Do you want the fun (definitely not true story), or the true story? Of course you want the fun story first! Originally students were only given one belt, a white belt. As they sweat into their belt it would begin to turn a bit yellow. As students continued to train, their belt would get other colors from the blood, sweat, and tears that were poured into their training becoming other colors like Red, Orange, Green, etc. Training outside would get dirt and grass stains on the belt. After years of training, their belts would be brown and finally black. The story goes that if you washed your belt you would wash away all your hard work. This story is not true though, it is a fun legend to explain why we don’t wash our belts and why the belts go from White to Black. Most Martial Arts schools still uphold the tradition of not washing your belt, but this is usually because many places have stripes or something on the belt (further showing a student’s level of mastery) that can wash off in the washing machine. The true story of the answer to the question is a lot less interesting.

The creator of the Martial Arts style of Judo is credited as the first person to use belts to signify the difference in the levels of students. The uniforms that were used in Judo needed something to help to tie them closed, so it made sense to add a belt to help keep the uniforms in place. Martial Arts have had levels for their students to show students that they are progressing for a long time before belts were used. Some Martial Art styles never adopted the belt system, but all these styles have some way of denoting that a student has mastered certain skills and has achieved some level or rank. Most Japanese styles of Martial Arts use a Belt system of some kind, the order of the belts varies but White is always the first belt, Brown is the belt just before Black, and Black is always the highest. Sometimes Red is used to signify a teacher belt and students can’t get these belts unless they become instructors. Some places give Red Belts only to very high level Black Belts like Masters and Grandmasters.

Different Belt Systems I’ve Seen Used: 

These belt systems are not the only Belt Systems , there are lots of different systems and even different schools that are the same style may use different belts. These are just some of the systems that I have seen. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has a governing body called the IBJJF that makes sure all schools that teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu have the same belts and the skills needed to reach each belt are the same. But most of the other styles of Martial Arts don’t have a governing body so each Instructor makes their own system. 

I have heard of some Kung Fu (a Chinese Martial Art) and Ninjitsu schools using Sashes instead of belts but these are very similar, a white sash is first and the black sash is last. The sash is tied around the waist just like a belt. Muay Thai uses colored arm bands or cords to denote rank. Some Jiu Jitsu schools have Gis (uniforms), and others are No Gi, the No Gi schools have their students wear rashguards or shirts to match their rank. These shirts follow the same color pattern as the Jiu Jitsu schools that use Gis and belts. 

While the source of the belt systems are traditional and seem like they are unnecessary, the belts actually have a purpose. As a Martial Arts Instructor I can tell you that students wearing belts is invaluable for planning a lesson, I can look down quickly at each student’s waist and know what skills they have mastered and which ones they are still working on. After quickly looking at the students' belts in class, I can decide the focus of the day’s lesson and how to split students into smaller groups. Most schools have even further divided each Belt by giving students stripes on their belt. These stripes show student’s progress toward their next belt. This is great for instructors in lesson planning, but it is also great for students, because they can see their progress and what they still need to practice before they are ready for their next test. Having different colors to show rank also allows students to feel pride in what they have accomplished. Students will show respect to the higher ranks because they can understand the amount of work that went into getting that rank. At some schools you have to kneel when you tie your belt, and whenever a Black Belt ties their belt you should kneel as well. Some schools even allow Higher ranks to wear different gi colors to further celebrate students' hard work. 

It was a tradition at my Kempo school that Black Belts would buy special (expensive) belts that slowly wear the black off the belt revealing white underneath. This has two meanings, the first meaning is to serve as a reminder for new students that Black Belts were once White Belts at some point too. We have a saying, “ A Black Belt is just a White Belt that never quit.” The other meaning of the Black Belt that becomes white over time, is a reminder to the wearer that even as you reach the “end” of the journey, it really never ends because there is always more to learn.

Although the Belt system is steeped in tradition, schools still use them today because they do serve purpose in marking progress and helping instructors to prepare lessons. There are Martial Arts schools that don’t use a Belt System, but they will have another way of marking progress. So if you are thinking of joining a school that does or doesn’t use belts, feel confident that all Martial Arts schools use something to mark your progress so this shouldn’t affect your decision about going to a school or not.

Here at Dojo Source we use the Kempo Belt system used in many different Kempo schools (although many other Kempo schools have 3 ranks of Brown instead of 2):

We also have stripes for each belt, to reach your next belt you must get 5 stripes on your current belt and then pass a test. Here is how to earn each stripe:

The first couple stripes are about learning the basics of that belt, and then you start to use your moves in longer techniques showing that you have the stamina and focus to have good form for longer periods of time. Then you start to use the moves you’ve learned in pad work, partner work (flows), and sparring. The last stripe shows that you can do all the other moves with good form even when you are tired. This stripe progression is a good demonstration of the overall teaching methods that Dojo Source uses, to learn more about that check out Martial Arts and the Best Ways To Learn & Remember.

So Dojo Source offers something for everyone, even if you have trained Martial Arts already, we can increase your skills in the Fighting Ranges where you have less experience. If you want to try a free class, sign up by going here: www.dojosource.fit/free-trial.