What Color Is Your Belt

What Color Is Your Belt? - General Karate

AMERICAN KANG DUK WON KARATE (Watertown, New York, United States)

Rank	Age Under 18 Color	Adult Color
8th Gyup	White	White
	Orange with white center stripe
7th Gyup	Yellow with white center stripe	Yellow
6th Gyup	Green with white center stripe	Green
5th Gyup	Blue with white center stripe	Blue
4th Gyup	Purple with white center stripe	Purple
3rd Gyup	Brown with white center stripe	Brown
2nd Gyup	Brown with white center stripe with 1 black tip stripe	Brown with 1 black tip stripe
1st Gyup	Brown with white center stripe with 2 black tip stripes	Brown with 2 black tip stripes
1st Gyup considered for testing for 1st Degree	Brown with white center stripe with 3 black tip stripes	Brown with 3 black tip stripes
1st Degree	Black with white center stripe	Black

Source: American Kang Duk Won; “General Requirements For Belt Levels;” [Internet page]; at http://www.americankangdukwon.org/require.html; 2007.

AMERICAN STREET KARATE (Robinson, Texas, United States)

Rank	Color
10^th Gup	White with student name
9^th Gup	Yellow with student name
8^th Gup	Orange with student name
7^th Gup	Green
6^th Gup	Purple
5^th Gup	Blue
4^th Gup	Brown with 1 white tip stripe
3^rd Gup	Brown with 2 white tip stripes
2^nd Gup	Brown with 3 white tip stripes
1^st Gup	Brown with 4 white tip stripes
1^st Gup Probationary Black Belt	Black
1^st Degree	Black with 1 yellow tip stripe
2^nd Degree	Black with 2 yellow tip stripes
3^rd Degree	Black with 3 yellow tip stripes
4^th Degree Master	Black with red center stripe and 4 yellow tip stripes
5^th Degree Master	Black with red center stripe and 5 yellow tip stripes
6^th Degree Professor	Black with yellow center stripe and 6 red tip stripes
7^th Degree Professor	Black with yellow center stripe and 7 red tip stripes
8^th Degree Grand Master	Gold with black center stripe and 8 black tip stripes
9^th Degree Grand Master	Gold with black center stripe and 9 black tip stripes
10^th Degree Soke	Gold with 10 black tip stripes

Source: American Street Karate; “Rank of ASK Belts;” [Internet page]; at http://passmoreselfdefense.com/index_files/Page3034.htm; 2009-10-12.

AMJ FREESTYLE KARATE (American Modern Jujitsu, Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States)

Rank	Color
Green I	Green
Green II	Green
	Blue
	Brown
	Black

Source: American Modern Jujitsu; “AMJ Home Study Course;” [Internet page]; at http://www.amj.iwarp.com/about.html; 2003.

ASB KARATE (Johnston City, Texas, United States)

Rank	Color
	White
	Yellow
	Orange
	Green
	Blue
	Red
	Brown
	Black

Source: Family Martial Arts and Fitness Center; “ASB Karate;” [Internet page]; http://www.jcfitnesscenter.com/martialarts.htm; 2009-10-11.

CHIDOKWAN KARATE (Alfred Martial Arts, Alfred, New York, United States)

Rank	Age 3-6 Color	Adult Color
Ku Kyu	Blue
Hachi Kyu	Blue with a white stripe (pattern unknown)
Shichi Kyu	White with a blue stripe (pattern unknown)
Rokukyu		White
Gokyu		Yellow
Yonkyu		Orange
Sankyu		Green
Nikyu		Purple
Ikkyu		Brown
Shodan		Black
Nidan		Black
Sandan		Black
Yondan		Black
Godan		Black
Rokkudan		Black (or red and white pattern unknown)
Shichidan		Black (or red and white pattern unknown)
Hachidan		Black (or red and white pattern unknown)
Kudan		Black (or red and white pattern unknown)
Judan		Red (or red and white pattern unknown)

Source: Alfred Martial Arts; "Ranking System;" [Internet page]; at http://alfredmartialarts.net/content/view/43/53/; 2009-12-10.

CHINESE SHAOLIN KUNG-FU/KARATE SYSTEM (Richmond, Kentucky, United States)

Rank	Age Under 16 Color	Adult Color
Shichi-Kyu		White
Roku-Kyu		Yellow
Go-Kyu		Blue
Yon-Kyu	Green with a white center stripe	Green
San-Kyu	Brown with a white center stripe	Brown with 1 black dot
Ni-Kyu	Brown with a white center stripe	Brown with 2 black dots
Ik-Kyu	Brown with a white center stripe	Brown with 3 black dots
Junior Black Belt	Black with a white center stripe
1st Dan		Black with 1 yellow tip stripe, or Black with 1 red dot
2nd Dan		Black with 2 yellow tip stripes, or Black with 2 red dots
3rd Dan		Black with 3 yellow tip stripes, or Black with 3 red dots
4th Dan		Black with 4 yellow tip stripes, or Black with 4 red dots
5th Dan Associate Master		Black with 5 yellow tip stripes, or Horizontally white over red
6th Dan Master		Black with 6 yellow tip stripes, or Red and white panels
7th Dan Senior Master		Black with 7 yellow tip stripes, or Red and white panels
8th Dan Elder Master		Black with 8 yellow tip stripes, or Red and black panels
9th Dan Associate Grand Master		Black with 9 yellow tip stripes, or Red belt, or Red belt with a white edge stripe
10th Dan Grand Master		Black with 10 yellow tip stripes, or Red Belt, or Red belt with a black edge stripe

