| Martial arts belt colors |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Wednesday, 31 January 2007 13:30 |
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Using colored belts for ranking martial arts knowledge was instituted by Jigoro Kano, the founder of Kodokan Judo. In the beginning only black or white belts were used.
The purpose for the belts was to signify which students could participate in which activities. Having a certain color of belt only noted your rank within that particular system but these rankings were not universal and never could be. Shortly after colored belts began to be used, extra belt colors were integrated into the system. Since
The only problem with the belt system is that when different types of martial arts use the belt ranking system, they aren't always equivalent which could lead to confusion. In addition to that, different The first belts were awarded in the 1880s. As mentioned before, only white and black were used originally and it wasn't until the early 1900s that the colored belts were used. Many modern martial artists today mistakenly believe that the belt system is outdated. In Japanese martial arts the black belt had rankings within it. For example the first black belt was called shodan (beginner). As the student gained seniority, stripes or other insignia were added. In Judo, colored belts are used instead of insignia to denote seniority. One of the highest being solid red. Unfortunately it is a belief that belts are handed out much quicker in There is a myth about the belts and that is that martial artists started with a white belt and that they became colored from sweat, blood and dirt. Although this sounds plausible, it remains a folk tale. There is also another belief, that the belt should not be washed in case the martial arts knowledge is washed away as well. More to the truth is that there is a fear that washing the belt would unravel the stitching. More accurately, the black belt can be compared to a BA in University. It takes anywhere between 3 - 6 years to earn a black belt so even if they are given out too freely, you still have to be very skilled to receive one. So go ahead and work hard…no matter what style of martial arts you are studying, earning a belt is worth every moment of training. There are not too many students who would attend University if they would not receive some sort of certificate to show their academic achievements. The same applies to martial arts. It is an incentive that is very necessary!!
martial arts styles vary so much that it would be hard to standardize the belt system altogether.
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