# rank progression rate



## Cronarct (Aug 20, 2010)

so i was wondering how fast/slow many of you progressed through the rank systems... here is my rank system for my dojo and the dojos around me that are all linked together

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

and then we go into Dans

Shodan - black with 1 white stripe
Nidan - black with 2 white stripes
Sandan - black with 3 white stripes
Yodan - red and black with 1 white stripe
Godan - red and black with 2 white stripes
Rokyudan - red and white with 1 stripe
Shichidan - red and white with 2 stripes
Hachidan - red and white with 3 stripes
Kudan - solid red with 1 white stripe
Judan - solid red with 2 white stripes (this is our top degree)

now for us our beginners are considered white and yellow belts, once u have the very basics down you progress from white to yellow (usually around 3-5 months depending on the student) then yellow to orange is around another 6 months... after that i think its like a 8-12 month difference between belts... some people say we go through the lower ranks 2 fast but we also never award a belt to someone who doesn't deserve it and trust me our test are EXTREAM! and we have an amazing master who personally teaches ALL of the classes offered at our dojo with the aid of those ranked brown belt and above. personally i love our ranking/dan system because you can always tell who tries their best every lesson and who doesn't... we don't do pity promotions like some dojos do for the small children who train there.

also my specific style is the KarateJutsu system called Eugue Ryu its has basic protective self defense Karate at the core and has allot of jujitsu moves added in.

once we hit orange belt our "real" basic training begins, we move to the intermediate class and train with harder and more difficult moves... our intermediate stages is orange belt through - green belt, and advanced stages is purple belt and above.

we are also a traditional school pretty much, VERY VERY disciplined, we always bow when needed (greating a higher rank, to the master, to the aids, to our training partner, while entering and exiting the dojo, while entering and exiting the matted training area, while entering and exiting masters office, and so on) we also train very seriously there is absolutely no slacking what so ever, if one person makes a mistake, that person and all of those ranked above them is punished with extra workout because it is considered our job to make sure lower ranks are always acting and training properly.

anyways thanks for your time and any future replies i get


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## Yondanchris (Aug 20, 2010)

Thanks for posting and welcom to MT, 

Most people in the martial arts earn their black belt after 3-8 years of training. 

I studied Shaolin Kempo Karate and this is the average breakdown: 

White 
Yellow 
Orange
Purple 
Blue 
Blue W/Green Stripe
Green
Green W/Brown Stripe
Brown W/1 Black Stripe
Brown W/2 Black Stripes
Brown W/3 Black Stripes
Junior Black (if under 18 Years old)
Black Belt (10 degrees determined by Red Stripes) 

Time Breakdown: 

White to Orange: 3-5 Months
Orange to Purple: 6-9 Months
Purple to Blue: 9-12 Months
Blue to Blue W/Stripe: 6-9 Months
Blue W/Stripe to Green: 6-9 Months
Green to Green with Stripe: 9-12 Months
Brown to Brown W/2 Stripes: 12-15 Months
Brown W/2 Stripes to Brown W/3 Stripes: 12-15 Months
Brown W/3 Stripes to Black: 12-15 Months

Average time in SKK (Shaolin Kempo Karate) : 5 1/2 Years - 8 3/4 Years

Although I have known people to complete this process "early" 3-4 Years
and I have seen others take up to 10+ years. It really depends on the person and the amount of time training and in the Dojo/Dojang. 
I personally took 4 1/2 years to go from white belt in 1993
to Shodan (1st Black - 1997) 
and then another 2 years to Nidan (2nd Black - 1999) 
I took a Hiatus from 2001-2006 and then have been teaching 
weekly classes since. I have the opportunity to test next month for 
Sandan (3rd Dan) although I might wait until early next year. 


