Martial Art Belts

In martial arts, the color of the belt you wear signifies your rank within your style of martial arts. It is an ancient practice dating back hundreds of years. Although they have no universal means or ranking within the martial arts world, the belts tell the others how much you know about your specific martial art skill.

The use of belts in martial arts was started by Jigoro Kano. He created the style known as Kodokan Judo. Jigoro Kano started using white and black belts to denote rank within his style of martial arts. Another reason why Jigoro Kano used belts was to specify which of his students could compete in different activities. Those with white belts couldn't compete in the same activities as those with black belts. After Kano introduced the idea of using belts, other belt colors were introduced to the world of martial arts. It became a great way to distinguish the different ranks a student had in his style - just by the looking at his belt.