A
artful dodger
Guest
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.
Yep, and apparently once your belt got so dirty it was completely black it then started to wear out until it eventually became white again and that was supposed to show such true mastery that you were back to innocence again knowing that you still have so much to learn.
Aikikitty
Master Black Belt
Well, I could have worn a hakama from the first day but I only finally got one 2 weeks ago. I didn't get one for so long mainly because I figured that they'd be a lot warmer (when I was hot enough) or I'd trip over it (and I'm clumsy enough to do that without any help) and they are usually pretty expensive. However, I got a pretty good-so-far hakama off of E-Bay and I'm really enjoying it. I feel "neat" while I'm wearing it and I like the flowy feeling too!
My hakama really doesn't make me feel warmer than I already am while working out and I've only tripped over it a few times so far. 
Robyn :asian:
:yinyang:
A
artful dodger
Guest
I should have read all the posts before I put my 2 cents in.
D
Deathtrap101
Guest
WOW I didnt know that many people wore black uniforms, ive actualy never seen anyone wearing black uniforms('cept on TV). here we all were white ones.
our ranks go
White
Yellow
Orange
Green
blue
brown
black
2nd black and so on.
our ranks go
White
Yellow
Orange
Green
blue
brown
black
2nd black and so on.
Matt Stone
Master of Arts
It was always really funny when we first started going to tournaments in our area... There were nothing but karate and tae kwon do schools in attendance, and we were the only ones in black uniforms...
There was a very visible psychological impact on our opponents. Just squaring up against "those kung fu guys" seemed to make a lot of people nervous - they didn't know what to expect from us, since we were new to the area.
Later, after we had gained a little bit of a reputation, we actually had folks drop out of competition categories rather than match up against us... Not sure why... :EG:
Gambarimasu.
:asian:
There was a very visible psychological impact on our opponents. Just squaring up against "those kung fu guys" seemed to make a lot of people nervous - they didn't know what to expect from us, since we were new to the area.
Later, after we had gained a little bit of a reputation, we actually had folks drop out of competition categories rather than match up against us... Not sure why...
:EG:Gambarimasu.
:asian:
W
Wertle
Guest
There's a large Tae Kwon Do class that sometimes practices in the room next to us at one of my schools, so when we go out there to get a drink of water at the same time they do, I always feel like I stick out like....well, like a black sheep in a white flock ^_^
No stealth there...
Unless things have changed since my hiatus began. My instructor only allows blackbelts to wear a full black gi. You can wear whatever you wish for competion, but on the training floor, only black bottoms with a white top, or full white till you reach the blackbelt levels.
Salute in Christ,
:asian:
Salute in Christ,
:asian:
Aegis
Purple Belt
For BJA Judo:
Juniors:
18 Mon (junior) Grades:
Novice + 1st-3rd: White 1-3 (though I think this has now been replaced by a red belt.... stupid IMHO, but hey!)
4th-6th: Yellow 1-3
7th-9th: Orange 1-3
10th-12th: Green 1-3
13th-15th: Blue 1-3
16th-18th: Brown 1-3
At 15+ a competitor can test for 1st Dan on the Senior Syllabus.
Seniors (Kyu grades):
Novice: White
9th: Yellow
8th-7th: Orange
6th-5th: Green
4th-3rd: Blue
2nd-1st: Brown
1st-5th Dan: Black, with optional level tags
6th-8th Dan: Black, or optionally Red and White Belt
9th-10th Dan: Black, or optionally Red Belt
To my knowledge, 11th is a possible grade but has never been achieved.
Jitsu Foundation Grades:
Novice: White
7th Kyu: Yellow
6th Kyu: Orange
5th Kyu: Green
4th Kyu: Purple
3rd Kyu: Light Blue
2nd Kyu: Dark Blue
1st Kyu: Brown
1st Dan: Black + Hakama
2nd Dan: Black + Hakama + Black sleeveless Tunic
3rd Dan: Black + Hakama + Black gi top.