I hope this helps

Chris


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## Cronarct (Aug 20, 2010)

it would seam like our progression rate between ur style and mine are fairly close so thats good to hear... i still want other people's info though lol


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## Cronarct (Aug 23, 2010)

anyone have more imput? i just want to know on average how long it takes to go from one belt to the next and from white-black... or just tell me what you think of my style's ranking system

please reply i would REALLY appreciate any input on this matte


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## Cirdan (Aug 26, 2010)

Your rank system sounds ok. Rank should be an indication of skill and spirit, but never underestimate a white belt. It can be a painful lesson to learn :wink2:

Wado Ryu:

Rank goes:
White
Red
Yellow
Orange
Green
Blue
Purple
Brown 
Brown 2nd (1/3 black)
Brown 3rd (half black)
Black (no stripes. It is common to order a very high quality belt and never replace it)

A dedicated student can go from white to orange in one year, go trough green and blue in another and spend one year betwen gradings from then on. 7 years total for 1. dan, very hard to do it faster unless you have trained in a relevant system earlier. There are not many who use much longer either because it takes hard study to make it. Higher dan gradings take very long to prepare for.


Ju Jutsu:

Rank goes:
White
Yellow stripe (recently removed from the system)
Yellow
Orange
Green
Blue
Purple (recently removed from the system)
Brown
Black
(red/black, red/white and solid red belts at the higher Dan levels) 

Advancement used to be pretty much at the same rate as in Wado but there are fewer ranks. A hard working student can make it to black in a minimum of five years, average is 6-7 I guess. The one who took the longest was an old tough guy who used 10 years and graded at 70, very impressive in my opinion. 2nd dan take two years if you go for it.


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## Bill Mattocks (Aug 26, 2010)

Isshin-Ryu (not the same from dojo to dojo):

White (beginner)
Orange (took me about 4 months)
Green (took me about 8 additional months)
Blue (took me about 8 additional months)
Brown (not earned yet)
Black (not earned yet)

All in all, I will have two years at my dojo as of September.  With some luck and some hard work, I may earn my brown belt more or less right at the 2 year mark.  After that, I am told it's about five years - more or less - to black belt.  So from white belt to black belt, seven years is not unrealistic at my dojo.  Might take some more time, others less.  But I believe that's about average.  I probably tend towards the slower end of the progression scale.  Then of course there are the Dan ranks.  I doubt I'll live long enough to get very high in those ranks, but I'll do my best.


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## Steve (Aug 26, 2010)

According to the IBJJF, these are the official rules for belt promotion:  http://www.ibjjf.org/graduation.htm

There is some deviation.  Most schools (although not every school) have the following basic structure:

*Kids:*
White
Yellow 
Orange 
Green 
Blue

Blue belt is considered essentially the black belt for a kid.  Technically, a child shouldn't be eligible for blue belt until he or she is 16 years old and if he or she earns a blue belt, it should be legit.  

Typically what happens is the child gets to a point where he or she is big enough physically and mature enough to join the adults class, and then wears whatever colored belt they have until they reach blue as an adult.

*Adults:*
White 
Blue
Purple
Brown 
Black 
Black/Red (7th and 8th degree)
Red (9th and 10th Degree)

White to Blue usually takes between 1 to 2 years, with between 1 to 3 years between the rest of the belts.  The official rules are at least 2 years between blue to purple, 1 1/2 years between purple and brown and 1 year from brown to black.  But these aren't firm.  BJ Penn is a well known exception to these rules, going from purple to black belt in a very, very short period of time.

There are several Black/Red belts, and only a couple of Red belts.  10th Degree red belt is a rank that should never be reached again.  Helio was the last 10th degree.


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## Dirty Dog (Aug 26, 2010)

Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan
These are my own times to progress. I don't think I can really speak for "averages" in this school, since I've only been training there for 14 months. I do know that I am progressing faster than average, and attribute this to having prior experience and also to putting in what I think is more than an average amount of time and effort outside the dojang.

White (10th geup) to Yellow (9th geup) - 1 month
Yellow to green stripe (8th geup) - 2 months
Green stripe to Green (7th geup) - 2 months
Green to blue stripe (6th geup) - 2 months
Blue stripe to Blue (5th geup) - 2 months
Blue to red stripe (4th geup) - 2 months
Red stripe to Red (3rd geup) - 3 months

I had hoped to be ready to test for 2nd geup in October, but that's not going to happen at this point, although I hope to be able to handle a light workout in a couple weeks.

