Martial Arts Equipment: Belts Demystified

The Truth About Color And Martial Arts Equipment

“A beginning martial artist,” the old saw starts, “has a white belt. As he trains, the belt turns yellow from perspiration, green with grass stains, and so on and so forth until finally, the belt is black – then, the fighter is truly a master.”

Heard it before? I hope you didn't believe it. Martial arts equipment – belts included – may be color-coded according to ability level, but there's no precious anecdote or mysticism behind the colors. It's generally accepted that lighter colors indicate entry-level and darker colors identify experienced fighters. Take our Re-Breakable Board as an example. This piece of martial arts equipment is colored yellow at its thinnest (.7cm) and the thickest version (1.5cm) is black.

Color is most important when it comes to belts, though. Your belt, or obi, might be the most important piece of martial arts equipment in your uniform because it tells everyone your skill level. Associating color with rank began with judo in the 1920s with master Jigoro Kano and was soon adopted by karate-do and other Japanese martial arts. Today, many MMA schools have adopted colored belts to indicate rank.

There are variations in the belt color system (some dojos use red to honor practitioners who have progressed past black belt, not the rank before it), but the generally accepted color scheme is, from lowest to highest:

• White
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Blue
• Purple
• Brown
• Red
• Black

Martial Arts Equipment For Every Ability Level Whether you're a white belt or black belt, MartialArtsPRIDE.com is a full service online store that specializes in martial arts equipment and other MMA gear at low prices. Our number one priority is to serve you to our utmost.