# Belt meanings



## Iron Leopard (Jan 9, 2007)

Can someone list the belt meanings.  As my original belts are.

white
yellow
orange
purple
blue
blue with green stipe
green
green with brown stripe
brown with 1 stripe
brown with 2 stripes
brown with 3 stripes
black

I understand what my teachers and myself are looking for in each progression weather it's knowledge of the basics and basic balance or more fluidity in movement and sparring or power etc but...

What do the colors of the belts signify as you understand them.  

Some of you have the order a little different and even a few of these colors not in your system.  

Thanks!


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## Touch Of Death (Jan 9, 2007)

I may be of limited help but the meanings go a bit like so...
Orange and purple are mechanical
Blue for flow
green for speed
brown for power
Black is represents having a basic understanding and ability to perform Kenpo.
Sean


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## Iron Leopard (Jan 9, 2007)

I guess my main question is the colors themselves and what they represent.   

White = the clean slate empty for learning
Yellow = Sun a new dawn of knowledge and so on.  I've had a hard time looking into it. nobody seems to really know.


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## Carol (Jan 9, 2007)

From what I've researched, the meaning that seems to have the most valdity is that the colors stem from times when raw materials were rare.

The belt started as white, and was dyed as the student progressed...white, yellow, green, brown, then black.  The meaning isn't from the selection of colors (in old days, that was a resource to expensive for one to be choosy) but rather how the colors blended together.

Hope that makes sense?


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## Blindside (Jan 9, 2007)

The whole belt color system in martial arts is from judo.  Which originally had white, brown, and black, and a purple (or green, I can't remember) which was a belt for children.  

Everyone else adopted it from Judo.  The addition of the "colored" belts into the adult progression was done to make more baby steps in the path to black, and most of these changes originated in the west.  Brown is just brown, a color, a rank, the addition of philosophical meanings of how this means you are better at grounding to the earth or somesuch are fine, but they were never in the original intention of the belt system.

But if it makes you feel better, white is the color of purity in the Japanese culture.... and also the color of death.  

Lamont


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## tellner (Jan 9, 2007)

When Kano Sensei created the kyu/dan system there were no belts, just certificates. Later he added white and black, then (I believe) brown. The whole 'deeper' meaning thing was bolted on by practitioners with an overdeveloped fondness for the Mysterious Wisdom of the Exotic Orient. Or was that the Exotic Wisdom of the Mystic Orient?

Colored belts were an innovation of an early French Judo teacher whose name escapes me. The Japanese adopted them enthusiastically, and they spread.  The colors go from lighter to darker, or so my Judo teachers said back in the day, because you could reuse the belt. Just add (cheap) dye and you're good to go.


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## Danjo (Jan 10, 2007)

White= the color of the cocoon, from which the butterfly will emerge with some color.
*Yellow*= the color of a school bus that children take to the place of learning.
*Orange*= the color of a fruit (oranges) that provide one with the vitamin that gives one life-saving immunity from the harsh outside world.
*Purple*= the color of Royalty which symbolizes one's acceptance into the royal court or temple.
*Blue*=the color of sadness (i.e. the Blues), because it is at this point in one's training that one realizes the tragedy of having to learn violence in order to survive in this cruel world.
*Green*=The color of money, because in SKK the tests start getting expensive here (there is another version of this color which is it is the color of money because it is at this rank that many people realize they can make a ton of cash teaching) take your pick.
*Brown*= The color of the noses of those students that hope to be double promoted to Black.
*Black*= the color that one wishes to keep his studio in financially.

I hope this was helpful.


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## Hand Sword (Jan 10, 2007)

Amazing! It even finds it's way into a discussion of belt colors. It's really beyond old at this point. (seriously)


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## Danjo (Jan 10, 2007)

Hand Sword said:


> Amazing! It even finds it's way into a discussion of belt colors. It's really beyond old at this point. (seriously)


 
Calm down and develop a sense of humor. Seriously. :whip1:


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## KempoGuy06 (Jan 10, 2007)

I was told that in the 'old' days you started with a white belt and as you trained and worked it would absorb the dirt, blood and sweat and eventually after time turn to black because you didnt wash your belt.