In the time I've been with this school, I would say that 3-6 months seems to be average for the lower (4th geup and below) ranks, longer for higher ranks.


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## Xue Sheng (Aug 26, 2010)

Let me think

Rank Progression rate

Of the last 4 styles I have trained it is like this

Xingyiquan.hmmm no belt ranks
Sanda well in Sanda you see...aaa... no.... actually there are no belt ranks there either
Wing Chun nope no belts
Taijiquan.aaaa.well its like this no belt ranks

Hope that helps


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## Cronarct (Aug 26, 2010)

thank you everyone, its interesting to read about other styles ranking systems


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## Blade96 (Aug 27, 2010)

i spent 5 months as white belt and i'm now six month as a yellow belt and 6 months is about average for us give or take a little

except browns spend about 2 years at brown belt for us.


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## Brandon Fisher (Aug 27, 2010)

Here is the rank system in my dojo
These figures are based on 3 hours a week in the dojo and training at home.  Others have put double and triple the hours in at the dojo and been promoted faster. 
                                                                                 Student Has 
Rank: Time in Grade (avg): Been Training:
White                         (2-3 Months)                                
Yellow                        (2-3 Months)                                 
Orange                       (2-3 Months)                                 6 Months
Green (7th & 6th Kyu)   (3-4 Months at each rank)               
Blue (5th & 4th Kyu)     (4-6 months at each rank)               20 Months
Brown (3rd - 1st Kyu)   (4-6 Months at each rank)               2 Years
Shodan (1st Dan)         (1.5 - 2 Years)                              3.5 Yrs
Nidan (2nd Dan)           (3 Years)                                      5.5 Yrs
Sandan (3rd Dan)         (4 Years)                                      8.5 Yrs
Yondan (4th Dan)         (5 Years)                                      12.5 Yrs
Godan (5th Dan)           (6 Years)                                      18.5 Yrs
Rokudan (6th Dan)         (7 Years)                                      24.5 Yrs
Nanadan (7th Dan)         (8 Years)                                      32.5 Yrs
Hachidan (8th Dan)         (8 Years)                                      41.5 Yrs

Hope that helps


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## CrimsonPhoenix (Aug 31, 2010)

In Tae Kwon Do,

White
(White w/ black stripe - mostly for kids)
Yellow - 9th gup
Yellow w/ black stripe - 8th gup 
Green - 7th gup
Green w/ black stripe - 6th gup
Blue - 5th gup
Blue w/ black stripe - 4th gup
Brown - 3rd gup
Brown w/ black stripe - 2nd gup
Red - 1st gup
Black - 1st dan

Our system usually takes between 5-7 years to black belt. We only have 1 main class a week, but there is one at another location that a few of the students come to. The lower ranks are usually earned in 6 months or so for adults, maybe a year if they're kids. Once you get up to blue and brown especially, it's usually about a year for a full color change. Stripes have been reinstated mostly for the kids.


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## Rabu (Sep 3, 2010)

I earned my black sash in Northern Shaolin in about a week.

Of course, that just signified that I was a member of the school, not any greater meaning connected to belt rankings as you describe.  Chinese martial arts have begun to use 'duan' rankings and colored belts, but mostly not so much.

As a side note, one of the students who left the school still notes his 'black sash' in kung fu.  Maybe this doesnt mean what he thinks it means.

Time, earned titles and positions within the school determine your 'rank'.  How close you are with Shifu, his trust and extended family, the tasks you would be trusted with performing.  These place you in the shool.

My 'rank' is 'junior instructor/advanced student' after 15 years.  That doesnt mean I know more, or less than others, its just a place to stand in line.

The averge time to 'grade' at 'instructor' in the school stands at 8 or more years last I checked.  There really isnt the push to 'promote' the same way as in 'belted' schools.


