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Step 1
Find a club or dojo that teaches taekwondo and is a member of an official taekwondo association like the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) or one of the national member organizations of WTF. If you get your black belt from a non-member school, your black belt may not be recognized elsewhere.
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Step 2
Take your time rising through the belt ranks. Don't press your instructor to allow you to test early or try to get ahead, especially if you are a beginner at taekwondo. Not only is this seen as disrespectful by some, but you will miss out on vital time for reinforcing your knowledge.
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Step 3
Start learning forms early in your career. Once you have learned your first few forms, you can learn or practice others by looking them up online, and the longer you spend practicing over time, the easier they will be when you're under pressure. Video tape yourself when practicing alone and watch your forms later to see what needs improvements.
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Step 4
Master a good number of effective one-steps, two-steps and take-downs. You should have at least 20 of each that you know choreographed by memory, but you should also be able to invent combinations of techniques for at least 10 minutes without stopping.
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Step 5
Get yourself in good shape from the beginning of your martial arts career. If fitness isn't a part of your work out in taekwondo class, take time several times a week to jog or bike in preparation for having to spar for more than one or two minutes.
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Step 6
Practice standing in all of your stances for extended periods of time. Even if you are already in great shape, your muscles have to be used to the taekwondo stances like second nature for your black belt test. Also make sure that you practice actual taekwondo motions like kicking and punching on a bag to build the necessary muscles.
