Karate belts

colored textile belt worn in karate

Karate belts are a measure of a student/teacher ability. For example, a Brown belt is higher than a Blue Belt.[1]

Karate belts of different colors/ranks

Usual rank

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All styles of karate range from white to black.[2] There are some theories about how belts came to be.

The "dying" theory

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Some believe when a student graduated a kyu, he/she would dye their current belt the new, desired color.[3] This was often done in Japan during WWII when it was a very poor country.[4]

The "dirty belt" theory

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This is a theory that demonstrates how a student would, as they trained, dirty their belt overtime. More of a myth than a theory,[5] a student started with a white belt. As sweat, dirt, and other debris occupied not only the belt, but the karate gi, his/her color appeared to get darker and closer to black.[6]

References

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  1. http://www.allkarate.com/125/history-of-karate-belt-colors[permanent dead link]
  2. Karate Belt Colors. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  3. Karate Belt Dying. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  4. "karate: Definition from". Answers.com. Archived from the original on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  5. The Dirty Belt Theory. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  6. http://www.answers.com/Dirty_Belt_Theory[permanent dead link]