FAQ: frequently asked questions about Taekwon-Do and Chanbara programmes

Yes. Senior Competitor Program is for everyone aged 13 and over, adults included.

Source: Competitor

Yes, you can join at any time, because the technical content rotates in 8-week cycles. If you join in the middle of a season and pay the annual fee, you get a €10 credit for each month that has passed, when you join in months 2–4 of the season.

Source: Leisure Program

Yes. The programme starts from the white belt and there is no upper age limit. The first belt test is for the yellow belt (8th gup), and it requires at least 12 weeks and 18 hours of training.

Source: Senior Black Belt Program

Yes. The ITF Taekwon-Do Leisure Program and Chanbara in Espoo and Helsinki include two free trial sessions.

Source: Programmes 2027

Yes. In Espoo and Helsinki there are two free trial sessions. Licence and insurance are not checked at the trial sessions, so trying is at your own risk.

Source: Chanbara programmes

Yes, two trial sessions are free. Register in myClub at besa.myclub.fi and choose the product Kokeilukerrat (trial sessions). No license or insurance is required at trial sessions, and the trial is at the participant’s own risk. If you come a third time, you will be sent an invoice for the season fee (€150).

Source: Leisure Program

No. You can take Competitor in addition to a Black Belt program or the Leisure Program.

Source: Competitor

Yes, the ITF Taekwon-Do license must be bought at the start of the year, also by an adult who trains free of charge. The license costs €38 for the whole year and €25 for the autumn license. The license does not include insurance, but you can buy insurance at the same time.

Source: Leisure Program

You can start in ordinary sports clothes and get a Taekwon-Do uniform later. Protective gear is not needed before blue belt, except in the Black Belt and Competitor programmes.

Source: Taekwon-Do programmes

No, a child may take part without an adult. A child under 6 must, however, have an adult in the hall. The child’s fee is the same whether or not an adult takes part.

Source: Leisure Program

Belt tests are held twice a year, around April–May and November–December, and separate tests are held when needed. A belt test requires the techniques, the number of training sessions and the minimum time. At the test you must also know everything required in the lower belt grades, and a pattern is shown only at the belt test.

Source: Junior Black Belt Program

Sign up at besa.myclub.fi: choose the basic fee and the Senior Black Belt add-on. You can try up to two sessions.

Source: Senior Black Belt Program

Registration for the Espoo and Helsinki clubs is in myClub at besa.myclub.fi. Registration for the clubs in Imatra and Pori is on the clubs’ own websites. A Kamppailukorporaatio licence (€20 per year) is also required.

Source: Chanbara programmes

Registration for the Espoo and Helsinki clubs is in myClub at besa.myclub.fi. Registration for the Chanbara clubs in Imatra and Pori is on the clubs’ own websites.

Source: Programmes 2027

Registration is in myClub at besa.myclub.fi. You can try the Leisure Program twice free of charge before joining.

Source: Taekwon-Do programmes

Sign up in myClub at besa.myclub.fi: choose the base fee and the JBBP add-on. Before signing up you can take part in two free trial sessions.

Source: Junior Black Belt Program

About three years at the fastest: at least 160 weeks (about 37 months) and 630 hours of training, when you take part in competitions and camps. With guided sessions alone, 3 hours per week, the hours accumulate in about four years. Competitions and camps earn hours quickly: a domestic competition counts for 10 hours and an international competition for 20 hours. The maximum length of the programme is five years.

Source: Senior Black Belt Program

The price depends on the sport and the programme, and it is on the sport pages and programme pages. The ITF Taekwon-Do Leisure Program costs €200 per year per child. A licence is also required: €38 per year in ITF Taekwon-Do and a €20 per year Kamppailukorporaatio licence in Chanbara.

Source: Programmes 2027

The Leisure Program costs €200 per year per child, and one adult per child trains free of charge. Junior and Senior Black Belt cost €600 per year in addition to the Leisure Program fee. The Competitor price is on the programme page. An ITF Taekwon-Do licence (€38 per year) is also required.