The color system was introduced to represent this.

B


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## Blindside (Jan 10, 2007)

KempoGuy06 said:


> I was told that in the 'old' days you started with a white belt and as you trained and worked it would absorb the dirt, blood and sweat and eventually after time turn to black because you didnt wash your belt.
> 
> The color system was introduced to represent this.
> 
> B


 
That is a parable.  The belt system is recent and originates in Japan which has an extremely good written record, and more importantly, an extremely good sense of hygiene.  Cleanliness is a good thing, and no one is going to tolerate the nastiness of a belt that turned BLACK because you managed to bleed all over it.  More importantly, the likely antecedent of the Judo belt system is the use of a black ribbon around the waist of Japanese swimmers to designate advanced competitors apart from novices in competition.  Think about how much swimming you would have to do to turn a ribbon black....

Lamont


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## John Bishop (Jan 10, 2007)

Nothing wrong with a few bloodstains on your belt.


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## Blindside (Jan 10, 2007)

John Bishop said:


> Nothing wrong with a few bloodstains on your belt.


 
Nope, there isn't anything wrong with it, but when it starts attracting flies, someone has to draw the line.

Lamont


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## KempoGuy06 (Jan 10, 2007)

Blindside said:


> That is a parable. The belt system is recent and originates in Japan which has an extremely good written record, and more importantly, an extremely good sense of hygiene. Cleanliness is a good thing, and no one is going to tolerate the nastiness of a belt that turned BLACK because you managed to bleed all over it. More importantly, the likely antecedent of the Judo belt system is the use of a black ribbon around the waist of Japanese swimmers to designate advanced competitors apart from novices in competition. Think about how much swimming you would have to do to turn a ribbon black....
> 
> Lamont


 
i know it is a parable. I was only sharing my story with people. Dont take things literally. I was only relating the story to the hard work you have to put in to training to the color of belts. and as Mr. Bishop says "Nothing wrong with a few bloodstains on your belt."

B

PS-I do not wash my belt. In my mind it is disrespectful.


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## Ray (Jan 10, 2007)

KempoGuy06 said:


> ...as Mr. Bishop says "Nothing wrong with a few bloodstains on your belt."


especially if it's someone else's blood.


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## Blindside (Jan 10, 2007)

KempoGuy06 said:


> PS-I do not wash my belt. In my mind it is disrespectful.


 
How do you "disrespect" an inanimate object?  

You could "disrespect" a statue (because it is a symbol of something or somebody else) by vandalizing it or spraypainting it, you can "disrespect" your belt by washing it?  Seems a bit weird, eh?

Lamont


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## KempoGuy06 (Jan 10, 2007)

Blindside said:


> How do you "disrespect" an inanimate object?
> 
> You could "disrespect" a statue (because it is a symbol of something or somebody else) by vandalizing it or spraypainting it, you can "disrespect" your belt by washing it? Seems a bit weird, eh?
> 
> Lamont


 
1. its not weird...eh.

2. im not positive but im pretty sure that statues are inanimate objects (someone check this for me)

3. what do you think a belt does? It represents you progression in your style of martial arts. Im pretty sure thats a symbol (again someone check for me). 

4. I said and i quote "In my mind" that means the way i feel. To me it is a symbol of my hard work, the blood, the sweat and whatever else gets on it it part of the symbol for my hard work, washing it (again to me) is a disrespectful to myself and to the that symbol of mr hard work. 

5. At my school we are told not to.

Hope that clarifies everything

B

PS-sorry to mods for being, for lack of a better word, an @$$. I do not like when people attack what i believe


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## John Bishop (Jan 10, 2007)

KempoGuy06 said:


> 3. what do you think a belt does? It represents you progression in your style of martial arts. Im pretty sure thats a symbol (again someone check for me).
> 
> 4. I said and i quote "In my mind" that means the way i feel. To me it is a symbol of my hard work, the blood, the sweat and whatever else gets on it it part of the symbol for my hard work, washing it (again to me) is a disrespectful to myself and to the that symbol of my hard work.
> 
> ...



