Do any of you matial artists actually know how many belts there really are in the traditional styles?

Question

that reads martial .typo

Answer 1

Depends on the tradition. When my Grandmaster was young, there were 3. White, Red & Black. We have changed since then & have white, yellow, green, purple, brown & black. Belt systems were invented in the early 20th century, so truely traditional schools didn't have belts.

Answer 2

The idea that every belt was white and eventually turned black is a myth. The ranking system was developed by the founder of Judo. In traditional Goju Ryu we had only four belt colors, white green, brown, and black. The following is from an article on gojuryu.net. Links provided below.

Endorsed by the Dai Nippon Butokukai 大日本武徳会, the wearing of sashes and Belts was conceived of by the late founder of Judo, Kano Jigoro. Kano first foresaw the need to distinguish the difference between the advanced practitioner and the different levels of beginners; thus he developed the Dan/Kyu system. The Dan, or Black Belt, indicated an advanced proficiency level and those who earned it became known as Yudansha [Dan recipients]; the Kyu degrees represented the varying levels of competency below the Dan, and were known as Mudansha [those not yet having received a Dan]. Kano Sensei felt it particularly important for all students to fully realize that one's training was in no way complete simply because one had achieved the Dan degree. On the contrary, he emphasized that the attainment of the Dan grade merely symbolized the real beginning of one's journey. By reaching Black Belt level, one had, in fact, completed only the necessary requirements to embark upon a relentless journey without distance that would ultimately result in self-mastery.

http://www.gojuryu.net/readarticle.php?article_id=43
http://www.gojuryu.net/readarticle.php?article_id=44

Answer 3

In the truest traditionalist style, there is one belt. It is white and you wear it for life. As you progress it gets increasingly dirty until it is black.
At some point, many arts took a four belt system - white, green, red and black to show progression and track rank.
Since then, additional ranks were added, usually equaling 10 with colors varying by art. This is a Western addition to the martial arts which places a greater emphasis on rank progression.

Answer 4

To my knowledge there are 10 kyu grades (below black belt) and 10 Dan grade (black belt status). Some associations/club may introduce intermediate belts for the younger students as they may not be able to grasp the concepts and movements required for a full grade. By introducing these intermediate grades it also helps and motivates the youngsters.

However when it comes to the belts itself, you may wish to read this: http://www.all-karate.com/125/history-of-karate-belt-colors I believe that the colours were introduced in the late 40's-50's, after the second world war.

Hope this answers your question.

Answer 5

Like someone else said in Pure Martial Arts one belt, started out white, but with dirt, blood, sweat, it turned gray/black. I think the different belt colors are an American thing. Americans wanna see results right away that way you can keep them interested and coming back, plus your school can make money off you every time they test you.

Answer 6

the thing is that it depends on the discipline of the Martial Art that dtermines the number of ranking belts. but there's a general rule of nine colored belts (white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, red) up to black and there is the Camoflauge belt that is often found in the ATA or ITF organizations.

Answer 7

I don't know about the traditional styles but in my American Karate which derived from Japanese and Korean style we have 10 (not counting white)
White
Yellow
Purple
Orange
Green
Green /w stripe
Blue
Brown
Brown /w stripe
Brown /w 2 stripes
Black
then it goes up to degrees and the highest rank in our association is 8th degree black belt.

Answer 8

In the my Sil Lum Gung Fu class this was the belt order:

White
Yellow
Orange
Blue
Green
Red
Brown
Black
After black there are further levels that you must gain. There are eight more stripes to earn for the black belt. There are also stripes to earn for each of the other belt levels.

However, I remember my Si Fu saying something about the highest level in China for Shaolin Kung Fu being red instead of black. Their belt order is different.