Belt Order

[Kirk]

In my school, the rank/color order goes as follows:

White, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Blue, Green, 1st Brown, 2nd
Brown, 3rd Brown, Red, Red/Black, Black.

I know most styles follow a SIMILAR pattern, but what
are they specifically?

 

[fist of fury]

we go by grades there are 12 student grades with belt colors added to make the breakdown easier
white grade 1-3
Yellow grade 4-6
Green grade 7-9
Red grade 10-12

you get tabs on your belt to indicate what grade level your at so each color belt has 1-3 tabs depending on where your at.

Then after that is black belt

 

[arnisador]

White, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Green, Purple, 1st Brown, 2nd
Brown (Red), 3rd Brown (Red/Black) , Black.

 

[Despairbear]

Here is how it goes at my dojo.

5th kyu: White
4th kyu: Blue
3rd Kyu: Blue
2nd Kyu: Brown
1st Kyu: Brown
Shodan and above: Black




Despair Bear

 

[tshadowchaser]

WE use:

white
yellow
green
purple
brown
black

Sometime with the younger students we will give stripes on the yellow or green just to let the student know they are learning but without anactual incress in rank other than to make them the highr ranked person in that belt area.
If a student starts getting a swelled head I remind them that it used to be white, green, black and befor that my favorite white and black.

 

[Danny]

ITF ranks goes White Belt, Yellow Stripe, Yellow Belt, Green Stripe, Green Belt, Blue Stripe, Blue Belt, Red Stripe, Red Belt, Black Strip (representing 10th thru 1st Gup), then Black with a roman numeral representing 1st tru 9th Dan. Also 1st Dans get Black trim on the bottom of there doboks and 4th get black strips down the arms and legs of there doboks.

 

[Dronak]

Interesting differences between the different schools/systems. I really don't know much on the subject. We don't have belt/color rankings in the classes I'm taking because it's a traditional Chinese martial art which doesn't use that system. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, but here's what I heard about where it came from (sorry if everyone in the world has heard this already). Originally people started with a white belt and over time and lots of practice, it would eventually get darker, probably from sweat and dirt and the like. So the color rankings came about as an emulation of that. You start from white and the colors get darker until you reach black. That's what I'd expect and it looks like that's generally what seems to happen. I thought I heard something about red belts being reserved as a rank above the highest black belt level and very, very few people in the world had it (like under 10 or something), but I have no idea on what style or anything. I could be totally wrong on that, but I would be interested in knowing if anyone else knows what I'm talking about there. I don't know if this really helps, but I thought I'd comment anyway.

 

[Cthulhu]

The Okinawa-te ranking structure as I was taught:

White
Yellow
Purple
Blue
Green
1st Brown
2nd Brown
Black

No degrees of black belt.

Cthulhu

 

[Matt Stone]

Old Style -

Novice - no sash/belt
Beginner (3 grades) - white sash/belt
Intermediate (3 grades) - yellow sash/belt
Advanced (3 grades) - blue sash/belt
Senior (3 grades) - black sash/belt
Master (3 grades) - red sash/belt

New Style -

Novice - white sash/belt
Junior (2 grades) - yellow sash/belt
Beginner (2 grades) - blue sash/belt
Intermediate (2 grades) - green sash/belt
Advanced (2 grades) - brown sash/belt
Senior (5 grades) - black sash/belt
Master (3 grades) - red sash/belt

Gambarimasu.

:samurai: :tank: :samurai:

 

[karatekid1975]

Dronak wrote:

"Originally people started with a white belt and over time and lots of practice, it would eventually get darker, probably from sweat and dirt and the like. So the color rankings came about as an emulation of that. You start from white and the colors get darker until you reach black."

Yes. My TSD master told me that story (the reason I don't wash my belts ..... till I got my green in TKD cause it was soooooo stiff).

Anyways, the belt order in my school goes:

white, white w/yellow stripe, yellow, yellow w/green stripe, green, green w/blue stripe, blue, blue w/brown stripe, brown, brown w/red stripe, red, red w/black stripe, black.

My TSD school belt colors were:

white, orange, green, blue, brown, purple, red, dark blue, black.

 

[Kempojujutsu]

Are ranks go
White belt
white w/ one red stripe
Yellow
Orange
purple
Blue
Green
1st Brown
2nd Brown
3rd Brown
Black

I have read or heard that old traditional way there was only two ranks white and Black. Some other traditional martial arts used white, green, brown, black. Also that the Americans started using the bright colors you see now in martial arts. One other thing I have heard, not sure if it is true. That the old masters would go back to wearing white belt to represent having learned everything in that particular system.
Bob :asian:

 

[Cthulhu]

From what I was told, Okinawa-te used to have just two belts: white and black, indicating student and instructor respectively.