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## ccultrara (Sep 7, 2010)

In my dojang you can test for the next rank every three months for keups, barring instructor approval. Most students take 3-6 months. At 1st keup it takes one year until 1st dan/poom- 3.5-4 years. After that ,whatever dan is next is equal to how many years you have to wait. 2 for 2nd , 3 for thrid etc. I'm WTF TKD btw


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## clfsean (Sep 8, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> Let me think
> 
> Rank Progression rate
> 
> ...



Ditto... at my teacher's school, you're either the teacher or the student, and you knew exactly which one you were.


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## PictonMA (Sep 10, 2010)

I spent a couple of years as a kid doing boxing / kickboxing no belts.

I spent 4 1/2 years as a kid doing Tae Kwon Do and got to red belt (white, yellow, orange, green, blue, red, black).

I've been training in Karate for 21+ years now, which is my primary focus.

If my memory hasn't completely escaped me.....

White - Yellow - 2-3months
Yellow - Orange - 3months
Orange - Green - 3months
Green - Blue - 3months
Blue - Purple - 6months
Purple - Brown - 6months
Brown - Black - 18months
Shodan - Nidan - 2 1/2 years
Nidan - Sandan - 2 1/2 years
Sandan - Yondan - 3 years
Yondan - Godan - 5 years
Godan - Rokudan - 5 years
Rokudan - Nanadan - I'll let you know in another 5-10 years 

Japanese JuJutsu (Gendai)
White - Black - 5 1/2 years
Shodan - Nidan - 3 years
Nidan - Sandan - 3 years
Sandan - Yondan - 5 years 
Yondan - Godan - I'll let you know when it happens (been 5years so far)

BJJ
After 3 years or so I'm still wearing a white belt with 4bars on it, maybe I'll get graded to Blue, not really interested in rank any more.


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## thepanjr (Nov 10, 2010)

Shinto-Ryu Karatedo
White-Yellow: 1 year(Interested but no diclipine)
Yellow-Green: 3 year( Finally got the hang of it and finally started loving martials crazy)
Green-Blue: 3 months( Practices in school, everywhere I can...the onyl thing I was good at)
Blue-Purple: 3 months( Continued but dipped...but many other problems arose....gave up love for martial arts for somethign else)
Purple-Brown: 4 year( Trying to recover my old self....and sturglling at it)
Brown-Black: God knows...if I can get there!


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## PeterMo (Nov 10, 2010)

Hi all, I am a green belt currently studying Chinese Kenpo (Kung-Wu-Chu'an) and here's what my journey through the arts has taken me thus far. Of course a lot depends upon your effort and time you put into the art:

White 
*Orange *- 5 months
*Purple* -  6 - 8  months
*Blue* - 8 - 12 months
*Green* - 8  - 12 months
*Brown* 3 Kyu - 6  to 8 months
*Brown* 2 Kyu - 6  to 8 months
*Brown* 1 Kyu - 6  to 8  months
*1st Degree Black* - 18 months
Total Time  - 4.5 to 5 years


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## Master Dan (Nov 10, 2010)

Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan
These are my own times to progress. I don't think I can really speak for "averages" in this school, since I've only been training there for 14 months. I do know that I am progressing faster than average, and attribute this to having prior experience and also to putting in what I think is more than an average amount of time and effort outside the dojang.

White (10th geup) to Yellow (9th geup) - 1 month
Yellow to green stripe (8th geup) - 2 months
Green stripe to Green (7th geup) - 2 months
Green to blue stripe (6th geup) - 2 months
Blue stripe to Blue (5th geup) - 2 months
Blue to red stripe (4th geup) - 2 months
Red stripe to Red (3rd geup) - 3 month

*comming from our NW TKD Association add the following*
*Red to Red High 2nd geup - 2-3 months*
*Red High to Brown 1st geup 2-3 months*
*Brown to Brown 2nd  2-3 months*
*Brown 2nd to Brown 1st or deputy Black belt 90 day probation then test 1st Dan.*

*Depending on training like 5-6 days a week hard person can go from white to black in 18 to 24 months. Now i have seen people not my students test for black after 4-7 years and were pitiful for green belt? *