Source: Taekwon-Do programmes

The Leisure Program costs €200 per year per child, and one adult per child trains free of charge. Junior and Senior Black Belt cost €600 per year in addition to the Leisure Program fee. An ITF Taekwon-Do licence is also required, at €38 per year. All programs: itf.fi/programs-en.

Source: Stadin TKD

€600 per year on top of the base fee. The base fee is the same as in the Leisure Program (annual fee €200 or season fee €150). The add-on is invoiced once a calendar year, in January. A belt test costs €20, and the price includes a new belt. Tags and stripes are free of charge.

Source: Junior Black Belt Program

The season fee is €150 (six months) and the annual fee is €200. A sibling’s annual fee is €100 (50% discount), and for every paying child one adult trains free of charge. Two trial sessions cost €0. You also need a federation license, which costs €38 for the whole year or €25 for the autumn license and which you pay separately to the federation.

Source: Leisure Program

600 euros a year as an add-on to the basic fee. The basic fee is 200 euros a year or 150 euros a season, and the add-on is invoiced per calendar year in January. A belt test costs 20 euros and the price includes the new belt.

Source: Senior Black Belt Program

Classes are taught in Finnish and English.

Source: Stadin TKD

Yes. A yellow belt is the lowest rank that can join the program. Black belts can join too.

Source: Competitor

Yes. The Leisure Program has no age limits, and a child and an adult can train in the same group. With a child under 6, an adult stays in the hall. You can start in ordinary sports clothes.

Source: Stadin TKD

No. Each competitor pays the price of their own level.

Source: Competitor

A tag is a coloured mark on the white belt, and a stripe is a white mark from the yellow belt onwards. The white belt has five tags (yellow, green, blue, red and black), and each colour belt grade has five white stripes. They are not official belt tests, they are free of charge, and they are completed at a belt test or with the instructor in training.

Source: Junior Black Belt Program

The 1st dan test requires an age of at least 13, TOK 1 instructor training, the D-referee course (for those aged 14 or older), a licence paid for two seasons, the club's technical requirements and a written theory test covering the whole theory guide.

Source: Senior Black Belt Program

The instructor’s costs are included in the annual fee. The competition entry fee is billed in myClub when you register. In Finland it is typically €35–45.

Source: Competitor

A T-shirt, tracksuit trousers, a plastic water bottle and a small towel. Training is done without shoes, socks and jewellery. You can start without your own equipment.

Source: Chanbara programmes

The child always moves to the Senior Black Belt Program (SBBP). The belt grade stays and the stripes are removed, because the Senior program has no stripes. The belt test requirements are the same, and the dan test is taken in the Senior program.

Source: Junior Black Belt Program

It is a black belt with a white stripe running lengthwise through the middle. A person under 18 who has passed the dan test receives it, and it is exchanged for the adult black belt on reaching adulthood.

Source: Junior Black Belt Program

Sport Chanbara is a sword-fighting sport originating from Japan, in which two fighters face each other with padded weapons in different match formats. It is fast-paced and easy to start: you can join from the very first session, and no previous background or technique skills are needed.

Source: Chanbara programmes

A T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms are enough. We train without shoes, socks or jewelry. Bring a (plastic) water bottle and a small towel.

Source: Leisure Program

The ITF Taekwon-Do programmes start in January 2027. You can join the Leisure Program at any time during the season. The Chanbara programme in Espoo and Helsinki is coming in 2027, and the training times are to be confirmed.

Source: Programmes 2027

The programmes start in January 2027. You can join the Leisure Program at any time during the season.

Source: Taekwon-Do programmes

Registration for Stadin TKD opens on 1 January 2027 in myClub at besa.myclub.fi. The Leisure Program includes two free trial sessions.

Source: Stadin TKD

The Chanbara programme in Espoo and Helsinki is coming in 2027. Training times are to be confirmed and will be published on the club pages. The times in Pori and Imatra are on the clubs’ own websites.

