Friday, May 21, 2010

What are the belt levels for martial arts?

What are the belt levels for various martial arts? Krarate, Taekwondo, and any other martial arts that have belt levels.|||There are many fanciful stories relating to the origin of the belt system. So one story goes: In the early days of martial arts, all students trained outside and, as now, wore a white belt. Because the belt was never washed as a symbol of hard work put forth into ones training (as is still today), the belts got dirty. Training on grass made the belts green, eventually they became dirty (brown), then very dirty (black). Fighting over time left blood on the belt, hence the red belt of masters and grandmasters. Great story, but only a story.


Early practitioners of martial arts in China, Okinawa and Japan, did not wear specified uniforms let alone a belt to hold it together. Before the introduction of the belt or ranks in martial arts, many of the traditional Japanese arts between 1600 and 1868 used a complicated Menkyo ranking system to license their students with a certificate or letter to practice and teach the skills of a specific art. These arts ranged from martial arts to calligraphy to the traditional tea ceremony.


During the 1880’s, Professor Jigoro Kano developed Judo. In his new martial art style, he borrowed the ranking system used by the Japanese public schools where belt ranks were used by different athletic groups, most notably for ranking swimmers. The use of belt ranking for the swimmers is deeply rooted in Japan%26#039;s martial arts mystique. The origins of the swimmers belts came from the samurai who, in addition to their training, needed to know how to swim and fight with and without their armor – 3 different swimmer ranks. Thus, in Professor Kano’s first Judo school, the beginnings of the Kyu/Dan (pronounced: q/don) belt ranking system popular today started. Initially, only black or white belts were used to signify rank amongst his students. The belt colors were to recognize which students could take part in which activities. For example: “Best not to throw a student who doesn%26#039;t have the proven ability to handle being thrown.”


The transfer of belt ranking from Judo to Karate came later. Belt colors were very simple in the early days. Students started out as white belts signifying purity and equality among beginners, next came a brown belt and then a black upon Dan ranking. This signified their readiness to begin serious training. The blue, yellow, orange, green, and purple belts that intermediate students wear are thought to have originated in Europe and were at some point imported into the United States martial arts systems during the 1950%26#039;s. Today, most martial art styles have some form of recognition in belts. The number of belts available and the order of color depends on the karate style. Some things haven%26#039;t changed; beginners generally start out as white belts followed by green, brown, and black. Colors in between may vary. Some systems don%26#039;t use all of these colors, and others use colored tape to mark degrees of rank.


For whatever reason the wearing of colored belts evolved from, the wearing of the black belt still represents a significant achievement in both technical skill and in some cases competitive ability. Whatever color your belt is, wear it with pride, dignity and most of all honor, because it represents a long line of tradition, the lineage of the roots of your teacher and your school and your dedication and commitment to yourself and learning martial arts.|||Belt levels are the American method of separating YOU from YOUR MONEY.





In Japan, they have three belts, White, Brown, and Black. It has been alleged that the Japanese belt system actually had more to do with the belt getting dirty over the years.





Regardless, in American systems, you take your belt test, you pay, you get your next belt.





That%26#039;s another reason I like San Soo, you get your belt after time in rank, not by test.|||depends on the style and school.





Also some martial arts have alternatives to belts if they even bother with them at all like muai thai or chines martial arts.





The only system that belt ranks are what they are (you don%26#039;t have black belts that have no fighting ability, as is common in many many martial arts) and if someone is a particular rank then you know they earned it is brazillian jiu jitsu.





EDIT: There are both sides of an argument for or against ranking systems.





It can be good because it gives students a sense of accomplishment so they stay.





It can be bad because the school can be pushed into giving ranks to undeserving students to meet quotas or make the school look better by having more black belts or higher ranking belts.





Personally I don%26#039;t like the ranking Idea and have refused to test in the past in virtually all my arts beyond a certain point because If I ever get into a fight and it is uncovered that I take martial arts and am ranked, It could legally be used against me that I had %26quot;more%26quot; knowledge and should have shown restraint, when in reality, in a real fight, who knows what the hell can happen and I don%26#039;t want to be the victem of the misconception that a martial artist can take on a raging army of 50 giants and not be hurt (thanks hollywood).|||it first varies by the discipline and then by the organization that the school is affiliated with since they all have a small amount of confliction as to how the discipline should be taught. while some schools follow a strict or %26quot;traditional%26quot; code for ranks, others may have a more loose interpretation of it.





some schools will use a number of stripes for %26quot;in between%26quot; belt ranks for more seinor to junior belt ranks while others may just use the next color belt as the rank. the stripes in between usually mean that they are more advanced than the color they are currently wearing but not quite ready for the next rank (ie they may wear a yelloew belt with one orange stripe, meaning they are slightly more advanced than that of someone wearing only a yellow belt)





Most of the disciplines out there have some kind of ranking system to seperate the more advanced students from the junior ranks.|||I have a brown and black belt, bought them at Target.|||In Traditional Shotokan Karate, between each belt, there are from one to two small tape stripes on the end of the belt. It starts from white... to white with a black stripe in the middle of the whole belt... to yellow... to yellow with black... to blue... to blue with black... to green... to green with black... to purple... to purple with black... to brown... to brown with black worn on the outside... to brown with black worn on the inside... to black... and eacn degree of black has a red strip of tape on one end of the belt.|||Belt levels are different in every form of martial arts. They may even be different from school to school even though the forms are the same. The purpose is to show and encourage progress.|||white,yellow,gold,orange,green,red,purpl...|||in WTF taekwondo.





