The skill level in the card is determined by the properties of the belt that the athlete possesses. Gradation of colors means higher rank. The grade of the student is called kyu, and the master is called dan. The darker the color of the belt, the higher the skill level of the wrestler.
Japanese Karate Association System
As a rule, the rank of a wrestler is determined according to the system developed in the Japanese Association, it is generally accepted throughout the international Shotokan Association, although there are other systems. There are several degrees of kyu in it - these are belts that are given to students. The color everyone starts with (ninth) is white. It is received by those who have no rank at all.
Further, upon mastering a certain degree of mastery, the student sequentially receives first a yellow belt (eighth kyu), then orange (seventh kyu), then green (sixth kyu), red (fifth kyu), purple (fourth kyu), light brown (third kyu), brown (second kyu) and dark brown (first kyu). After that, the teaching receives the first dan and becomes a master. This means a black belt.
The negative side of such a system is that in a number of schools, both masters and students are chasing the fastest possible acquisition of a belt, but do not have time to master the technique. That is why the presence of a certain belt in the modern world, unfortunately, does not yet guarantee a similar level of skill for its owner.
How to rank up and gain belts
To get the next belt, the student must pass a test: pass a kind of exam. Federations usually limit the time that must elapse between exams, so it is not possible to complete all stages too quickly. But these time intervals differ in different federations. The general rule is that the higher the rank, the more time passes before the opportunity to pass the exam for it.
If you once received a belt of a certain color, then this is a lifetime rank, you can no longer lose it.
How the system came to be
Karate obi is the name of a belt in karate. It is needed in order to keep the gi - the wrestler's clothes, wrapped around,. But over time, in addition to the purely practical meaning, the color of the belt acquired an additional symbolic meaning.
In traditional schools, there were much fewer colors: white, yellow, green, brown and black.
It is symbolically believed that the white belt given to beginners turns yellow due to the effort and sweat that a person sheds in class. For the same reason, it later acquires green and then brown and black colors. The introduction of additional colors is explained by the desire of the masters to whip up the pride of students, who quickly get a new belt and feel progress.
Some modern representatives of different schools also use the red belt - as the highest measure of mastering skill.
