly structured, you can miss one class and make it up the next day without feeling lost. Secondly, the repetition of certain movements develops muscle memory that can improve performance over time. Contrary to high-speed internet and next day delivery, valuable skills are developed by process and repetition. Any professional athlete will attest to the value of consistent, repetitive, practice.
How often are belt tests for colored belts? Black belts?
Colored belts typically test every two months. For black belts, it’s a bit different. As a rule of thumb, each degree (Dan) represents the number of years that person trained to move to that rank. So a 4th degree black belt had to practice for four years to move from 3rd degree to 4th. There are also age and experience requirements for the highest ranks.
We hear lots of positive feedback from our students and their parents. Here are some key things you should know:
Master Chung is present and teaching during every single class.* Every time you or your child attend, they will be taught by a 7th degree Master! *(One recent exception: We recently started a 90 minute advanced class for high ranking belts, which is run by one of our 4th Degree Black Belt Instructors. This is open for adult black belts, but is strictly invitation-only for children and colored belt ranks.)
Tae Kwon Do classes last one hour, including (a) Warm-up, (b) Forms/Self-defense, (c) Kicking practice, (d) Sparring (for yellow belts and up)
Contact sparring is available at every class for all age levels. Protective gear is required for contact sparring, and safety rules are closely enforced.
If you miss a class, NO PROBLEM! Since every class is open to all belt levels, there’s another class available to you within 24 hours (except Sundays). This is a huge advantage, as many martial arts schools only have 2-3 classes available weekly for many belt levels or age groups.
Master Chung has developed a deep “bench” of high ranking black belts to assist him during classes. These assistant instructors are mature adults that have typically worked closely with Master Chung.