No Grades higher than 3rd dan, except the head of the foundation who's 5th.
Juniors:
18 Mon (junior) Grades:
Novice + 1st-3rd: White 1-3 (though I think this has now been replaced by a red belt.... stupid IMHO, but hey!)
4th-6th: Yellow 1-3
7th-9th: Orange 1-3
10th-12th: Green 1-3
13th-15th: Blue 1-3
16th-18th: Brown 1-3
At 15+ a competitor can test for 1st Dan on the Senior Syllabus.
Seniors (Kyu grades):
Novice: White
9th: Yellow
8th-7th: Orange
6th-5th: Green
4th-3rd: Blue
2nd-1st: Brown
1st-5th Dan: Black, with optional level tags
6th-8th Dan: Black, or optionally Red and White Belt
9th-10th Dan: Black, or optionally Red Belt
To my knowledge, 11th is a possible grade but has never been achieved.
Jitsu Foundation Grades:
Novice: White
7th Kyu: Yellow
6th Kyu: Orange
5th Kyu: Green
4th Kyu: Purple
3rd Kyu: Light Blue
2nd Kyu: Dark Blue
1st Kyu: Brown
1st Dan: Black + Hakama
2nd Dan: Black + Hakama + Black sleeveless Tunic
3rd Dan: Black + Hakama + Black gi top.
No Grades higher than 3rd dan, except the head of the foundation who's 5th.
H
Hansson
Guest
In Swedish Sport Ju-Jutsu...
5th kyu: Yellow belt
4th kyu: Orange belt
3rd kyu: Green belt
2nd kyu: Blue belt
1st kyu: Brown belt
All dans: Black belt
Only white gi's.
In Sweden only Ninjutsu folks use coloured gi's (black in that case) with the exception of a suspect kenpo club (which I guess has been inspired by American kenpo... some of them wear red/black gi's which look absolutely awful...).
Isn't this multicoloured gi mainly a Kenpo thing? Or do karatekas and aikidokas from the traditional schools also wear them in the US?
5th kyu: Yellow belt
4th kyu: Orange belt
3rd kyu: Green belt
2nd kyu: Blue belt
1st kyu: Brown belt
All dans: Black belt
Only white gi's.
In Sweden only Ninjutsu folks use coloured gi's (black in that case) with the exception of a suspect kenpo club (which I guess has been inspired by American kenpo... some of them wear red/black gi's which look absolutely awful...).
Isn't this multicoloured gi mainly a Kenpo thing? Or do karatekas and aikidokas from the traditional schools also wear them in the US?
A
Angus
Guest
That is a terrible, terrible pun.
American Karate:
White
Yellow
Orange
Green
Blue
Purple
1st Brown
2nd Brown
Red/black
Black
Current, uh, mix:
White
Yellow
Orange
Purple
Green
1st Blue (w/black)
2nd Blue
1st Red (w/ black)
2nd Red
1st Brown (w/ black)
2nd Brown
Black
The kids have the same order, but EVERY color has a black striped belt before the solid color, so they start on white/black. I think it's something like 18 belts.
I don't remember the Muay Thai shirt order, but I remember it contained things like neon lime green, which was at least different.
We have the BJA Judo colours as posted above. My teacher is 9th Dan BJA so he can wear a red belt, and the students searched high and low to get him one. But he won't wear it because it leaks dye into his nice white gi. He sticks to his old red and white which I think looks better anyway. The general tradition in Judo is you try to keep your belt as low down the scale as possible to avoid the heavier beatings you get higher up the scale.
In Bujinkan Ninpo it goes White then Green then Black.
Matt, I can see why you discussed the uniform change for a long time. If I walked into a 'kung-fu' school where the students wore Japanese uniforms I'd be highly suspect about the lineage, but I know how hard it can be to get decent Chinese uniforms. We trained in white T-shirts and black jogbottoms or Chinese kit depending on the weather when I did Kung-fu. The Chinese approach was always the practical one, so it doesn't surprise me that you are so casual about what uniforms you wear.
