much on references to primary sources . please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources . december 2009 learn how and when to remove this template message american taekwondo association type private industry sports organization genre franchisor founded omaha nebraska founder haeng ung lee headquarters little rock arkansas united states number of locations over 2 000 area served north america europe saudi arabia india nepal south africa south korea & guam services martial arts instructional website www.ataonline.com the american taekwondo association ata was founded in 1969 in omaha nebraska by haeng ung lee of south korea . it is one of the largest taekwondo organizations in the united states and in association with the songahm taekwondo federation stf and world traditional taekwondo union wttu is one of the largest in the world claiming a membership of 350 000 . 1 the ata is currently headquartered in little rock arkansas and led by in ho lee . 2 ata affiliated schools also host self defense seminars to teach techniques for emergency escape from an attacker . 3 contents 1 songahm taekwondo 2 belt and rank system 2.1 mastership 2.2 ata tigers 3 forms 3.1 colored belts 3.2 black belts 3.3 one step sparring 4 uniforms 5 international branches 5.1 songahm taekwondo federation 5.2 world traditional taekwondo union 6 governance 6.1 songahm grand masters 6.2 founder s council 6.3 master s council 7 references 8 external links songahm taekwondo edit songahm taekwondo is the style of martial arts practiced at ata affiliated schools . songahm means pine tree and rock . 4 according to the organization the term songahm itself represents evergreen strength the year round long life and a symbol of unchanging human loyalty 5 as represented by the pine tree and the rock . soon ho lee gave the name songahm and its meaning to his brother haeng ung lee years before h.u. lee founded the ata . in the ata the student is compared to a growing pine tree from a seed white belt to a massive tree black belt . according to the ata practitioners of songahm taekwondo study poome sae forms a preset combination of offensive and defensive techniques designed to simulate self defense techniques being used upon multiple opponents gyeo roo gi sparring one steps scripted sparring segments self defense board breaking weapons and leadership . the ata has a leadership program that allows students to work as junior leaders instructors in junior classes . this helps the trainee instructors become qualified taekwondo instructors and earn the ata title of certified instructor . 4 belt and rank system edit the american taekwondo association uses a rank system divided into two series the colored belt series and the black belt series . the purposes of a rank system include establishing a chain of command and measurement of student progress . each series has nine ranks within it due to the significance of the number nine as the highest attainable goal of a measurable endeavor in oriental culture . 4 dubious discuss according to the ata each belt has a symbolic meaning that compares the student s growth in taekwondo to the growth of a pine tree white belt pure and without the knowledge of songahm taekwondo . as with the pine tree the seed must now be planted and nourished to develop strong roots . 6 orange belt the sun is beginning to rise . as with the morning s dawn only the beauty of the sunrise is seen rather than the immense power . 7 yellow belt the seed is beginning to see the sunlight . 8 camouflage belt the sapling is hidden amongst the taller pines and must now fight its way upwards . 9 green belt the pine tree is beginning to develop and grow in strength . 10 purple belt coming to the mountain . the tree is in mid growth and now the path becomes steep . 11 blue belt the tree reaches for the sky towards new heights . 12 brown belt the tree is firmly rooted in the earth . 13 red belt the sun is setting . the first phase of growth has been accomplished . 14 1st degree black belt recommended half red and half black in appearance the dawn of a new day . the sun breaks through the darkness . 1st degree black belt the tree has reached maturity and has overcome the darkness . it must now begin to plant seeds for the future . 15 2nd degree black belt with your noble character you will develop a new permanence in life . 4 3rd degree black belt peace of mind and tranquility . 4 4th degree black belt crest of granite mountain . 4 5th degree black belt mastered all kinds of knowledge and utilizes this to do many things . 4 6th degree black belt long life . citation needed the use of nine levels in the colored belt and black belt systems is rooted in korean numerology and has been explained by general choi nine is an important number in korean culture . the increased number of smaller goals provided by nine levels of colored belt rank was designed for added motivation by giving many short term goals to achieve and eliminating having to remain in a single color for several months at a time and likely satisfies the need of many american students for immediate gratification . 