*Time in rank*

*1st Dan to 2nd Dan 12 months*
*2nd Dan to 3rd Dan 24 months*
*3rd Dan to 4th Dan 36 months *
*4th Dan to 5th Dan 48 months *
*5th Dan to 6th Dan 60 months *
*6th Dan to 7th Dan 72 months*

*Note time is based on the date that KKW puts on your certificate not when you testes higher rank approval at KKW only meets once a year unless they have changed that since the take over?*


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## xfighter88 (Dec 19, 2010)

Furu Sento (TKD, Muay Thai, BJJ, Wrestling)

White
Yellow
Yellow green stripe
Green
Green blue stripe
Blue
Blue Purple stripe
Purple
Purple red stripe
Red
Red black stripe 
Black

White to Green with blue stripe is a year to a year and a half depending on student. 3 months between is the minimum but we also have a minimum amount of hours in the gym. It works out to 2 times a week in a 3 month period. 6 month minimum between the rest of the belts. Red with black stripe to black belt is at least a year.

Looks like around 5-7 years.


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## Yondanchris (Dec 27, 2010)

PeterMo said:


> Hi all, I am a green belt currently studying Chinese Kenpo (Kung-Wu-Chu'an) and here's what my journey through the arts has taken me thus far. Of course a lot depends upon your effort and time you put into the art:
> 
> White
> *Orange *- 5 months
> ...


 

Thats right about how we test at Trinity Karate for Christ! Its good to see another Chinese Kempo practitioner on the board!


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## senseib (Dec 27, 2010)

Ours is: 
white 3 months
yellow 3 months
orange 3 months
green 3 months
purple 3 months
blue 3 months
red 3 months
brown 6 months
1st brown 6 months
2nd brown 6 months
3rd brown 6 months
black 

then add 1 year to your dan rank for each level. so 2nd dan would be 3 years 3rd dan is 4 years and so on


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## Devlin76 (Dec 30, 2010)

Shotokan Karate
9th to 8th Kyu = 4 months
8th to 7th Kyu = 4 months
7th to 6th Kyu = 4 months
6th to 5th Kyu = 4 months
5th to 4th Kyu = 4 months
4th to 3rd Kyu = 4 months
3rd to 2nd Kyu = 6 months
2nd to 1st Kyu = 6 months
1st Kyu to 1st Dan = 1 year
average total time to blackbelt = 4 years

Fugakukai Aikido
6th Kyu to 5th Kyu = 3 months
5th Kyu to 4th Kyu = 3 months
4th Kyu to 3rd Kyu = 3 months
3rd Kyu to 2nd Kyu = 3 months
2nd Kyu to 1st Kyu = 3 months
1st Kyu to 1st Dan = 6 months
average total time to blackbelt = 1 1/2 to 2 years

Aikikai Aikido
white belt to black belt = 4 - 10 years

Taijiquan
no ranks


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## Hudson69 (Dec 30, 2010)

In Kenpo karate it took me about two and a half years to reach black belt.  I took a long two year break and then it took me about six months of intense time (4 times a week) to get to 2nd degree.

I got to 1st kyu in Budo Taijutsu before I quit and that took about three years but I was allowed to jump in/test in at 5th kyu based of prior training when it was still called Bujinkan Ninjutsu but all together I will have to say it was about three years to get that far.  

When I became an FBI Arrest Control Instructor it took two weeks/80 hrs for certification.  When I was a CO POST (Agency specific) DT Instructor it took one week/40 hrs for certification but I had to be certified in something else already (like FBI).  I am waiting to go to PPCT Instructor school in February of 2011, I think it is two weeks as well.

I have, like many others, low ranking belts in a few other systems as well, like Kempo, Tae Kwon Do and Wun Hop Kuen Do but 3-6 months doesn't really count.


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## jthomas1600 (Jan 19, 2011)

Our TKD school goes like this:
White
Yellow
Orange
Green
Blue
Purple
Red
High Red
Brown
High Brown
Bodan
Supper Bodan
Black

You can reach blue 12-14 months if you work hard. After that it starts to slow down a bit. Purple belt is a review belt. You're expected to not only demonstrate that you remember all the basics you've learned up until that point, but start to perfect them and understand them better. New students are told that it is possible to reach black in 3 years, but to not expect it...it doesn't happen from what I can see. White to black seems to be between 3.5 and 5 years depending on the student.