Source: Madison Martial Arts Academy; "Rankings;" [Internet page]; at http://www.angelfire.com/empire2/shao_lin/rankings.html, 2009-10-27. Madison Martial Arts Academy; "Belt Colors, Belt Ranks (1);" [Internet page]; at http://www.angelfire.com/empire2/shao_lin/beltcolors1.html, 2009-10-27. Madison Martial Arts Academy; "Belt Colors, Belt Ranks (2);" [Internet page]; at http://www.angelfire.com/empire2/shao_lin/beltcolors2.html, 2009-10-27.

GOJU SHOREI (Kazoku Budokan, Walworth, Wisconsin, United States)

Rank	Color
9th Kyu	White
8th Kyu	Orange
7th Kyu	Yellow
6th Kyu	Green
5th Kyu	Blue
4th Kyu	Purple
3rd Kyu	Brown with 1 black tip stripe
2nd Kyu	Brown with 2 black tip stripes
1st Kyu	Brown with 3 black tip stripes
1st Degree	Black

Source: Kazoku Budokan; "Student Handbook;" [Internet page]; at http://www.kazokubudokan.com/handbook.htm; 2009-10-23.

GOSHIN KARATE-DO (Independent Martial Arts Federation, Fort Worth, Texas, United States)

Rank	Color
	Green
	Brown
1st	Black

Source: Independent Martial Arts Federation; "Goshin Karate-Do Home Study Program;" [Internet page]; at http://www.angelfire.com/ma/imaf/goshintapes.html; 2009-12-20.

HOUSE OF COURAGE KARATE (Cedar Hill, Texas, United States)

Rank	Adult Rank Color	Youth Rank Color
	Yellow	Yellow with white center stripe
	Orange	Orange with white center stripe
	Green	Green with white center stripe
	Purple	Purple with white center stripe
	Blue with 1 white stripe at tip	Blue with white center stripe and 1 white stripe at tip
	Brown with 2 white stripes at tip	Brown with white center stripe
	Black	Black with white center stripe

Source: The House of Courage; “Ranks;” [Internet page]; at http://www.houseofcouragekarate.com/Ranks.html; 2009-10-11.

INTERNATIONAL KOKONDO ASSOCIATION KOKONDO (Tri-Cities Kokondo Martial Arts, Richland, Washington, United States)

Rank	Color
Jukyu	White
Shichikyu	Yellow
Yonkyu	Green
Akaikyu	Red
Sankyu	Brown
Nikyu	Brown
Ikkyu	Brown
Shodan	Black

Source: Tri-Cities Kokondo Martial Arts; “Promotions;” [Internet page]; at http://tricitiesika.freeservers.com/promotions.html; 2009-06-02.

KEICHU-DO, KEICHU RYU, AMERICAN KARATE STYLE (CAJUN SELF-DEFENSE SYSTEM) (Santa Maria, California, United States)

Rank	Color
	Yellow
	Orange
	Green
	Purple
	Brown
	Black

Source: Keichu-Do Cajun Karate; "Karate Training DVDs;" [Internet page]; at http://keichudo.org/Karate/Training/dvd/#Beginner; 2005.

KENPOKAI ALLROUND (FULL CONTACT) KARATE

Rank	Youth Color	Adult Color
10th Kyu	Red
9th Kyu - Red 1	Red	Grey
8th Kyu - Red 2	Red	Grey
7th Kyu - Red 2	Red	Grey
6th Kyu - Red 3	Red	Grey
5th Kyu - Red 3	Red	Grey
4th Kyu - Red 4	Red	Grey
3rd Kyu - Red 4	Red	Grey
2nd Kyu - Red 5	Red	Grey
1st Kyu		Brown
1st Kyu - Brown 1		Brown with 1 black tip stripe
1st Kyu - Brown 2		Brown with 2 black tip stripes
1st Kyu - Brown 3		Brown with 3 black tip stripes
1st Degree		Black with 1 red tip stripe
2nd Degree		Black with 2 red tip stripes
3rd Degree		Black with 3 red tip stripes
4th Degree		Black with 4 red tip stripes
5th Degree		Black with 1 wide red tip stripe
6th Degree		Black with 1 wide red tip stripe and 1 narrow red tip stripe
7th Degree		Black with 1 wide red tip stripe and 2 narrow red tip stripes
8th Degree		Black with 1 wide red tip stripe and 3 narrow red tip stripes
9th Degree		Black with 1 wide red tip stripe and 4 narrow red tip stripes
10th Degree		Black with 2 wide red tip stripes

Source: Pepels, Robert; Kenpokai Allround Karate, Kenpokai Allround Full Contact Karate, Manual Basics; [manual]; at http://www.icmaua.com/ProgrMan.files/PepelsKenpokai03.pdf; 2009.

