The Rainbow Karate Belt – What do the different colors really mean?
You’ve probably already noticed that martial artists use different colored belts to designate rank. It has always been like this? Is there a specific order for the colors of the belts? What about all these stripes you keep seeing? What do the different colors really mean? Wait for the answers to all your questions about colored belts.
The different colored belts used to designate rank are a relatively modern innovation created by master Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo in the early 20th century. Master Kano felt that there should be a visual progression of the belts as a way of knowing what level a practitioner had and also as a way of implementing a specific hierarchy within each judo club.
Before the invention of colored belts, there was simply a white belt and a black belt and nothing in between. It was not uncommon for a master’s disciple to study for years while he wore a white belt until one day, out of the blue, the master awarded the student a black belt and that was it. The common myth of starting out with a white belt that gradually gets dirty as you train and eventually turns black and then, over a longer period of time, fades again to a dark gray, designating advanced rank, It is nothing more than that: a myth!
It is highly unlikely that someone would wear the same belt for years and hours of intense training and lots of sweat and probably some blood from time to time. That belt must have been pretty stinky to say the least. The fact is that in the old days a karate session was a private affair between the master and his student and there was not even a need for a belt. The student practiced in comfortable pants and a bare top and that was it.
So what’s the deal with all these colored belts?
Well, it has been a gradual progression to our current situation. First no belts, then black and white, then the addition of brown, then green, then the other fillers of yellow, orange, blue, purple, red, and recently we’ve seen many other additions that vary in shades of all of the above. colors with multiple stripes, achievement bands, and patches, all for the purpose of encouraging students. Depending on which end of the traditional versus modern continuum you fall on, you may laugh cynically at the rainbow of the belt or you may be greeted with modern innovation and a source of rewards and positive reinforcement.
Most people, including me, fall somewhere in the middle. I think colored belts are a good thing for today’s world, especially kids, but let’s be real and not get carried away and award third degree gold belts with a green and purple stripe and a “focus “Just for showing up to class four times that month! If your club has more than ten different colored belts with multiple stripes and patches, all within the same age group program, then you have probably entered a “belt mill”.
It’s okay to have different belt systems for different programs, like a Tiny Tigers program for kids ages 4-6, a Junior program for kids ages 7-12, and the real top-tier martial arts program for teens and adults, but cramming 20 or so different belts into a two or three year program is just ridiculous and frankly it’s mostly about money.
It seems that today we have more colors of belts than flavors of ice cream, and consequently there are no real benchmarks against which we can compare different belts from school to school. So don’t even try. Essentially, the belt you wear around your waist only means something to you and the person who gave it to you. Usually you have to go and meet certain requirements to receive your belt, but the requirements differ so much from school to school that there is no universal standard.
This is another reason why you should do your research beforehand and check out the different martial arts schools in your area. Ask them about their shows, about their rating systems, about their rating fees, and about their style. Then decide if what they offer is something that would benefit you or your child.
If you need more help with this or any other karate topic, be sure to download my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Karate” Report. You will find how to download it at http://www.freekarateinformation.com
Good luck and best wishes on your journey in karate.