white belt to yellow tag=9th kup (sometimes called gup)


yellow tag to yellow belt=8th kup.


yellow belt to green tag=7th kup.


green tag to green belt=6th kup.


green belt to blue tag=5th kup.


blue tag to blue belt=4th kup.


blue belt to red tag=3rd kup.


red tag to red belt=2nd kup.


red belt to black tag=1st kup.


black tag to black belt=1st dan.


from 1st dan to 2nd dan usually (depending on the organisation) takes 2 years. and from 2nd dan to 3rd dan three years etc. up to a maximum 10th dan in theory but this is usually bestowed on the person as opposed to taking a grading for a life of dedication to the martial arts.|||It depends on the School and not all WTF Taekwondo or similar schools use the same belt system. My school we do a lot more forms than most Taekwondo Schools (40 + forms to get to black belt) So we need more Belts.





White


White Yellow Stripe


White Black Stripe


Yellow


Yellow White Stripe


Yellow Black Stripe


Orange


Orange White Stripe


Orange Black Stripe


Purple


Purple White Stripe


Purple Black Stripe


Green


Green White Stripe


Green Black Stripe


Blue


Blue White Stripe


Blue Black Stripe


Brown


Brown White Stripe


Brown Black Stripe


Red


Red white Stripe


Red Black Stripe


Black





Plus its usually on the average 4-6 months between testings so it takes a long time to get to black. I remember when it took me 2 1/2 years to get from White Belt to Orange Black Stripe and at most schools (McDojangs) they have promoted someone to black belt by then. But that is the average time for my school. That must be the reason we dominate at tournaments.|||it varies by style. traditional okinawan styles are as follows: white, yellow, orange, green, brown, first degree black-eighth degree black. other okinawan styles add the red belt after the black and some stlyes add a purple belt in between the green and brown belts.|||There is a lot of variation. What is standard is that white belt is the lowest, black is the highest %26amp; green is in the middle. Red or brown is usually just before black. In my association, the order is white, yellow, green, purple, brown %26amp; black. Many schools have orange, blue %26amp; red in place of or in addition to yellow, purple %26amp; brown. Some have camo.|||It varies from school to school . Most start with white as the first belt and advance to other colors . Black is not always the final belt either . Here are two examples .





White _ /_ White


Yellow _/_ Purple


Purple _ / _ Blue


Green _ / _ Blue / Green


Blue _/_ Green


Red _/_ Green / Brown


Brown _/_ Brown


Black - 1st through 9th _/_ Brown / Black


Red Sash _/_ Black - 1st through 5th


_________ /_ Red / White


_________ /_ Gold|||Rank Structure for Adults Aikido





Rank Belt Color Training Days Age


White 6 months





Yellow 6 months





5th Kyu Green 6 months





4th Kyu Blue 6 months





3rd Kyu Blue 3 months





2nd Kyu Brown 6 months





1st Kyu Brown 3 months





1st Dan Black 6 months 15





2nd Dan Black





3rd Dan Black





4th Dan Black 22





5th Dan Black 5 years





6th Dan Black 6 years 33





7th Dan Black 12 years 45





8th Dan Black 15 years 60








Rank Structure for Juniors and Children (ages 6 - 13)








Rank Belt Color Training Days Age





10th Kyu Purple 20 6





9th Kyu Yellow 20 7





8th Kyu Orange 30 8





7th Kyu Blue 45 9





6th Kyu Green 60 10





5th Kyu Green 60 11|||Kung Fu is, white, yellow, green, purple, brown, and black. Then you get your degrees which are red stripes on your black belt|||white


yellow


orange


green


brown


black|||Please do not focus on rank. It only has relative value. It changes from style to style and school to school so much that it has no real value.


Too many people are training for the rank instead of training to learn.


Rank means nothing, it is just a method of organization for students.|||Butokukan karate is





white


1st orange


2nd orange


1st purple


2nd purle


1st green


2nd green


3rd green


1st brown


2nd brown


3rd brown


1st black


2nd black


3rd black


4th black


5th black


6th black


7th black


8th black


9th black


10th black


red belt- grand master





10 weeks in between testing if you mess up you have to wait 7 more weeks than the rest of class. takes most 10 years to get to black and you are not allowed to test every time. Sensei will not let you test if he thinks you are ot ready.|||It all depends on the club. I study Karate and my club has ten low level (coloured) grades (Kyu) before reaching the first black belt (Dan) grade. Our highest grade is the 5th Dan chief instructor.





Kyu grades count down while Dan grades count up. So 10th Kyu is the lowested graded level and 1st Kyu is the last grade before black belt 1st Dan.





Our belt colours are:





Ungraded - White


10th Kyu - Red


9th Kyu - Blue


8th Kyu - Purple with white stripe


7th Kyu - Purple


6th Kyu - Yellow


5th Kyu - Orange


4th Kyu - Green with white stripe


3rd Kyu - Green


2nd Kyu - Brown with white stripe


1st Kyu - Brown


1st Dan - Black|||judo(white,yellow,orange,


green,blue,brown,balck belt up to10


dan)also aikido and karate is similar 2 it.

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