See Black Belt (disambiguation) for other uses of the term Black Belt

In many martial arts, each practitioner's level is marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is often the highest belt color one can attain (far less often, the second highest), and suggests a degree of competence. In many martial arts, each practitioners level is marked by the colour of the belt. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ...

Origin

The systematic use of belt color to denote rank was "invented" by Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, who first devised the colored belt system using obis, and awarded the first black belts in the 1880s. He only used white and black belts, and it wasn't until the early 1900s that the colored belt system of awarding rank was created^[1]. Many modern martial artists, however, mistakenly believe that the belt ranking system is an ancient aspect of traditional martial arts (Koryu instructors in fact tended to provide certificates). Dr. Jigorō Kanō (嘉納 治五郎 Kanō Jigorō, 1860 in Kobe, Japan - 1938) is the founder of Judo. ... Judo ), meaning gentle way, is a modern Japanese martial art (gendai budō) and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. ... Obi (帯, おび) is a Japanese word referring to several different types of sashes worn with kimono and martial arts uniforms by both men and women. ... // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... In many martial arts, the white belt is worn by beginners. ... // First flight by the Wright brothers, December 17, 1903. ... Koryu (古流 koryū) is a Japanese word that translates literally as old school or old tradition. It refers to schools of martial arts that predate the Meiji Restoration, a political event that precipitated Japans modernization. ...

Above the black belt

In the Japanese martial arts, the further subdivisions of black belt ranks are called dan grades where higher numbers means higher rank. Yūdansha (roughly translating from Japanese to 'person who holds a black belt') describe those who hold a black belt wearing rank. The first black belt wearing rank is often called shodan (beginning level). While the belt remains black, stripes or other insignia can be added to denote seniority. In some arts, very senior dan grades will wear differently colored belts. In judo, for instance, a sixth dan will wear a red and white belt, which becomes red only at even higher ranks. Japanese martial arts refers to the enormous variety of martial arts native to Japan. ... // Definition Dan rank is a Japanese mark of level, used in several cultural activities of Japanese origin. ... SHODAN, in System Shock 2 SHODAN is a fictional artificial intelligence and the main antagonist of the computer games System Shock and System Shock 2. ... Judo ), meaning gentle way, is a modern Japanese martial art (gendai budō) and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. ...

One common idea concerning the tradition of belts claims that early martial artists began their training with a white belt, which eventually became stained black from years of sweat, dirt, and blood. However, there is no real evidence for this story, so it must for now be relegated to the status of myth. In fact, given the standard of cleanliness common in a traditional dojo, a student arriving with a bloodied or dirty uniform might not be allowed to train. In some arts and schools there is the (often only half-serious, though equally often rigorous) opinion that the belt should not be washed; by doing that one would "wash away the knowledge" or "wash one's ki away." This might have something to do with the myth. More seriously, most modern belts are made with a cotton or nylon outer shell, but polyester batting and stitching to fill out the belt; the different shrinkage of cotton and polyester in hot water could cause the belt to unravel and come apart. A dojo is a term used in Japanese martial arts that refers to a formal training hall. ... QI, standing for Quite Interesting and a play on IQ, is a comedy panel game television show hosted by Stephen Fry and shown on BBC Two and BBC Four. ... Cotton ready for harvest. ... Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers first produced on February 28, 1935 by Gerard J. Berchet of Wallace Carothers research group at DuPont. ... SEM picture of a bend in a high surface area polyester fiber with a seven-lobed cross section Polyester is a category of polymers, or, more specifically condensation polymers, which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. ...

There is no way to compare belts and ranks between styles. In some arts, a black belt is quite easy to obtain while in others ten years of hard work is more of the rule than exception. In most schools the test for black belt is quite rigorous. It is a common belief that belts are handed out more loosely in the West than in the motherland Japan, and indeed often a sign of bad schools is an abundance of black belt holders of low quality. However, in Japan rank often comes more or less automatically with time done and the black belt has little to do with the "master" level which westerners often think of when they hear the term "black belt".

Advancement

A more correct view, in opposition to the "black belt as master" stereotype, is that a black belt indicates the wearer is at least competent in a style's basic technique. Since in many styles a black belt takes approximately 3 to 6 years of training to achieve, a good intuitive analogy would be a college Bachelor's degree; the black belt can be considered equivalent to a BA degree in the martial arts. The black belt is thus seen not so much as an end, but rather as a beginning, a doorway to advanced learning: the individual now "knows how to walk" and may thus begin the "journey." Of course, as noted above, rank is always a subjective matter. A bachelors degree (Artium Baccalaureus, A.B. or B.A.) is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years. ...

In many schools, after obtaining a black belt the student also begins to instruct. Strictly speaking, a black belt student should not be called sensei until they are sandan (third degree black belt). A sensei must have experience and a deeper grasp of what is involved in teaching a martial art. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• McDojo or the so-called "belt factory"

McDojo is an example of McWords applied to martial arts and a pejorative term used by some Western martial artists to describe a martial arts school where image or profit is of a higher importance than technical standards. ...

References

1. ^ The Judo Rank System

External links

• Origins of the Karate Rank System
• Ranking in Commercial Dojo