Karate belts: what does the color mean and how to get them

In the universe of martial arts there are different hierarchical levels that serve to distinguish the practitioners of multiple Asian disciplines. These distinctions are made based on the experience, talent and perseverance shown by students of martial arts. You can know the degree to which a practitioner is by looking at the colors of the karate belts.

Everything you need to know about karate belts

In popular culture and for people outside the world of martial arts, it is well known that the black belt means that the person who wears it has a high rank in the discipline they practice. But, beyond the black color, there are other karate belts that must be acquired over many years.

Karate is a discipline open to all audiences. Children, youth and adults can start in it; these last two groups without previous experience. And it is that karate is not only a sport, but it was conceived as a philosophy. Karate, which has its origins in Japan, brings great physical and psychological benefits to practitioners. In addition to developing and strengthening muscles , there are certain values that belong to this discipline and that prevail from its origins to the present day. Here we find, for example, effort, humility, respect, sincerity, solidarity, courtesy, fidelity and dignity .

El maestro evalúa a los alumnos

So, for a student to reach the different karate belts , he not only needs to execute exercises with great dexterity and ability, but he has to gather some of the qualities and values that distinguish the practitioners of this discipline. The grade and color are given by the teacher, who is the one who evaluates the students. In karate there are two types of evaluations or exercises:

  • Kata : sequence of attack movements of different types, but of an imaginary nature. That is, they are practiced by imagining a fight and, in addition, the execution must be perfect.
  • Kumité : this exercise is done with a real opponent, but it is a really difficult practice. Well, here, not only physical skills are put to the test, but also mental ones. That is, the person has to concentrate and dominate the body to be able to use only the force necessary to overthrow his opponent. In addition, of course, to execute the exercise correctly.

The colors on karate belts

As we already anticipated, beyond the black color, there are other karate belts that students must obtain throughout their entire career as practitioners of this discipline. The classification system of the different levels is called Danish and is closely related to the colors of the belts. As a curiosity, we tell you that, in Japanese, belts are called obi; The different degrees that exist are called kyus, not only in karate, but also in judo.

The colors of the belts serve to highlight the level of learning that each person has throughout his life. Awarding different colored belts encourages you to progress and strive for a final reward.

White belt

White is the color for novices, for new students who decide to learn karate (although this color is also used for judo and taekwondo). The target is awarded on the ninth Kyu of karate. It is white because it represents purity, cleanliness, innocence of spirit and the light that is diffused. In Japanese culture, white signifies the change a person makes from one life to another. Here begins the transformation and development; the beginning of technique, art and work.

It is the beginning of the journey for the student of this martial discipline. It is as if the person who acquires this belt is a blank canvas to which a series of knowledge is going to be infused. Not only does it represent a journey into this discipline, but it also represents the beginning of a journey of self-discovery.

Yellow belt

In karate belts, the color yellow is conferred in the eighth grade. The yellow color symbolizes energy, strength and light; represents the union, the beginning of the search for knowledge that remains hidden, since it is at this level where the student begins to discover the foundations of this discipline.

This obi also refers to the sun, fortune, luck and progress; it is a symbol of spirituality through which the intellect is reflected. As if that were not enough, it also represents the wheat seeds that begin to germinate.

Orange belt

In the seventh grade the practitioner is awarded the orange belt, which represents fire. This color indicates caution. The student who wears it begins to become a confident and energetic person; a person in constant learning and in contact with their emotions. This color is also associated with the sun.

Blue belt

The blue color in karate belts indicates that whoever wears it, has started in solving the problems for the fulfillment of a wish. This color represents truth, honor, calm, serenity and inspiration. It is identified with the vastness and color of the sky, but also with the ocean and its serenity. The student who is awarded this belt already has some well established karate skill and continues to make progress.

Los cinturones de kárate se clasifican por colores

Green belt

Fifth grade students are distinguished by wearing a green belt. Green is the color of goodness, prosperity, life, and immortality. We cannot forget that green is the mixture of yellow and blue, so in karate belts it represents the harmony between the sun and the sky. Furthermore, green is attributed to nature and, consequently, to life; it also represents hope, youth and balance. Students with this belt color are in search of the highest knowledge.

Purple belt

Students who achieve this kyu are distinguished by their perseverance and the absence of tension. In addition, they are people who trust more and more in themselves and who leave the worldly existence to achieve transcendence. The purple color symbolizes wishes, illusion, faith, devotion, sacrifice, calm and self-control.

Brown belt

For the last three Kyu , the same belt color is used, brown. The student who acquires this color of belt, has advanced in the physical levels, but also in those of human philosophy. He is able to use his intelligence to know the principles of being, but he also has a greater mastery of the technique of the discipline he practices. The brown color represents the land and the sowing and harvesting of it.

In the third, second and first levels, the knowledge is different, but all focused towards the same end; it is about self-knowledge, but perfected with the principles and values of karate.

Black belt

When the initial nine grades conclude, the student is awarded the black belt. It does not mean that the road ends here; quite the contrary, it has only just begun. The grades are no longer called Kyu and are renamed Dan. The color of this belt is the opposite of white and its purity: it means that whoever wears the color black is a person with knowledge. He is a mature, professional person, knows himself and is capable of applying the learned values.

Dentro de los cinturones de kárate el negro representa mayor jerarquía

There are multiple Dan grades, all of them with black belts. Thus, in the second level Dan, the student will be graduated; in the third grade, he acquires a master’s degree while, in the fourth grade, he becomes a teacher. The fifth level is the most respectful, since the student acquires the title of teacher. With this degree you can not only teach others (something that can be done from the teacher level), but also acquires a title that distinguishes it among men , because it is someone who has reached the maximum knowledge, who has managed to develop all the own values of karate.