From White Belt to Black Belt

This article is part of a series that is supposed to give you a better understanding of this topic.

In the Japanese martial art training, a black belt is one of the most prized awards you can achieve. This signifies great discipline and skill in the Japanese martial art training. A white belt, on the other hand, is a symbol of a beginning student who has not acquired the skills needed for the next level. Although a white belt is not respected in the karate community, it does show that the person wearing it has the ambition and discipline to endure the Japanese martial art training in pursuit of much higher rewards.

What does the white belt really mean, though? Did you know that in traditional martial art training, the practitioners had no ranking system? Sure, there was a certain hierarchy within the dojo (formal karate training school): there were the beginning, intermediate and advanced students, the senior instructors and the Sensei (head instructor), but they had no colored belts. Everyone had a white belt. The orthodox Japanese martial art of karate didn't start with a colored ranking system until it came to America. As this author's Sensei explained, the American student needed a measurement of progress, unlike the Japanese students. Today, there are some schools that keep to the bare minimum of white, green, brown and black belts. Other schools like a little more flash and incorporate yellow, orange, blue and red. It all boils down to the same thing: something to keep your gi (karate uniform) closed.

Seriously though, in traditional martial art training, the difference between a white belt and a black belt was the amount of years you spent sweating in the dojo, paying your dues and how much knowledge you attained through your training. In the Japanese martial art, the only thing a black belt represents is that you have mastered the basics and now the real work begins. Once you have reached this level, you start to learn the moves behind the moves.

In Japanese martial arts training, the white belt is a symbol of innocence and beginning. Much like the color white in our culture, there is a sense of purity that accompanies the white belt. After having your white belt for a length of time, it will tend to get dirty. Don't wash it, though. The white belt eventually turns to brown and then black. This is a symbol of all the hard work you have contributed to the Japanese martial arts training you have endured.

The funny thing is, that if you wear a black belt long enough, it will start to fray and you'll notice that it's turning to a white belt again. This, too, is symbolic: you never fully master everything in your martial arts training. A true master knows that learning is a never-ending cycle.

A white belt in karate is nothing to be ashamed of. A white belt shows that you have entered martial arts training and you are dedicating yourself to years of hard work and discipline. The white belt means what you want it to mean, so working hard and self-discipline add to its meaningfulness. View your white belt as the beginning of a new person that is dedicated to bettering oneself through the Japanese martial art of karate.

Thanks for reading my article I'm sure it was useful to you.

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