Karate belts facts for kids
Karate belts are special sashes worn by people who practice this martial art. These belts show how much a student has learned and how skilled they are. Think of them like levels in a game! A student usually starts with a white belt and works their way up to different colors, with black being a very high rank.
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What Do Karate Belts Mean?
In Karate, the color of your belt tells everyone your rank. White is usually for beginners. As you learn more moves and get better, you earn new belts. These can be yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, and finally, black. Each color means you have reached a new level of skill and understanding in karate.
Where Did Belt Colors Come From?
People have different ideas about how karate belts got their colors. There are a couple of interesting stories, but they might not be completely true.
The "Dyeing" Story
One idea is that students used to dye their belts a new color each time they passed a test. So, if you had a white belt and passed your test, you might dye it yellow. This story often mentions Japan during World War II. At that time, Japan was a very poor country. It might have been cheaper to dye an old belt than to buy a new one.
The "Dirty Belt" Story
This is another idea, but it's more like a myth. It suggests that students started with a white belt. As they trained hard over many years, their belt would get dirty from sweat and dirt. Over time, the white belt would slowly become darker and darker, eventually turning black. This story shows how much effort and time it takes to become a master in karate.
Images for kids
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Obis for budō. The colours range from yellow to brown corresponding to judo kyū levels from 9th to 1st.
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In some Japanese martial arts the obi is hidden underneath the hakama. Pictured is a kyūdōka.
