BELT RANKS AND PROMOTIONS

Traditionally, a student would train under their master and after a few years of training, he would become master himself. As the years passed and students incorporated tournaments into their training. They thought they would need to develop ranks to show the students progress as they were learning. In the beginning, a student would start as a white belt and then become black belt. Different schools promote their students differently, but in Isshinryu, the prmotions went from white, green, brown, and black. Today. My school has incorporated more belts in its system to promote the self esteem of students and making them feel good about themselves. The belt ranks and promotions are as follows.

WHITE - 10th Kyu (Innocence/Purity)

YELLOW - 9th Kyu (Seeing The Light)

ORANGE - 8th Kyu (More of The Light)

BLUE - 7th Kyu (Sky's The Limit)

PURPLE - 6th Kyu (Bruises You Get From Training)

GREEN - 5th Kyu (Growth)

GREEN with 3 Stripes - 4th Kyu (Continue to Grow)

BROWN - 3rd Kyu (Roots)

BROWN with 2 Stripes - 2nd Kyu (Roots Keep Growing)

BROWN with 1 Stripe - 1st Kyu (Roots Are Strong)

BLACK - Shodan-Ho (Dirt on Your Belt You Get From Training)

The average time to earn a black belt is anywhere from 2-3 years depending on the student. However, the rank of Black Belt is only the beginning to a long journey. There are 10 degrees a student must earn as a black belt, which they are awarded at various times as the student develops perfect techniques and contributes proper discipline for the art. As a 10th degree, a student is presented with a red belt after many years of continuous training and dedication. Only a handful of masters in the world wear them.

HOMEPAGE