06/12/2026
Seen a lot of discussions on other martial arts pages recently on subject of number of underbelt colors/ ranks. How many styles have 6 or more belts/ ranks between white and black and how it used to be just white and black.
Therefore some who are the Head of their style (or at least their dojo) have "simplified"/ "reduced" the number of belts/ ranks. Which sounds reasonable.
For example:
System has 6 ranks: Yellow/ 6th Kyu; Orange/ 5th; Blue/ 4th; Green/ 3rd; Purple/ 2nd Kyu; Brown/ 1st Kyu.
First "reduced" it to just 3 colors/ ranks: Yellow/ 6th & 5th Kyu; Green/ 4th & 3rd Kyu and Brown/ 2nd & 1st with a white stripe on the tip of each to denote the 5th, 3rd and 1st Kyu.
Then further "simplified/ reduced" to just 2 colors: Green/ 6th - 4th and Brown/ 3rd - 1st with 3 white stripe denote the 6th & 3rd & 2 stripes to denote 5th & 2nd, 1 stripe denoting 4th & 1st.
Which is fine, but does it really help cut down on rank chasing, just because there are less colors? There is still 6 Kyu ranks and 6 rank test.
My honest opinion: Each rank requirement is the same, minimum time requirement is roughly 6 months apart, so what has been reduced?
Truly "reducing" to only 3 belts would be having requirements for 6th-5th Kyu combined into Yellow/ 3rd; 4th-3rd combined into Green/2nd and 2nd-1st combined with a minimum roughly 1 year apart. With just the 2 belts: 6th-4th becomes all requirements for 2nd and 3rd-1st are combined into just a 1st Kyu and roughly 18 months from white to Green/ 2nd and roughly 18 months before ready to test for 1st Kyu, no special stripes on the belts, just a solid White/ Novice, Green/ 2nd ( Inter) and Brown/ 1st Kyu (Adv.). That would truly be reducing the number of belt/ ranks and still serve purpose of tracking students progress.
Now for the record: With Nobi Ryu there are 6 Kyu ranks with a minimum of 6 months before eligibility to test for each (the average student should learn the requirements for each in that time). Students have a white belt from day one and at each rank receive a rank bar to symbolize the "mile marker/ stepping stone" on the path of their martial arts journey: Orange=6th; Blue=5th; Green=4th; Purple=3rd; Red=2nd and Brown=1st... This is not reducing anything, just symbolic of student ranks and the steps along the underbelt path
The Dan ranks likewise start with solid black for 1st (starting the Instructor path); 2nd-4th Dan each get a light brown bar to symbolize the progression on the path; 5th-6th med brown; 7th-9th dark brown and 10th will unlikely ever have a living receipent, though the Head of the System will have the sole responsibility of testing/promoting all 8th Dan for/ to 9th Dan. There has been a "joke" that for 10th Dan making it a pink belt. There are also specified strict requirements for any who want to test for it with a minimum score of 98% to pass the test.
