The Okinawan Karate Jutsu which gave rise to Karate-do had no need for grades of competence since it was a fighting system in which you either excelled or failed. Master Chojun Miyagi made this point succinctly when he said that, if a student was good enough, he did not need a mark of competence such as a coloured belt, if he was good enough he wouldn`t get one anyway.

Nevertheless, it was considered appropriate to institute a series of examinations, conducted at regular intervals during training, with the object of evaluating the student`s competence and identifying it by means of a coloured belt.

At first there were only three colours of belt: The white belt was used to denote the novice, the green belt, the intermediate, the brown belt, the advanced student. Later on, additional colours were added as the number of grading examinations increased. A typical progression of belt colours is given below:

 

10th Kyu     Red

9th Kyu      Yellow

8th Kyu      Orange

7th Kyu      Green

6th Kyu      Blue

5th Kyu      Purple

4th Kyu      Purple/Brown Stripe

3rd Kyu      Brown

2nd Kyu     Brown/2 Red Stripes

1st Kyu      Brown/ Black Stripe

1st Dan      Black Belt, 1st Level

2nd Dan     Black Belt, 2nd Level

 

There may be as few as six, or as many as ten Kyu grades in any Ryu. In order to pass from one to another, the student takes comprehensive examination based upon the techniques he has learned thus far. Those required for each grade are listed in the syllabus of the Ryu. The average time which must elapse between gradings is three months. In the case of the brown belt six months must elapse between second and first Kyu and first dan.

The black belt is a mark of competence and is usually attained with five years of joining the club. There are stages within the black belt known as the dan grades and as in Kyu grades, examinations are governed by the length of time a grade has been held. The following table is that of the world union of karatedo organisations, the governing body for world karate:

 

2nd Dan      1st Dan must be held for two years

3rd Dan      2nd Dan must be held for three years

4th Dan      3rd Dan must be held for four years

5th Dan      4th Dan must be held for five years

6th Dan      5th Dan must be held for six years

7th Dan      6th Dan must be held for seven years

8th Dan      7th Dan must be held for eight years

9th Dan      8th Dan must be held for nine years

10th Dan    9th Dan must be held for ten years

 

THEREFORE, a person who has gained his first dan at the age of 18 would, assuming that he took and passed all of the intermediate grades, become a ninth dan at the age of 62.

A tenth dan is the highest grade that can be awarded within a Ryu. The founder, or Kancho, may take this grade. Some founders consider that are beyond grades in their Ryu.

Seventh and eight dans are allowed to wear a belt that alternates red and white banded, while ninth and tenth dans wear all red belts. Since the red belt is often used to denote the complete novice, the masters return to red symbolizes the principle of karate, that he has` forgotton `all techniques and returned to the beginning.

With the grade held goes a specific title. Above sixth dan, the title Shihan ( synonym= hanshi ) is used. Between third and sixth dan the title Sensei applies. Below third dan the correct title Sempai. If, however, a first or second dan operates his own dojo, then it is correct to call him sensei. The corps of black belts withina Ryu are known as yudansha. Advancements in grade up to and including the rank of third dan are taken by examination against the syllabus of the Ryu. Above that level, they are conferred in reoginition of diligent training. The Karateka carries a record of his training in the form of a licence book. Wach time he advances a grade the book is endorsed accordingly..

 

Karate is like boiling water, if you do not heat it constantly, it will cool

 

Karate begins with a courtesy and ends with a courtesy

 

1, Never change what works.
2, Grasp whatever you can, be open minded about everything.
3, Learn what you want to learn,but never close your mind to something different.
4, Knowing yourself helps you to know others.
5, Never stop learning - never limit yourself to what you think you may attain.
6, To be in 100% shape, you must first be in 100% mental shape.
7, Respect your judgement- remember you cannot fool yourself.
8, Take defeat as a process of learning.
9, Never degrade yourself by thinking negativley.
10, If you lose figure out why you lost and find the defences- which will help you next time.
11, There is no time for being old fashioned- one must progress.
12, Learn to train your mind to be ahead of your body.
13, Beat the pain mentally and you can go on forever.
14, Don`t try to be as good as somebody - strive to be better.
15, Winning isn`t everything - its the only thing.
 

1. The more you practice the better you get. 
2. I am fast - three words you say to yourself throughout the day. 
3.  you are a stick of dynamite when you move you explode. 
4.  anger and fear will prevent you from moving with great speed. 
5.  Train for balance while training for speed and you will never kiss the floor. 
6.  Believe you have power, self-confidence will increase your strength. 
7.  Do exercises to strengthen your wrists so that they don't bend when punching a heavy bag. 
8.  Practice shadow boxing in neck high water to add resistance to you blows. 
9  Always get enough rest, no good if you are tired, and warm up thoroughly before you train. 
10. Do not criticize any other of the martial art's, speak ill of others it will surely come back to you. 

The mountain does not laugh at the river because it is lowly nor does the river speak ill of the mountain because it cannot move about, metal is tested by fire, man is tested by what he says!

A final word! Human life is precious, although some people act as though they don't think so .  More specifically, my life is precious to me and yours is precious to you.  So are the lives of your family.  If someone threatens the lives of you and yours, you have the right to defend them. Whether you believe in life after death or not, this life on earth is the only one you've got.  We only go around once, and whatever happens after the ride is over is another matter.  We all want to ride until the last stop. and anyone who tries to push us off the bus before we arrive deserves to have his ticket canceled. Sensei Steve Costello