Source: Chanbara programmes

Beom trains on Fridays 17:30–18:15 at Soukka school and on Sundays 10:00–10:45 at Hansakallio school in Espoo. Sasaja trains on Saturdays 18:00–18:45 at Kalasatama school in Helsinki (inner yard, door C). Stadin TKD trains at Kalasatama school and ValimoGym, and the times are still to be confirmed. These are the spring 2027 training times.

Source: Leisure Program

There are four guided sessions per week: two basic sessions and two programme sessions, 45 minutes each. The Competitor programme adds 1–2 extra sessions. Beom's groups meet in Espoo at Soukka school (Friday) and Hansakallio school (Sunday), and Sasaja's group in Helsinki at Kalasatama school (Saturday). Stadin TKD trains at Kalasatama school and ValimoGym. The times of Stadin TKD and the exact training times of the Black Belt programme are still to be confirmed.

Source: Senior Black Belt Program

Stadin TKD trains in Helsinki at Kalasatama school and at ValimoGym (Valimotie). The training times will be announced on this page and in myClub once they are confirmed for spring 2027.

Source: Stadin TKD

Training places and times are announced in myClub (besa.myclub.fi). Stadin TKD trains at Kalasatama School and ValimoGym; the times will be confirmed.

Source: Junior Black Belt Program

ITF Taekwon-Do in Espoo (Beom) and Helsinki (Sasaja and Stadin TKD). Chanbara is practised in Espoo, Helsinki, Imatra and Pori. The sport pages list the clubs by town.

Source: Programmes 2027

In Espoo (Become Kivenlahti and Hansakallio school), Helsinki (ValimoGym), Pori (Luvianpuistokatu 1) and Imatra (Kusanku). This page lists the clubs by town.

Source: Chanbara programmes

Beom trains in Espoo, Sasaja in Kalasatama, Helsinki, and Stadin TKD in Helsinki at Kalasatama school and ValimoGym. Exact locations and times are in myClub and on the club pages.

Source: Taekwon-Do programmes

Competitor 1 has one extra session a week and Competitor 2 has two. If you are not sure, start with Competitor 1. You can switch to Competitor 2 during the year. You then pay the difference (€350), minus €17.50 for each month that has passed.

Source: Competitor

The Leisure Program suits families and beginners: a child and an adult can train in the same group, and there are no age limits. Junior Black Belt is for under 13s who want to work steadily towards black belt, and Senior Black Belt is for ages 13 and over, including adults. Competitor is competition coaching that can be added to another programme.

Source: Taekwon-Do programmes

ITF Taekwon-Do is a goal-oriented martial art where you progress through belts. Chanbara is a Japanese sword-fighting sport with padded weapons, and you can join from the first session without any previous background. Both suit beginners.

Source: Programmes 2027

ITF Taekwon-Do and Chanbara. ITF Taekwon-Do has four programmes: Leisure Program, Junior Black Belt, Senior Black Belt and Competitor. The Chanbara programme in Espoo and Helsinki is coming in 2027.

Source: Programmes 2027

Sport Chanbara suits almost everyone: children and teenagers, adults, beginners and practitioners of other martial arts.

Source: Chanbara programmes

For children under 13 who want to progress in Taekwon-Do in a goal-oriented way from the white belt to the junior black belt. The suggested starting age is 8–10 years. The program is shared by Beom, Sasaja and Stadin TKD.

Source: Junior Black Belt Program

The whole family. There is no age limit, and children, teenagers and adults can join without any previous experience. An adult can also join without a child. Children over 10 may be better suited to one of the other programs (Junior Black Belt, Senior Black Belt or Competitor).

Source: Leisure Program

Teenagers and adults aged 13 or older who want to progress from a white belt to a black belt. You can join without previous experience, and the programme is available at Beom, Sasaja and Stadin TKD.

Source: Senior Black Belt Program