The Colored Belt

[chiliphil1]

Good article, I like where you were going with it.

Personally I used to care a lot more about rank, what I mean to say is that when you get a new belt every 3 months, it makes you want to get the next one, it makes you want to get more rank, in a sense it makes you greedy for it, and when you're younger as I was when I climbed the ranks you, at least in some small way want the glory of getting to a higher rank. Now that I've made it through the colored belt system, it doesn't matter as much, of course when I did get my black belt it was a big deal it mattered to me alot and I wanted to show it off, and it was cool to be at that rank.

Now, I've learned that while rank matters in many different ways, now that I don't have to worry with getting new belts, and I don't really care who out ranks me I'm not as concerned about it, sure I would like to add some stripes to my belt eventually, but I've come to look at belts as a marker for your progress, and once you have the black one it simply means that you have completed your basic training and can now begin to train in the advanced portions of the art, the only difference is that you will never change belts again!

[barrypardue]

Great article!

[KyungYet]

Sorry I'm a few years late weighing in on this one - but I just joined.

I enjoyed this article a lot and agreed with it as a whole. I feel the same way about my PhD (although as a rule, people with doctorates make significantly less effort to be or even appear humble than people with black belts!). Some of my colleagues pretend that they don't care and encourage the students to call them by their first names. But by God, I worked my booty off for my doctorate, and I have no problem taking pride in that achievement - I also think there is value in having students respect that particular accomplishment, as it is represents a place towards the end of the path they are currently on (much in the same way we have our students address our black belts by last name)(and I don't say "the end" of the path, because I like to think that education is a lifelong process).

Speaking of which, just as a side note - the black belt is not the highest rank in all styles, as you said (just for trivia's sake - this in no way diminishes your point!): Tang Soo Do, for example, often uses the "midnight black belt" as its highest rank. This is because the old masters thought of black as a color to which "no other colors might be added," and wanted to avoid the thought that learning stopped at black belt. I love that symbolism and I sort of wish I had a midnight black belt because it sure sounds cool.

My instructor used to always tell us that someone ought to know what belt we were based upon our performance, not the color around our waist. Whenever I'd visit a new studio, I'd always wait for the instructor to notice that I'd had prior experience and let them guess my rank. Most of the time, they wanted me to wear a white belt in their class (because it was a different style) and my ego had no problem with that. It makes me sad because martial arts have become so watered down nowadays: a new student of mine told me she had studied Tae Kwon Do and before she could tell me her rank, I told her I'd guess after class... I guessed she was middle ranked when she was actually a 2nd degree black belt. So much for my instructor's ideals - all I did was leave her quite miffed. But I still think he has it right.

What purpose do belts serve? Largely motivation. I think most martial artists in today's world would quit if they trained for 2 years and never saw a change in their status! As a result, systems that began with a few belts now have many (including camouflage , for goodness' sake!). The more milestones, the more motivation, I suppose the thought process goes. I think it can be taken too far, but I understand the reasoning behind it.

Finally, an earlier poster mentioned something about an interpretation of the belts which they had thought interesting: this comes from a different style (mine, Tang Soo Do), but our founder Hwang Kee delineated it as follows:

White belt symbolizes winter: a barren, empty field blanketed in anonymous sameness. White belts begin as an empty slate.

Green belt symbolizes spring: as new shoots push through the snow, a new season begins. Green belts are just awakening to their knowledge of the martial arts.

Red belt symbolizes summer: the ripening of our abilities. The spring blossoms have flowered and students are nearing their potential.

Midnight Blue belt symbolizes fall and the maturation of our skills.

... I always thought that was pretty cool. Because all the other belts (purple, orange, blue) were added later as incentives, no traditional symbolism there. We'll have to make it up, haha.

Anyway: thanks for this. I love reading about and thinking about this kind of stuff!

[KyungYet]

Tang Soo Do, for example, often uses the "midnight black belt" as its highest rank.

Midnight blue. Midnight BLUE!! for heaven's sake. Sorry.

[cam 123]

Hey, i'm an A level student in the uk, and I do Wado Ryu karate anyhow, i'm doing my 'national study' for my sports studies, i'm stuck on progression pathways, and ive focused on to two methods of attaining an elite status in karate, competitions and gradings, in this day and age, would you guys still think you could argue that a performer of a very high grade is on par with an internaitional competitor? obviously to spar, you don't really need a black belt 6th dan, so my question is, if there is an international champion in free style karate or the likes, but not a very high grade - brown and white for example, and than someone who had a black belt 8th dan but does not actively compete in comps, who is the more elite in your opinion, and which do belive to be the better method of recognising or attaining an elite status?

I think grading as sparing is a part and depending on the style or Governing body you may have to actualy beat your opponent to pass the grading (GKR apparently follows this rule?) however, to win a competition, it coud be done hypotheticly with basic techniques - i.e side, front and round house kicks so obviously not a high demand of abuility to perform these movments, so a blue belt could win competitions and gain an elite status, but if you compare the blue belt champion with the 'master', who is the more elite? mixed views on the internet as gradings can be adapted, made esier (grade for all concept) but in a comp you either win or loose the fight.

I appolagise for any mistakes both in knowledge or SPAG as its in a rush with several younger siblings jumping about in the background and dyslexia... so not the best combination in the wolrd haha anyhow any perceptions on this matter or links to websites on this or similar matters would be wonderful, please reply ASAP, thanks all

[sensei8]

Imho...

Ranks should never involve what one does on the competive circuit because the rules for said venue isn't as strict as one would receive during a testing cycle. At least not in our style!!

Imho...

Sport karate pales against karate-do as a whole because the trophy isn't what's important. It's improving ones MA betterment.

Imh...

The search for reaching an "elite" status in sport karate shouldn't be important to a karateka. Compete, yes, but that shouldn't define a karateka. Competing is a blast, but it must be kept in its proper context.

Imho...

The most "elite" karateka/practitioner is one who place all things MA in their proper context. Furthermore, knowledge/experience far out weighs rank!!

[KALIPUTRA]

I was trained in a system where no belts were used as my Sifu felt it "inconsequential" and yet I find using a belt system at my academy motivates my students and gives them a greater sense of pride. (not arrogance) we leave that at the door when we enter our studio.