The degree of mastery in karate is indicated with the help of belts and student degrees "kyu". A person who has received the highest - a black belt, can also improve by passing exams for obtaining master degrees - dans. Such exams include performing kata complexes and conducting several dozen rounds of sparring.
History of karate
Karate is an ancient Japanese fighting system that dates back to the 18th-19th centuries. For the first time the term "karate" was introduced by a certain gentleman by the name of Sakugawa. He lived on the island of Okinawa and studied Chinese martial arts, which are now called wushu.
Initially, the word "karate" was written in Japanese characters, meaning "Chinese hand" in translation. And only then the hieroglyph "kara" ("Chinese") was replaced by a similar sounding hieroglyph "kara", meaning "empty". This is how karate became an empty hand art.
Degrees and belts
There is a system of belts and degrees in karate. A person who has just begun to study this martial art is assigned a white belt. The receipt of each subsequent belt takes place upon passing the exam. Having passed the first test, the beginner receives an orange belt and an apprenticeship degree of the tenth or ninth "kyu". With the growth of skill, a karate athlete can consistently receive a blue, yellow, green, brown and black belt. Passing the exam for the brown belt is accompanied by the assignment of the second or first "kyu".
Getting Danes in Karate
Masters with black belts differ in different categories - dans. The lowest dan in karate is the first, and the oldest is the tenth. With the assignment of the third or fourth dan, a person can bear the title of "sensei" - a teacher.
Passing the exam for the next dan is not an easy task. It differs from school to school. For example, in the karate school of Kyokushinkai, a person who intends to receive the first dan must practice for at least one year, already having a black belt. The first dan exam includes passing several kata combat complexes and conducting twenty rounds of sparring.
To get the second dan, you need to practice karate for one more year, stand in sparring for thirty rounds and receive official certificates of instructor and assistant referee.
To get the third dan, you need to have a judge's certificate, pass master kata complexes and withstand forty rounds in sparring.
The fourth dan exam includes fifty rounds of sparring. Getting higher dans requires special recommendations and passing the Kancho tests. Although the highest degree of mastery is the tenth dan, for most karatekas it is realistic to get only the ninth dan. The tenth dan in most cases is given already posthumously - for a special contribution to the development of martial art.