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## ETinCYQX (Jan 19, 2011)

Cronarct said:


> it would seam like our progression rate between ur style and mine are fairly close so thats good to hear... i still want other people's info though lol


 
Roughly five-seven years to black in my specific TKD school, training 2-3 times a week and taking things seriously. We promote to yellow as soon as possible for several reasons, one being that a student has to be yellow belt to spar with us and also it's a boost in motivation for a younger student to have a first colored belt. We also do stripes for kids without a full test. This is a guess since it's been a long long time since we had anyone grade to 1st dan (I'll be the next at the beginning of next month!)

In my Judo dojo I started in September and I'll be grading (hopefully) in March to yellow. Our Sensei has explained that he'd like us to be able to compete in April and that's a motivating factor behind the grading. I haven't been a Judo student long enough to give any more insight than that and it's a new club so no higher belts aside from our Sensei who is Ikkyu and our two assistant Sensei's who are green belts, plus a blue belt who shows up sporadically.


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## shima (May 6, 2011)

Generally at most schools I've been it takes about 5 years to get black. I got to black a little faster at the tae kwon do school I attended but that was only because I already had a black from my karate school previously and didn't need to be retrained in basics (punches, kicks, and some of the lower forms were really similar). But overall a good black belt in my opinion should take about 5 years of work. I'm hoping by the time I turn 30 I'll be testing for my kenpo first degree black belt. (I'm 25 now) 

Had I stuck with the same style all these years I'm sure I'd be at least a 3rd degree in something by now, but it's ok, at the end of the day I'm not really rank crazed. I just want to fill my head with as much information as possible, and if that I should test for new belts with everyone else along the way, sure


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## OKenpo942 (May 9, 2011)

Ed Parker's American Kenpo Karate:

White
Yellow 
Orange
Purple
Blue
Green
3rd Brown 
2nd Brown
1st Brown
Black (1st - 10th)


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## Kenpo17 (Jun 18, 2011)

My system being American Kenpo is a little different in terms of ranks from your own.  The Kenpo system contains in order white, yellow, orange, purple, blue, green, 3rd degree brown, 2nd degree brown, 1st degree brown, 1st degree black-10th degree.  Nowadays at my school, a students test once every three months up until 1st degree black belt.  When I was going through the ranks many years ago, white-yellow, yellow-orange, orange-purple took about three to four months to achieve the next belt level, purple-blue, blue-green, green-brown, and brown 2 to brown 1 took between six to ten months to achieve each level.  Black belts are a little different in that it takes two to three and sometimes even four years inbetween black belt degrees.


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## Lee Ch'a (Jul 18, 2011)

In my school of Tae Kwon Do, ranking goes as follows:

White
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Purple-Trim
Brown
Red
Black

Usually 3+ months for colored belts, but generally longer as a Red Belt, as Black Belt tests are held only twice a year (In June and December), so that depends on how hard you train, how prepared you are, and when you earn you Red Belt, I suppose.

After this, the ranks are 1st-10th Dan, and the number of years between each continually increases, ie. 1 year between, then 2, then 3, and so on and so forth.

Very interesting to learn about all the other ranking systems.  Thanks everyone for sharing!


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## Cyriacus (Jul 18, 2011)

Ranks with the general time spent in each one:
[For All]
White Belt: 3 Months
[For Juniors]
White Belt Yellow Stripe: Three Months
Yellow Belt White Stripe: Three Months
[For Seniors]
White Belt Yellow Tag: Three Months
[For All]
Yellow Belt: Three to Six Months
Yellow Belt Green Tag: Three Months
Green Belt: Three Months
Green Belt Blue Tag: Three Months
Blue Belt: Three To Six Months
Blue Belt Red Tag: Three Months
Red Belt: Three To Eight Months
Red Belt Black Tag: Until Your Instructor Decides That You Are Fit To Attend A Black Belt Grading.
[For Juniors]
Black Belt White Stripe: Until Your Instructor Decides That You Are Fit To Attend A Black Belt Grading.
[For Seniors]
1st Dan Black Belt: About 2-10 Years.
(And goes up to 9th Dan)


