Karate Ranks Help?

Question

Can someone tell me all the belts there is in karate and how long would it take to get my black belt?

im currently a white belt.

Answer 1

it depends what style of karate.

in shotokan karate it could take 3 - 5 years to get to black belt 1st dan and the belt system goes:

white

orange

red (i am red)

yellow

green

purple

purple with white stripe

brown

brown with white stripe

brown with double white stripe

black 1st dan

black 2nd dan

black 3rd dan

black 4th dan

black 5 dan

etc

p.s. why are you asking on yahoo when you can look on  en.wikipedia.org

Answer 2

Most styles of karate have the belts in the following order: White, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue (sometimes Purple instead), 3rd Degree Brown, 2nd Degree Brown, 1st Degree Brown, then Black Belt.  The different degrees of Brown are signified by stripes.  Black belts then go up in degrees, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.

As for how long it takes that varies depending on the school and its standards.  Usually at a good school  with decent standards you should not expect to make it in less than four years and under the old standards it was pretty much five years.  Separating ranks and having individual classes for Beginners, Intermediate, and Advance students has helped reduce that time a little and allowed instructors to better focus on the needs of each individual group.

Answer 3

ask your instructor - every type of karate is different  - i took tang soo do - there was white, orange, green, red, and midnight blue - no black!!   If you keep one eye on your goal, then you only have one eye left to find your way to the goal. Don't worry about the belt, only worry about the punch, kick, or block that you are practicing right NOW.

Answer 4

Sorry but anyone giving you a list of belts is only guessing. There are so many different styles of karate, and they all have their belt systems set up differently.

Secondly no one can tell you how long it will take to reach black belt. That depends on many things. Some schools have time/ attendance requirements. Other will promote on a regular schedule. The good schools will never promote based on attendance. Commercial schools are businesses and are more likely to promote their students often to keep them from dropping out.

Thirdly, when  ever I hear someone ask how long it takes to reach black belt, I know that they have a mistaken idea. That idea is that reaching black belt means that they have learned to defend themselves and can fight well.  This is just not true. In the orient you are considered to be a beginner at black belt. They believe that once you reach black belt you are ready to really start to learn.  Anyone that tells you otherwise is from a commercial school or simply does not have a lot of knowledge.  

The training is always more important than the belt. A belt can't keep you safe. Only you and your abilities can do that.

Answer 5

I could not improve over Pugpaws answer. Remember Black Belt is just another step in a long journey.

I have also said that the most fun in a journey is the journey itself, not the destination.

Answer 6

Well let's see. White, yellow, orange, blue, green, purple, brown, black I think and maybe not in that exact order, but close, it's been a long time since I messed with Karate.  As far as how long depends on the effort you put into into.  Performing katas for "belt rank" required time between belts and such will make that determination as well.  If I were you I'd ask my teacher.  Mainland Karate, Okinawan Karate, Kempo Karate and all the other Karate arts out there differ on their guidelines and rules, so ye ole' teacher would be the best source to ask on this one.

Answer 7

As mentioned before, it varies depending on the many different varieties of karate styles that are taken.  The system I was instructed in (a variant of Kempo Karate) was a little bit different than the answers given, and some of that reason may be due to my sensei breaking from the Fred Villari system into his own family martial arts center.  Although he did not change the belt progression, he did introduce "steps" of certain belts that signified competence in the study of that rank.  As you can see, there is no correct answer to a general question about ranks in karate.  Consult with your martial arts instructors.