In Bujinkan Ninpo it goes White then Green then Black.
Matt, I can see why you discussed the uniform change for a long time. If I walked into a 'kung-fu' school where the students wore Japanese uniforms I'd be highly suspect about the lineage, but I know how hard it can be to get decent Chinese uniforms. We trained in white T-shirts and black jogbottoms or Chinese kit depending on the weather when I did Kung-fu. The Chinese approach was always the practical one, so it doesn't surprise me that you are so casual about what uniforms you wear.
S
Shinzu
Guest
my styles:
Shotokan:
white, yellow, orange, blue, green, purple, purple w/2 stripes, brown 1, brown 2, brown 3, then black.
1st TSD School:
white, orange, orange w/green stripe, green, green w/brown stripe, brown, brown w/red stripe, red, red w/blue stripe, dark blue, dark blue w/black stripe, then black (1st-3rd dan), black w/red stripe thouugh the center (4th-5th dan), blackw/2 red stripes (6th dan), black and red checkered (7th dan), white and red checkered (8th dan).
TSD school i am at now:
white, yellow, orange, orange w/1 stripe, green, green w/1 stripe, green w/2 stripes, red, red w/1 stripe, red w/2 stripes, red w/3 stripes, red w/2 srtipes & 1 black stripe, red w/3 stripes and 1 black stripe, midnight blue 1-3rd dan (black), midnight blue with a red line through the center (4th-7th dan).
Shotokan:
white, yellow, orange, blue, green, purple, purple w/2 stripes, brown 1, brown 2, brown 3, then black.
1st TSD School:
white, orange, orange w/green stripe, green, green w/brown stripe, brown, brown w/red stripe, red, red w/blue stripe, dark blue, dark blue w/black stripe, then black (1st-3rd dan), black w/red stripe thouugh the center (4th-5th dan), blackw/2 red stripes (6th dan), black and red checkered (7th dan), white and red checkered (8th dan).
TSD school i am at now:
white, yellow, orange, orange w/1 stripe, green, green w/1 stripe, green w/2 stripes, red, red w/1 stripe, red w/2 stripes, red w/3 stripes, red w/2 srtipes & 1 black stripe, red w/3 stripes and 1 black stripe, midnight blue 1-3rd dan (black), midnight blue with a red line through the center (4th-7th dan).
Matt Stone
Master of Arts
I guess my feeling is that since, at least as far as I can tell, it is more likely that you will be attacked/confronted/assaulted while not in your training uniform, what clothing you wear for training should at least have a bit of common sense thrown at it. We still wear Chinese uniforms in addition to the Japanese style ones, but I am hoping to be able to encourage at least a few training classes in regular ol' street clothes so folks can see how their movements are impacted by different (and usually more constricting) clothes.
Gambarimasu.
R
RyuShiKan
Guest
Really? I wouldn't.
There was a man in Taiwan by the name of Hung Yi Shang, who was extremely well resepcted and was former head of the Taiwan Martial Arts Federation, respected Sying Yi, Bagua, & Taichi master and all around bad ***. His students wore "Japanese" karate uniforms and it even said "Tang Sho Dao" or Karate Do (old kanji for Kara) on the back of the uniforms.
In the Modern Arnis, I grew up in the ranking was as follows:
Yellow
Blue
Green I
Green II
Brown I
Brown II
Brown III
Lakan/Dayang (Black Belt)
Lakan/Dayang Isa (First degree)
Etc., ..., .
Later it was changed to the following to avoid some confusion with other clubs at tournaments:
Yellow
Green I
Green II
Blue I
Blue II
Brown I
Brown II
Brown III
Lakan/Dayang
Lakan/Dayang Isa
etc., ..., .
In The Balintawak I study there are two ranks:
Teacher and Student. As my Instructor, Manong Ted Buot has not said I can teach, I am still very much the student. Does this bother me? Nope. I enjoy it very much.