MATRIX KARATE (Monster Martial Arts, Hollywood, California, United States)

Rank	Color
	White
	Green
	Brown
X Brown	Brown

Source: Case, Al; Monster Martial Arts: Matrix Karate; [Internet page]; Hollywood, California, United States; Monster Martial Arts; 2006.

SHOTO JUTSU KARATE (Shoto Jutsu International Martial Arts Federation, North Hollywood, California, United States)

Rank	Color
10th Kyu	White
9th Kyu	Yellow
8th Kyu	Blue
7th Kyu	Blue
6th Kyu	Green
5th Kyu	Green
4th Kyu	Green
3rd Kyu	Brown
2nd Kyu	Brown
1st Kyu	Brown
1st Dan Shodan	Black

Source: Shoto Jutsu International Martial Arts Federation; "Rank Structure and Promotion;" [Internet page]; at http://shotojutsu.com/rank_structure.htm; 2009-10-20.

SNAKE FIST KARATE (SKAA Academy of Martial Arts, Whittier, California, United States)

Rank	Color
	Yellow
	Blue
	Green
	Black

Source: Ernest, Brett; “Snake-Fist Martial Arts;” [requirements document]; Whittier, California, United States of America; SKKA Academy of Martial Arts; 2008.

TAIGISHINKAI KARATE (Vibo Valentia, Calabria, Italy)

Rank	Color
Yonkyu	Green
Sankyu	Orange
Nikyu	Yellow
Ikkyu	White with 1 black tip stripe on left side
Shodan	Black
Nidan	Black with 2 blue tip stripes on left side
Sandan	Black with 3 blue tip stripes on left side
Yondan	Black with 2 blue tip stripes on left side and 2 on right
Godan	Black with 3 blue tip stripes on left side and 2 on right
Rokudan	Red and white panels
Shichidan	Red and white panels

Source: Rasmussen, Jorgan; Pyon Moo Sul Theory Manual; [manual]; at http://www.icmaua.com/ProgrMan.files/002BonnnoTaigishin.pdf; 2009.

TANGSU KARATE (Aberdeen TangSu Self Defense Center, Aberdeen, Mississippi, United States)

Rank	Color
	White
	Yellow
	Blue
	Green
	Purple
	Brown
	Brown
	Brown
	Black

Source: Aberdeen TangSu Self Defense Center; "Rules Concerning Rank , Amended by: Jimmy Cockerham January 2002;" [Internet page]; at http://tansuselfdefense.net.p12.hostingprod.com/tansu_packet; 2002-01.

TEXAS FREESTYLE KARATE (Mesquite, Texas, United States)

Rank	Color
9^th degree	White
8^th degree	Yellow
7^th degree	Orange
6^th degree	Green
5^th degree	Purple
4^th degree	Blue
3^rd degree	Brown with 1 black tip stripe
2^nd degree	Brown with 2 black tip stripes
1^st degree	Brown with 3 black tip stripes
Probationary	Horizontal red and black
	Black with 1 yellow tip stripe
	Black with 2 yellow tip stripes

Source: Texas Freestyle Karate; “Belt Colors;” [Internet page]; at http://texasfreestylekarate.com/BeltColors.html; 2009-10-11.

UNITED SPORTS KARATE ORGANIZATION (Banbury, United Kingdom)

Rank	Color
11^th Kyu	Red with white center
10^th Kyu	Yellow with white center
9^th Kyu	Red
8^th Kyu	Yellow
7^th Kyu	Orange
6^th Kyu	Green
5^th Kyu	Blue
4^th Kyu	Purple
3^rd Kyu	Brown
2^nd Kyu	Brown with white center
1^st Kyu	Brown with black center
1^st Dan	Black with 1 stripe
2^nd Dan	Black with 2 stripes
3^rd Dan	Black with 3 stripes

Source: United Sports Karate Organization; “USKO;” at http://www.usko-karate.co.uk/history.htm; 2008-04-20.

YAMAGUCHI KARATE INTERNATIONAL (Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India)

Note: The source material provided on the Internet by Yamaguchi Karate International describes belts and ranks, with two different systems. Listed below in the first table is the belt progression:

Rank	Color
	White
	Yellow
	Orange
Green 2	Green
Green 1	Green
Brown 4	Brown
Brown 3	Brown
Brown 2	Brown
Brown 1	Brown
Shodan, 1st Degree	Black

The second table is a different rank progression.

Rank	Color
8th Kyu	White rope
7th Kyu	White belt
6th Kyu	Yellow
5th Kyu	Blue
4th Kyu	Green
3rd Kyu	Brown
2nd Kyu	Brown
1st Kyu	Brown
Shodan, 1st Degree	Black

Source: Yamaguchi Karate International; "About the Yamaguchi Karate International;" [Internet page]; at http://www.geocities.com/yamaguchikarate2000/; 2009-10-23.