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Obi - Belt

One would think that the tying of the Obi (belt) would be a simple matter and quite standard. In fact it's anything but simple or standard. It would seem that there are 10 or so different philosophies regarding how to tie ones belt. So what's a student to do? When in doubt, tie your belt the way your instructor ties his belt.

Too Simple of an answer? Perhaps...

Having said that, there are a few customs are are generally followed...

  • Any stripes on the belt should fall onto the right side of the person when wearing the belt.

  • If one has writing on their belt only on one side, the writing should fall onto the right side of the person when wearing the belt.

  • If one has stripes on one side and writing on both sides, then the stripes on the belt should fall onto the right side of the person when wearing the belt.

  • And never, ever wash your belt.

Some Judo federations do have a rule for tournaments regarding the tying of a belt.

Article #3 of the IJF regulations state: "A strong belt, 4 to 5cm wide, whose color corresponds to the grade, shall be worn over the jacket going twice around it at the waist, and tied with a square knot with the first loops inside the knot, tight enough to prevent the jacket from being too loose and long enough to leave 20 to 30 cm protruding from each side of the knot when tied".

Some schools even tie symbolism to the tying of the knot....

Start with the center of the belt on your center (navel) and wrap each side around your body (symbolizing the man and earth). Then bring the right side over left and bring it upward around all parts of the belt (symbolizing right conquers wrong). Then bring the left side over right and feed it through the hole made (symbolizing that if not careful, wrong can conquer right). So right conquers wrong but wrong can conquer what's right if not careful.....

As for colors of the belt, again there are as many varieties as there are schools.

White, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple, Brown and Black are some of the more popular colors.

Beyond Black there are Red and White belts (stripped horizontally and vertically depending on rank) and solid Red belts.

But there are of course some general observations that can be made.

  • Students start out as a beginner (white belt). In old days, there were only two colors, white and black. The "historical reference" is that a student would start with a white belt and as he (or she) progressed, the belt would become dirty and darker. Eventually the belt would be replaced with a black belt. Now it is important to note that this sits more in legend then in fact as belt color rankings did not even take hold until Kano crated Judo.

  • Many schools also provide stripes on belt to further differentiate ranks.

  • Most schools use belt rank to differentiate the levels of students and will teach different techniques based upon this ranking system.

  • As the student progresses, their belt changes colors (usually from light colors to darker colors).

Dying of the belt

Another reason for progressing from light to darker colors is based in the koru (old school) tradition of dying a belt. When a student promoted to a new color belt, they did not receive a new belt, but rather would soak their belt in fabric dye to change the color. This was a practical solution in Japan after World War II when Japan was poor and rebuilding. It is easier to dye a belt from lighter shades to darker ones.

Philosophy of the circle

A student starts as a white belt and progresses towards black belt. Once a student gets their black belt, it immediately starts to fade and after a while, the inside white of the belt begins to show more and more. This reminds the black belt that indeed they are still a beginner, always needing to learn.

"The goal of white belts is to have a black belt.... The goal of black belts is to again have a white belt..."

Final Thoughts on Belt Color and Rank.

Some modern day schools (often referred to as McDojo's) use belt colors as a revenue generating form. Quick promotions and rank advancements (for a fee) help to hold students and increase revenue through promotional fees. I have seen some schools who promote so often that the belt removed from the student is still stiff. Other schools never, ever fail a student testing for advancement for fearing of loosing that student. A good rule of thumb when investigating a school is to ask the students how many tests they have not passed. If no students have failed a promotional test, then perhaps you should look for another school.

In my opinion, if belt colors are to be used, White, Yellow, Green, Brown and Black should be the foundation. Often one will find a difference between kids and adults within a school. An example of this would be a brown belt under 16 years of age being considered the same as a green belt above 16 years of age. This is an important differentiation as younger students often lack the mental as well as physical requirements of an adult.

While I am on this tangent, a 8 year old black belt will not NOT NOT NOT be able to defeat an adult. I can respect the child for his dedication and admire their skill in kata and form. Being a martial artist with 25 years experience, I understand the intrinsic difference between a young child and adult black belt. Do not let your child believe falsely that they are safe because they have a black belt.

With the multitude of schools out there today; there are varying degrees of skilled martial artists out there. A black belt at one school my be only a green belt at another school. This imbalance happens for a number of reasons. And since there is little push for standardization between schools,  the tradition of isolationism of styles still holds true. As a result, you should never judge a persons skill by their belt color. That would be like judging a book by its cover. A true skilled martial artist makes their presence known in short time.

Also it is important to note that not all high level martial artists have the physical ability to compete at the level their belt represents. This can happen due to injury or perhaps just to age. In this case, the person who has rightfully earned their rank through hard work and sweat, deserves the respect that comes with the rank. Time may take away ones capabilities to perform a technique, but the knowledge of how to do the technique remains, ready to be shared with all willing to learn.

Remember, without safety, there can be no Jujitsu. 


Before beginning any martial art practice, you must always know primary rule.

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Last modified: 08/25/09