Good wishes to all
Rich
:asian:
Yellow
Blue
Green I
Green II
Brown I
Brown II
Brown III
Lakan/Dayang (Black Belt)
Lakan/Dayang Isa (First degree)
Etc., ..., .
Later it was changed to the following to avoid some confusion with other clubs at tournaments:
Yellow
Green I
Green II
Blue I
Blue II
Brown I
Brown II
Brown III
Lakan/Dayang
Lakan/Dayang Isa
etc., ..., .
In The Balintawak I study there are two ranks:
Teacher and Student. As my Instructor, Manong Ted Buot has not said I can teach, I am still very much the student. Does this bother me? Nope. I enjoy it very much.
Good wishes to all
Rich
:asian:
C
chufeng
Guest
Our by-laws are pretty strict on wear wear of uniforms...
We have to wear pants, some kind of jacket (Chinese or Japanese) and our rank belt with the knot firmly placed over tan t'ien...a single club patch is highly encouraged...all other patches are highly discouraged...Now, the belt can be worn in the traditional Japanese fashion (outside of gi top with tails hanging free) or it could be tied with tails tucked and the jacket over the belt (so you don't see it)...shoes are optional...For special occasions the student will wear a sash instead of a belt...worn with the knot on the right hip if male (opposite if female) unless the person holds master rank, in which case the knot is on the other hip...(although my teacher will argue otherwise, there is only ONE master of our system).
Someone who comes to our system is recognized as white belt and can wear ANY belt he/she chooses until the first test...then he/she must wear the rank earned in our system.
Belt order was previously identified by Matt Stone...
A very strict dress code...yes.
:asian:
chufeng
We have to wear pants, some kind of jacket (Chinese or Japanese) and our rank belt with the knot firmly placed over tan t'ien...a single club patch is highly encouraged...all other patches are highly discouraged...Now, the belt can be worn in the traditional Japanese fashion (outside of gi top with tails hanging free) or it could be tied with tails tucked and the jacket over the belt (so you don't see it)...shoes are optional...For special occasions the student will wear a sash instead of a belt...worn with the knot on the right hip if male (opposite if female) unless the person holds master rank, in which case the knot is on the other hip...(although my teacher will argue otherwise, there is only ONE master of our system).
Someone who comes to our system is recognized as white belt and can wear ANY belt he/she chooses until the first test...then he/she must wear the rank earned in our system.
Belt order was previously identified by Matt Stone...
A very strict dress code...yes.
:asian:
chufeng
M
MartialArtist
Guest
I remember having a couple of belts.
White, blue, red, and black just spring into mind. Traditionally, there wasn't purple and all those colors.
The last belt would be... White. White is the first and the last color. Your black belt with age becomes white, symbolizing that you are back to instinct but the difference then is that it's "instinct with skill"
White, blue, red, and black just spring into mind. Traditionally, there wasn't purple and all those colors.
The last belt would be... White. White is the first and the last color. Your black belt with age becomes white, symbolizing that you are back to instinct but the difference then is that it's "instinct with skill"
T
tonbo
Guest
At our school, we use the following ranking system:
White
Yellow
Orange
Purple
Blue
Green
Brown
Brown with Red Stripe ("High Brown Belt", or 1st Deg. Brown)
Red (2nd Deg. Brown)
Red/Black (3rd Deg. Brown)
Black
Black, 1st Deg.
Black, 2nd Deg.
etc.
We wear white uniforms until reaching Blue belt, when you can officially wear a black uniform. If you are an assistant instructor or full instructor, you wear a red top when teaching, but your normal black top when in class.
Peace--
White
Yellow
Orange
Purple
Blue
Green
Brown
Brown with Red Stripe ("High Brown Belt", or 1st Deg. Brown)
Red (2nd Deg. Brown)
Red/Black (3rd Deg. Brown)
Black
Black, 1st Deg.
Black, 2nd Deg.
etc.
We wear white uniforms until reaching Blue belt, when you can officially wear a black uniform. If you are an assistant instructor or full instructor, you wear a red top when teaching, but your normal black top when in class.
Peace--