6 each rank from orange belt to second degree black belt may be held either as a recommended r or decided d rank . the decided rank is a half step above the recommended rank . some schools denote this rank with a piece of black tape around the end of the belt hanging on the student s right side . at promotional rank testings students may receive a full pass half pass or no change . for recommended black belt ranks the student is required to successfully pass testing for their next decided rank within 6 months of achieving their current recommended rank . failure to do so would result in the student being returned to their next lowest decided rank i.e. a 2nd degree recommended would be returned to 1st degree decided . the honorary rank of 10th degree black belt styled eternal grand master was bestowed upon haeng ung lee following his death in 2000 . the rank was sponsored and awarded by grand masters of other major martial arts 17 many of whom attended haeng ung lee s funeral . 17 18 mastership edit upon attaining the rank of 6th degree black belt the next step is earning the mantle of master instructor ; this is not automatic . a 5th degree may only test for 6th degree at the songahm taekwondo world championships held in little rock arkansas each july . the new 6th degree will have new criteria which must be met in order to apply for mastership and can not be awarded until worlds the following year . similarly there is a minimum period of a year between earning a 7th degree and the senior master title as well as 8th degree and the chief master title . 2015 is the first year in which there has been more than one grand master when chief master richard reed ascended to ninth degree and now serves as grand master alongside grand master in ho lee . ata tigers edit the taekwondo for ata tigers program for preschool students 2 6 uses patches with animals on them instead of black stripes on the belt to denote rank level turtle ara for white belt tiger baeoh for orange belt ; cheetah cheeri for yellow belt ; lion raon for camo belt ; eagle suri for green belt ; phoenix choa for purple belt ; dragon mir for blue belt ; cobra narsha for brown belt ; and panther baron for red belt . 16 17 19 franchise locations often utilize full length color stripes in belts to signify the various rank . white orange yellow camo green purple blue brown red and black stripes run along the center of the belt from one end to the other . these locations may also utilize black wrapped stripes around one end to signify time in grade or degree of rank with advancement to the next belt color after obtaining five 5 stripes or degrees . forms edit a form poome sae is a series of kicks blocks and other techniques put together in a set pattern . the pattern becomes more complex as students progress through the ranks . for example the 9th grade white belt form contains eighteen moves . the 5th grade green belt form has 34 moves the 1st degree black belt form has 81 moves and the 9th degree black belt form has 99 moves . if all of the forms eighteen in all are done in sequence they form the pattern of a nine pointed star eight outer points plus a center point referred to as the songahm star . according to the ata when the outer points of the songahm star are connected they form a circle which exemplifies complete balance . the ata teaches that forms create a contextual application for new material learned at each belt level . 4 colored belts edit 9th grade white belt songahm 1 18 moves 6 8th grade orange belt songahm 2 23 moves 7 7th grade yellow belt songahm 3 28 moves 8 6th grade camouflage belt songahm 4 31 moves 9 5th grade green belt songahm 5 34 moves 10 4th grade purple belt in wha 1 44 moves 11 3rd grade blue belt in wha 2 42 moves 12 2nd grade brown belt choong jung 1 44 moves 13 1st grade red belt choong jung 2 46 moves 14 black belts edit 1st degree black belt shim jun 81 moves 15 2nd degree black belt jung yul 82 moves 4 3rd degree black belt chung san 83 moves 4 4th degree black belt sok bong 84 moves 4 5th degree black belt chung hae 95 moves 4 6th degree black belt jhang soo 96 moves 4 7th degree black belt chul joon 97 moves 8th degree black belt jeong seung 98 moves 9th degree black belt dong seung 99 moves citation needed one step sparring edit one steps are a short combination of blocks strikes and kicks that serve as a precursor to free sparring . the ata aims to teach students to put moves into combinations focus their techniques at a specific target learn distancing and gain self control . there are three specific one steps for each belt level starting at white belt and ending with green . as with the forms the one steps become more complex as a student progresses in rank . 6 7 8 9 10 uniforms edit students and instructors alike each wear a traditional white dobok with the appropriate belt to all classes promotional rank testings and tournaments . each dobok has on the right breast an ata shield patch with a school or club specific patch on the left . on the back of the uniform instructors and trainee instructors are required to have the word taekwondo arching over a red and blue ata patch . underneath the patch is the instructor s name either as john doe or j. doe . non instructor students may wear a uniform with taekwondo and an ata patch on the back however these students do not wear their names on their backs . instead of a name the student will have the location of the dojang . also there is a black and red dobok used specifically for the leadership program with red lettering and no patches . masters wear traditional silk uniforms for special events such as the masters ceremony at world championships . master 6th degree black belt white senior master 7th degree black belt blue chief