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## oftheherd1 (Jul 20, 2011)

My recollection is that in Soong Moo Kwan Hapkido when I attended:

white 8
yellow 7 - 6
blue 5 - 4
red 3 - 2 - 1
black 1 to 8

I don't know if it is the same now or not. As to times, I don't recall for sure (it has been over 25 years), but on post where I studied, one could make 1st dan in a year. It required attending 6 days a week, sometimes more than once a day, and work outside the dojo. A lot of concentration and practice. I think I made 1st Dan in about 18 months. 2nd dan was probably just about the same or a little over. I had the advantage from blue belt on of being taught directly by my GM.  Tests weren't given at the gup level progression, but at the belt level progression.  So you tested for yellow, blue, red, and then black.  Not many made 1st Dan in one year.  Rather rare in fact.


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## sfs982000 (Jul 20, 2011)

In my school our ranks and progression rates are as follows:

White Belt
Orange Belt
Yellow Belt
Camo Belt
Green Belt
Purple Belt
Blue Belt
Brown Belt
Red Belt
1st Degree Recommended (Poom Belt)
1st Degree Decided (Black)
2nd Degree Recommended
2nd Degree Decided

The remaining Dan ranks go to 9th, from first to 4th Dan the grades are denoted by bars on the belt from 5th to 9th Dan the grade is denoted by stars on the belt.  The average time in rank for white through green is approximately 3-4 months, from purple to 1st degree is around 6 months.  We hold gradings every quarter in our school.  It takes the average student approximately 3 years depending on the number of classes they're able to attend to earn their black belt.


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## Buka (Jul 20, 2011)

To me, the best method of promotion I've seen was in a Rickson Gracie Jiu-jitsu school. When you were ready for your next belt - the instructor came up to you in class and gave you your belt. You stopped drilling long enough to put it on, there was applause from your dojo mates for a couple seconds and you went back to work.

Hindsight being twenty/twenty, that's the way I'd do it if I could start teaching all over again. But that's just me.


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## sfs982000 (Jul 21, 2011)

Buka said:


> To me, the best method of promotion I've seen was in a Rickson Gracie Jiu-jitsu school. When you were ready for your next belt - the instructor came up to you in class and gave you your belt. You stopped drilling long enough to put it on, there was applause from your dojo mates for a couple seconds and you went back to work.
> 
> Hindsight being twenty/twenty, that's the way I'd do it if I could start teaching all over again. But that's just me.



To me that would the ideal way of getting promoted, no b.s. just put the new belt on and keep practicing


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## Saki (Sep 5, 2011)

Cirdan said:


> Wado Ryu:
> 
> Rank goes:
> White
> ...



Red Belt??? Hmmmm..... I have been Wado for a long while and never saw a red belt. There was not even an orange belt when I came through the system. Its' there now, of course.

One thing I liked is that it took about 4 to 8 year to get Black Belt. We never had junior black belts. You had to be mature enough to understand the duty and responsability of a black belt. When I hear people talk about getting black belt in 2 years- with no prior experience- I wonder how much it cost. So many styles have watered down their styles just to make money. It's sad. I wish we could be more traditional and closer to our arts. I do admire some styles like Akido where it's a black belt and a white belt- yet EVERYONE knows where to line up. I admire that. With the rank system- one thing I really don't like is Belt stripes. Maybe for small kids it's a good thing. For teenagers and adults- I think it's another way to water down the rank and style. Do people really need to be "rewarded" every other week or month to continue with their trainning. Maybe I am old fashion.

There is a lot of good info here. Seeing different information about different styles. Good info.


