With another graduation coming up on Saturday, I thought I should repost this article for those of you who are new to martial arts. Most martial arts systems signify ranking with a belt system. In our practice, the belt is a tangible indication of the students will to continue studies. Beyond being pretty colors, the belts we wear at Integrity Martial Arts have meaning.
White Belt: Innocence and purity. A student views the study of taekwondo as a child, whether young or old.
Yellow Belt: Symbolizes the sunrise and the dawning of knowledge. Mental and physical changes begin. Attainment of this rank brings a sense of attainment.
Orange Belt: Signifies the day. This belt shows that the student is taking in knowledge. The students basic techniques are growing and the student is becoming more in tune with his or her body.
Green Belt: This belt symbolizes spring and the beginning of even more growth in the student. This belt symbolizes the student as a young plant with leaves reaching to the sky.
Purple Belt: The darkening sky. Heavy continuing knowledge. Their is much still to be learned and the students and they must practice perseverance.
Blue Belt: Blue is the color of the sky and shows that the student is reaching up to the sky. The belt symbolizes ambition and desire for complexity in techniques. At this rank, the student must also grow their humility and patience.
Red Belt: Fire and the sun, and…danger. Though the student is familiar with all the techniques, the student still lacks control. Here the student must practice executing techniques with control.
Brown Belt: In our system we have two brown belts: 1st and 2nd brown. Mountains and earth. This belt symbolizes the firm foundation. The second brown belt is a solid brown color. The 1st Brown belt has a black strip on it and is the first appearance of black in the belt, denoting the student is practicing to get to black belt.
Black Belt: Signifies the concentration of knowledge and control. Now the real training begins for the taekwondo student! If kept long enough and practiced enough, the belt with eventually turn white, signifying the full cycle of training.
