The standard belt color system is white, yellow, green, brown, and black. In some Karate school and styles, the color order is white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, black.
The system of colored belts that we use is simply a means to break down the curriculum and to provide a visible indication of approximately how far a student's study has progressed. Each belt level has a syllabus - a set of techniques, forms, and drills - that the student must demonstrate competence in before being promoted to the next level.
The order of belts used in Seido karate (other styles use different orders) is as follows: White, Blue, Yellow, Green, Brown, Black. At each level below Black Belt, there is also a corresponding "advanced" rank - Advanced White, Advanced Blue, and so on, which is indicated by a patch sewn on to the end of the belt. This forms a total of ten kyu ranks below Black Belt.
At Black Belt a student progresses from shodan (first degree), to nidan (second), and so on up through (in theory) judan (tenth). In traditional Japanese karate ranks above godan (fifth dan) are extremely rare. Only a handful of people, the greatest master teachers, are ever awarded the rank of kudan or judan (ninth or tenth degree Black Belt), and even then usually not until the age of 60 or 70.
Jun 15 2004, 9:09 PM
