Karate uses a belt system to distinguish martial arts students and masters from one another. Each color represents a particular skill set and level of study. If you—or your children—are thinking about beginning self-defense training, here’s what you should know about this system. 

A Brief History

Using belts to denote rank in karate started in the early 20^th century. Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, used to rank his students based on a system borrowed from Honinbo Dosaku, a professional Go player from Japan. The oldest board game still played to this day, Go requires strategic thinking to achieve a territorial objective. Its ranking system differentiated between students (kyu) and masters (dan). 

In 1907, Jigorō introduced his students to a simple uniform comprised of baggy pants, a loose smock, and a belt. Initially, there were only two belt colors: less experienced students wore white, while black was reserved for experts.

In the 1930s, Mikonosuke Kawaishi, another judo master, introduced other colors into the belt system to motivate his students to work their way up the ranks. 

The Color System

Today, white belts are still worn by those new to martial arts because white symbolizes birth or new beginnings. Yellow is the next rank and signifies the sunlight that fosters the growth of new seedlings. Orange follows for those who continue their study and stands for the increasing strength of the sun. 

Green is the first intermediate rank and indicates growth. Students wearing a green belt have mastered the basics and are ready to refine their skills. Blue follows and represents the sky, which provides continued light to all growing things. Purple is the next rank and symbolizes dawn, the beginning of the student’s advanced course of study. 

Brown, which represents the ripening of a seed, is the start of the expert ranks. Students wearing brown belts have started to reap the fruits of all their hard work. Red follows and stands for the heat coming off the sun. Those wearing red belts need to be aware of their strength because if they lose control, they could cause harm.

Black is the last belt and highest rank. Representing the darkness beyond the sun, black is for masters who have sought—and achieved—a deep understanding of karate’s mental and physical teachings beyond the superficial level. 

If you want to earn a black belt in karate, turn to ATA Infinite Martial Arts. Located in Centennial, CO, this academy has been training martial arts students since 1969. A family-oriented academy, they’re happy to train parents and kids side-by-side, and they accept students as young as three years old. To learn more about their different programs, visit their website. To enroll, call (303) 353-4951.