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## NSRTKD (Sep 5, 2011)

Our school of HTF TKD:

White
Yellow (recommended = no stripes, decided = 1 stripe)
High Yellow (recommended = 2 stripes, decided = 3 stripes)
Green (recommended = no stripes, decided = 1 stripe)
High Green (recommended = 2 stripes, decided = 3 stripes)
Blue (recommended = no stripes, decided = 1 stripe)
High Blue (recommended = 2 stripes, decided = 3 stripes)
Red (recommended = no stripes, decided = 1 stripe)
High Red (recommended = 2 stripes, decided = 3 stripes)
Red/Black (this is equivalent to recommended black)
1st Dan Black (Gold embroidery with 1 stripe)
2nd Dan Black (Gold embroidery with 2 stripes)
...etc, etc.

**edited to add**
*We have to test for our stripes. A striped/high rank is a whole new rank, with completely new material. Some people seem to get by on 3 classes a week to test at 3 month intervals, I do 4-6 classes a week, can't imagine ranking that quickly without that intense level of training...*

In general, for the first few ranks (we adults take class WITH our kids so there is no difference on striping based on age), people advance at each testing, which is every 3 months, but then most people slow down around green/blue and start requiring several testing cycles of 3 months each to advance. Our kids often slow down around high yellow or low green belt, and we all take class together so the kids can see their parents showing proper respect and discipline right alongside them, and watch us handle frustrations and disappointments in a mature manner in their very own class. We are a family oriented school with very little emphasis on competition. Black belts take years between Dan levels, similar to what ccultrara above me said, though it's 2 years before 3rd Dan and 3 years before 4th. Our instructor says that regardless of rank, it takes a martial artist about eight years to get really good at it.

I'm a low green belt  My husband is a 2nd Dan, my oldest kid is a high yellow belt and my middle child is a low yellow belt and my youngest needs to get out of diapers before I'll get her into a uniform. She begs me for a white belt and she's only three. *hehe love it!*


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## SuperFLY (Sep 6, 2011)

Shotokan Karate (TISKA)

10th kyu Blue (3 months)
9th kyu Red (3 months)
8th kyu Orange (3 months)
7th kyu Yellow (3 months)

6th kyu Green (3 months)
5th kyu Purple (3 months)
4th kyu Purple (white stripe) (3 months)
3rd kyu Brown (3 months)

2nd kyu Brown (white stripe) (3 months)
1st kyu Brown (red stripe) (6 months)

Black Belt (1 year)

We grade every 3 months so if you grade every grading you should hit 1st kyu in around 3 years. 1st kyu is normally a 6 month wait. you then train for a year and go for black so you 'can' achieve black belt in 4 years. you can, as i did, go for 1st within 3 months if your sensei thinks you're capable but the year wait for black is set in stone. there is however, an 'intermediate' grading 6 months in so our chief instructor can see your progress. also means you dont get lazy by not grading for a whole year.


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## NSRTKD (Sep 6, 2011)

We do that too, the "pretesting" of black belts for 3rd Dan and up.


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## Em MacIntosh (Sep 7, 2011)

Aproximation of Canadian Chito-Kai's (Karate) Grading System

These are all at the discretion of the head instructor so stripes (but not belts!) might be skipped if the student is deemed worthy. Also, I'm unsure as to why the black stripe grading is retained for white and brown ranks. The children's class has much more emphasis on technical skill and etiquette and stresses the basics, hence the slow grading system. The adult classes tend to focus on conditioning, kihon and bunkai.  These timelines are based on two 1.5 hour classes per week and weekly practice
Children's Class
White - White, Black Stripe: 1 Year
White, Black Stripe - Yellow, White Stripe: 1 Year
Yellow, White Stripe - Yellow: 1 Year
Yellow - Orange, White Stripe: 1 Year
Orange, White Stripe - Orange: 1 Year
Orange - Green: 1+ Years
Green - Blue: 1+ Years
Blue - Brown: 1+ Years
Brown - Brown, Black Stripe: 1+ Years

Adult Class
White - White, Black Stripe: 6 Months
White, Black Stripe - Yellow: 6 Months
Yellow - Orange: 1 Year
Orange - Green: 1 Years
Green - Blue: 1+ Years
Blue - Brown: 1+ Years
Brown - Brown, Black Stripe: 1+ Years
Brown, Black Stripe - Black: 1+ Years


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