#9
Our last post we talked a little about the Gi martial artists wear. Now we are going to talk a little about the belt that holds it all together.
There are quite a few misconceptions and myths about belts and what they actually mean. One of the more humorous myths is the concept of where the colored belts system comes from. Legend has it that ancient martial artists would start with white belts and the dirt, sweat, and grim from training for years in dojos and mountains would change the belt color until it finally became black. The idea of a "black belt" being an ancient tradition is also not true. People would just practice for practice's sake and if the master felt the student was qualified they would receive a certificate or something similar giving them license to teach the style. It wasn't until the 1880's when the founder of Judo, Jigoro Kano(post for another day), created the the concept of rank using belts. Even then it was only white and black. It wasn't until the early 1900s that the colored belts before black were created. After that the concept spread to the other arts. The pattern of the colored belts today varies widely from art to art. There exists arts that follows the old white then black idea and some schools have over 25 levels between white and black. The skill level and time commitment to receive a black belt also varies widely from art to art. Another misconception is the idea that a "black belt" has mastered the art when truly they are now only an advanced beginner.
There are quite a few misconceptions and myths about belts and what they actually mean. One of the more humorous myths is the concept of where the colored belts system comes from. Legend has it that ancient martial artists would start with white belts and the dirt, sweat, and grim from training for years in dojos and mountains would change the belt color until it finally became black. The idea of a "black belt" being an ancient tradition is also not true. People would just practice for practice's sake and if the master felt the student was qualified they would receive a certificate or something similar giving them license to teach the style. It wasn't until the 1880's when the founder of Judo, Jigoro Kano(post for another day), created the the concept of rank using belts. Even then it was only white and black. It wasn't until the early 1900s that the colored belts before black were created. After that the concept spread to the other arts. The pattern of the colored belts today varies widely from art to art. There exists arts that follows the old white then black idea and some schools have over 25 levels between white and black. The skill level and time commitment to receive a black belt also varies widely from art to art. Another misconception is the idea that a "black belt" has mastered the art when truly they are now only an advanced beginner.