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Sun, September 05, 2010
About the Study of Kung Fu...
Rankings and Color Belt Systems
Traditionally the Chinese arts of Kung Fu have not had a formal ranking system or colored belt model. In fact, ranking systems as we know it today have only been around about 100 years. The first modern ranking system was devised by Jigoro Kano for the sport of Judo, then later adopted by Funakoshi as Karate was spread from Okinawa to Japan. Today in the West, the spread of sport Karate and Tae Kwon Do has helped imprint the concept of colored ranking belts in the minds of most martial artists, so most commercial schools have adopted them as "standard operating proceedure."
That being said, do not put too much stock in rankings, and put even less in belt color. Belt colors are HIGHLY dependent on the style, school, and instructor. Some styles don't have any belts. Some have only white and black. Some have white, brown, and black. Some have a rainbow. Some instructors hand out rank/belts like candy, others are very stingy. A given color will frequently signify different ranks in different styles.
Rather than rank or belt color, what will determine an individual's skill are how long and how intensely they have studied, the quality of instruction they have received, and (to a lesser extent) their "natural" ability.
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