That's what I've always been taught.  Don't wash it, don't swing it around, don't throw it on the floor.  Don't disrespect it.


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## Iron Leopard (Jan 10, 2007)

I've always been taught and teach that you never wash the belt or you wash away all your knowledge. I know that won't really happen but...the kids sure get a kick out of and trying to keep their moms from washing thier belts!  lol

Danjo I guess that's as good an explanation as any and it did make me laugh out loud this morning.


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## Danjo (Jan 10, 2007)

Well, one problem with washing a belt is that it ruins it in my experience. I washed a white belt when I was in Shotokan and the thing was destroyed in the machine.

AS to respecting an inanimate object. Well, it's what the object symbolizes that you are respecting. It's our knowledge and achievement. Not literally, of course, but symbolically. It's sort of like pointing to a picture on my desk and me saying, "That's my wife." Well. it's not _really_ my wife, but you get what I mean. If I marked it up and spit on it, it would be disrespectful to her. When you respect your belt, you are respecting what that belt symbolizes. Same goes for disrespecting it.


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## Danjo (Jan 10, 2007)

Iron Leopard said:


> Danjo I guess that's as good an explanation as any and it did make me laugh out loud this morning.


 
Glad you liked it. Sometimes humor needs to be interjected IMO.


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## KempoGuy06 (Jan 10, 2007)

Thank you Danjo, Iron Leopard and John Bishop. Im glad im not the only one that feel the way i do.

B


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## goodwrench_mc (Jan 10, 2007)

Iron Leopard said:


> Can someone list the belt meanings. As my original belts are.
> 
> white
> yellow
> ...


 
Is this what you are looking for ?

*Yellow Belt*: A Yellow Belt practitioner is given an introduction to the American Kenpo System while developing a working knowledge of the basics  the foundation of the Art. 
*Orange Belt:* An Orange Belt practitioner must strive for the development of proper form so as to enhance the effectiveness of the basics. 
*Purple Belt:* A Purple Belt practitioner must strive for the development of speed achieved through economy of motion by executing basics with proper form. 
*Blue Belt: *A Blue Belt practitioner must possess a proper display of power achieved by the correct application of form plus speed of the basics. 
*Green Belt: *A Green Belt practitioner must strive for the development of timing achieved by the proper application of breath control. 
*3rd Degree Brown Belt:* A 3rd Degree Brown Belt practitioner must strive for the development and display of focussed strikes achieved by adding power to breath control. 
*2nd Degree Brown Belt: *A 2nd Degree Brown Belt practitioner must enhance his/her physical fitness in order to increase ones stamina and to make one more tolerant of pain. 
*1st Degree Brown Belt: *A 1st Degree Brown Belt practitioner must strive for the development of mental skills by possessing a working knowledge of the principles, concepts and theories of American Kenpo Karate.
*1st Degree Black Belt: *A 1st Degree Black Belt must demonstrate his/her expertise in American Kenpo by properly applying these three formulae: Knowledge of Basics + Form + Speed = Power Power + Breath Control = Focus Focus + Physical Conditioning + Working Knowledge of Concepts, Principles and Theories = Expertise in individual self-defense skills.


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## Danjo (Jan 10, 2007)

goodwrench_mc said:


> Is this what you are looking for ?
> 
> *Yellow Belt*: A Yellow Belt practitioner is given an introduction to the American Kenpo System while developing a working knowledge of the basics  the foundation of the Art.
> *Orange Belt:* An Orange Belt practitioner must strive for the development of proper form so as to enhance the effectiveness of the basics.
> ...


 
I like mine better, but to each his own.


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## tellner (Jan 10, 2007)

I'm more 'old school'

White - a new clean belt.
Yellow - belt is stained with sweat and less mentionable fluids
Green - unwashed belt gets moldy
Brown - mold succeeded by new species
Black - new culture deepens, thickens, completely infuses belt
White - mycelium and fruiting bodies turn remains of belt white. belt disintegrates. repeat.