Then, they went to white, green, and black.

Then, white, green, brown, and black.

Then to the ranking structure I posted earlier.

Cthulhu

 

[Yari]

The Aikido I've praticed has:

White until 3 kyu, were you'r allowed to wear a hakama. You keep the white belt undtil your a black belt. There is some exceptions to this; there are dojo's letting girls were the hakama from day-1, since a gi is a mans underwear.

/Yari

 

[knifeman.dk]

Yachhhyy, you actually took my latest knifeclass in your underwear.
And i didn´t even take any pictures:rofl:
see ya
knifeman.dk

 

[Yari]

Originally posted by knifeman.dk

Yachhhyy, you actually took my latest knifeclass in your underwear.
And i didn´t even take any pictures:rofl:
see ya
knifeman.dk

True, but they weren't white pants, but black. And you should be happy that you don't have pictures of me, or my pants. Even though my pants look good by themselves.....

Take care

/Yari

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by Dronak

Interesting differences between the different schools/systems. I really don't know much on the subject. We don't have belt/color rankings in the classes I'm taking because it's a traditional Chinese martial art which doesn't use that system. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, but here's what I heard about where it came from (sorry if everyone in the world has heard this already). Originally people started with a white belt and over time and lots of practice, it would eventually get darker, probably from sweat and dirt and the like. So the color rankings came about as an emulation of that. You start from white and the colors get darker until you reach black. That's what I'd expect and it looks like that's generally what seems to happen. I thought I heard something about red belts being reserved as a rank above the highest black belt level and very, very few people in the world had it (like under 10 or something), but I have no idea on what style or anything. I could be totally wrong on that, but I would be interested in knowing if anyone else knows what I'm talking about there. I don't know if this really helps, but I thought I'd comment anyway.

So how do you rate yourselves in your class? If you've studied
for 3 years, and someone walks in the door and starts taking
classes that day, are you in the same class as this person? Is
there a difinite stopping point to your style? If you had to move,
how would you tell your new instructor of the same style how
much you knew? Do you have promotion tests?

 

[Dronak]

Originally posted by Kempojujutsu

One other thing I have heard, not sure if it is true. That the old masters would go back to wearing white belt to represent having learned everything in that particular system.

I've heard about that general concept before, that once you've learned all there is to learn you effectively start over again. I don't think I had heard about people going back to a white belt though. However, I think that is the idea with the red belt being after black. It was meant to show that you had learned all there was to learn and are sort of starting over, but without going back to wearing an actual white belt like the newbies. *shrug* I still have no idea where I heard the red after black thing, but I'm pretty sure I did hear it somewhere and it's not something I invented somehow.

 

[karatekid1975]

When I went from TSD to TKD, I went to the biginners class. But they promoted me faster because of my experience. I had my old certs with me, and I showed them what I knew from day one. I got to green in six months (you are supposed to be white for six months). But I chose to slow down. I'm not in a rush for rank. I just wanna train and be good at what I do.

Anyways, the class I'm in is all white, yellow, and green belts. So if someone walked in right off the street, they'd be in my class. When I go for my blue belt, I'll be in another class. There is only three sets of classes (for adults). The beginners, and advanced, and BB classes. The advanced class has ranks from blue on up.

 

[Cthulhu]

Originally posted by Dronak



I've heard about that general concept before, that once you've learned all there is to learn you effectively start over again. I don't think I had heard about people going back to a white belt though. However, I think that is the idea with the red belt being after black. It was meant to show that you had learned all there was to learn and are sort of starting over, but without going back to wearing an actual white belt like the newbies. *shrug* I still have no idea where I heard the red after black thing, but I'm pretty sure I did hear it somewhere and it's not something I invented somehow.

One story a lot of people tell is that from age and abuse, the black belt gets frayed and worn, the dye eventually fading until the belt is white, symbolizing a return to innocence or a new beginning.

This is why you see some people fraying and repeatedly washing their black belts...they want to make it seem as if they've been black belts for a while.

Cthulhu

 

[arnisador]

The whole system was developed by Jigaro Kano for Judo. It went to 12th degree and at higher levels were red and red-white belts. It's now not uncommon in a number of arts to see high-ranking black belts use a red or red-black or red-white belt to indicate that they are very senior--I see it with DKI and SCJJ instructors, for example. Some use red as an underbelt and red-black for an immedaitely pre-black belt level.

I've heard the dirtying white belt before. It makes sense but i don't know if Jigaro Kano ever commented on his motivation in chooisng those colors. I believe colored underbelts is an American invention.