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THE
SHOTOKAN KYU RANKING SYSTEM
Kyu
levels
From
the very first moment that a student enters the dojo
their training will constantly be monitored by their sensei (teacher).
Within
the modern Shotokan karate system each student's progress
is measured strictly on their ability to retain, and
constantly improve upon, the quality of their basic
techniques and katas. Once a student reaches a specific
level of performance their sensei (teacher)
will afford them the opportunity to try for promotion by
taking part in a grading.
Upon
successfully passing their grading a student is awarded a
new "kyu" or "rank" which
will redefine their specific place within their dojo
society. Visually this is represented by the colour of
the belt that each student wears when ever they are in
the dojo. It would be fair to say that a qualified
student should be able, with an appropriate letter of
introduction, to enter into any Shotokan dojo in the
world and feel comfortable amongst students of a similar
rank.
There
are ten "kyu levels" in the
modern Shotokan system and these levels are awarded in
the following order starting from lowest (white belt - 10th
kyu) to the highest (3rd brown belt - 1st kyu) :
10th
kyu - white belt
9th
kyu - yellow belt
8th
kyu - orange belt
7th
kyu - red belt
6th
kyu - green belt
At
this point (6th kyu) a student has reached the half way
mark in the kyu belt
system and would now be considered the "highest of
the low belts" where as at 5th kyu (violet belt) the
student would be considered the "lowest of the high
belts".
5th
kyu - violet belt
4th
kyu - blue belt
3rd
kyu - brown belt
2nd
kyu - brown belt
1st
kyu - brown belt
Once
the average karate student has reached the rank of 1st
kyu they will in all likelihood have been studying the
art of Shotokan karate for approximately three to four
years, and should shortly be preparing to take their Sho Dan (1st Dan)
or "black belt" exam. It should be noted that
in reality all kyu ranks
were originally considered white belts relative to the
black belt.
Today,
however, Shotokan as well as many other styles of karate,
employ the use of these coloured belts as a means of
making it easier for each student in the dojo to measure
their individual progress within the dojo society.
In
the end, the time that it takes to reach the rank of Sho Dan (1st Dan)
will differ for each individual student. The important
thing for you to remember is that it is the journey that
matters, not the time it takes to make the journey.
After
all, karate-do is meant to be practiced for your entire
lifetime, and I assure you the faster you try and go, the
more likely you are to miss the things that really
matter, and in doing so you will never truly comprehend
all that karate-do has to offer.
I
wish you a long life and a safe journey.
Remember
Haste
makes waste.
Part
the clouds - see the way.
"The
objective of karate-do is to contribute to the evolution
of
the human spirit through physical and mental training."
Sensei
Peter Lindsay
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