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## Dave_T_L_W (Jan 10, 2007)

We do not have any of this stigma surrounding our belts in my school. Our belts are there to hold our GIs together. On more than one ocassion I have been told to take it off and put it on the floor by my instructor. I dont wash my belt but only because i dont want the colour to run into my other clothes. I prefer this approach but thats just me.

Dave


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## MJS (Jan 11, 2007)

_ATTENTION ALL USERS:

_Please, keep the conversation polite and respectful.  We all have our opinions of various arts, and we've also seen a number of threads in which SKK has been the focus of bashing.  Lets try not to turn every thread into a bash session on SKK.  Thanks.

-Mike Slosek
-MT Super Moderator-


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## Kembudo-Kai Kempoka (Jan 11, 2007)

tellner said:


> I'm more 'old school'
> 
> White - a new clean belt.
> Yellow - belt is stained with sweat and less mentionable fluids
> ...


 
Old school? Reads more like a new micro class! I dug it.

D.


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## LawDog (Jan 11, 2007)

Old school of thought.
There are two belts, the white and black belt. The colored belts are grades of white belt and the black belt has it's various levels.
This helps to keep things in prospective for me and my instructor staff.


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## tellner (Jan 11, 2007)

All kidding aside there is a good reason for the belt system in certain contexts. The world is smaller and organizations are larger than they were in the seventeenth century. I can tell you an awful lot about everyone in my training group and a good number of my teacher's other students. It's not a lot of people. We've spent a fair amount of time together and know who's who. For village arts it's even simpler. Everyone knows everyone else from the cradle. If you're a spear carrier for the local warlord or in the Imperial Army there are uniforms, sergeants and all the rest to keep it all straight.

But then the Industrial Age happened. A teacher could leave Japan, travel to Europe and be presented with a bunch of students he'd never seen and knew absolutely nothing about. Or a University would form a club of up to a couple hundred people, more than any one teacher could keep straight. The colored belt system allows one to get a rough idea of who is who and what level they're at at a glance. Beginners don't get tossed into the deep end with the sharks. An instructor can alter his lesson plan to the class' skill.


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## Jonathan Randall (Jan 16, 2007)

LawDog said:


> Old school of thought.
> There are two belts, the white and black belt. The colored belts are grades of white belt and the black belt has it's various levels.
> This helps to keep things in prospective for me and my instructor staff.


 
While I understand where your coming (and agree, in part), I do think that a brown belt should be held to a near dan level standard in both skill and character. It used to be that a brown belt was considered a hardcore, highly skilled martial artist (I started Judo in 1972 and brown belts were VERY senior students - who often ran their own small clubs under the mentorship of a sandan - and a dan was a near celestial being).

OTOH, in our days of rank inflation you're pretty much right.


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## LawDog (Jan 16, 2007)

J.R.
I agree with you that in the old days Ikkyu's were considered beginner hard core students. One of the reasons for this was the training was very hard back then and most students "retired" before reaching the Ikkyu level. To be even considered for a black belt test a student had to be at the Ikkyu level for one - two years.
I too trained in Judo,(started in 65 & still do). Back then it was very unusual for Japan to award any of the Americans the rank level above Nidan. To achieve a brown belt level it could take you six years or more.


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## Gufbal1982 (Jan 23, 2007)

Danjo said:


> White= the color of the cocoon, from which the butterfly will emerge with some color.
> *Yellow*= the color of a school bus that children take to the place of learning.
> *Orange*= the color of a fruit (oranges) that provide one with the vitamin that gives one life-saving immunity from the harsh outside world.
> *Purple*= the color of Royalty which symbolizes one's acceptance into the royal court or temple.
> ...


 
Ok, first off LOL!  That's pretty funny.  anyway, here's what my FV instructor told me and I still think about it this way...

White - Purple: The time you spend waiting at the doorstep of the temple to go in to be trained.

Blue - Brown: Time spent in the kitchen cleaning waiting to be taught

1st Black - 2nd degree black: Start learning

3rd degree Black: student of the art

4th degree Black: disciple of the art

5th degree Black: Master of the art.

As for what I think now, belts just hold up your pants.


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