back row, from left to right: Sean Cole (Ee Dan), Danielle Brouillette (Sam Dan), Logan Kovacs (Cho Dan); front row, from left to right: McKenzie Wagner (Cho Dan), Kaleb Le (Ee Dan), Amélie Sharp (Cho Dan)
The Yonsei family is proud to present its newest Black Belts. These young men and women have spent years training, and some have even given back to the school through our Leadership Team. It is a great honor to Yonsei to welcome these Cho Dans, Ee Dans, and Sam Dan into the Black Belt family!
About the Black Belt
Black is the last change of color in the Tang Soo Do belt system. It is the most significant rank advancement as is reflected in the full trim of the uniform top. Traditionally, Tang Soo Do Black Belts wear a navy blue belt and trim. This is because the color black symbolizes death and finality. It is the only color which does not change when more color is added to it. Black is always black, it cannot be altered. On the other hand, one can add more color to navy blue to make it darker. This is significant because the training of a Tang Soo Do Black Belt is never final. A true Black Belt never stops learning, training or improving their technique.
The Philosophy of the Midnight Blue
Many traditional Tang Soo Do/Soo Bahk Do schools use a dark midnight blue colored belt for dan ranks, rather than the more common black belt. There are several reasons for this.
Historically, it is thought that the Hwa Rang Dan warriors of ancient Korean wore a very similar outfit to the uniform that we wear today, which was trimmed in a dark blue. We wear midnight blue to reflect the traditional Korean heritage of our art. Philosophically, black is the darkest color possible, symbolizing death or an ending. Midnight blue symbolizes the knowledge which has been absorbed, but it is not so dark that it cannot absorb more color (knowledge). Thus, the midnight blue belt is seen only as a new beginning, where a student may continue to learn and refine their technique, and begin to gain greater insight into their art.
The solid midnight blue belt is worn for 1st thru 3rd dans, with white or gold stripes on the left end of the belt to indicate rank. For 4th dan (master level) and above, a midnight blue belt with a red stripe all the way through the center is worn.
Source: Black Bear Tang Soo Do