Yellow belt in aikido. Description of the situation with colored belts in aikido. Can a newcomer join the general group

How much aikido does it take to get a dan/belt? Are dan and belts related? and got the best answer

Answer from Ѐuslan Surin[guru]
The system of colored belts and dans exists in many oriental martial arts: Japanese jujutsu (jiu-jitsu), aikido, karate; Chinese kungfu and many others.
In Japanese martial arts, there is also the concept of "kyu" - the level of the student.
There are 6 kyu and 10 dan in aikido. Belts - 7:
White belt (the first year of study, in many schools a student who has not yet received a white belt is not considered a student of the school, an exam for him is passed somewhere after 2 months, where after six months from the start of training) - 6th kyu
Yellow - 5th kyu
Orange - 4th kyu
Green - 3rd kyu
Blue - 2nd kyu
Brown - 1st kyu
Once upon a time, there was no such a coherent system, just a student who passed the exam for a white belt had to wash the kimono for classes, but never the belt, and the belt gradually turned from white to black (in Chinese martial arts in some places, for example. in the Shaolin Monastery, such a system has been preserved to this day) so now every next color is darker.
In some schools, not the 6th kyu is considered primary, but the 10th kyu (those there the level of education and requirements are much lower), but also the first white belt. It takes a year to get the yellow and orange belts, then several years for each color.
Next comes the BLACK BELT. Black belts are divided into 10 dans. Most often, trainers have 2-3 or 4 dan. 5.6 are already, as a rule, very famous warriors. I don’t know much about the owners of the 10th dan, but I heard that in the entire history of Japanese martial arts there were only 3 of them (I don’t know if this is true). As a rule, every few years each of them tries to meet the standard and qualify for the next dan. To assign a student new color belt, the opinion of his coach (if the coach has a black belt) is enough that the student has fulfilled the standards, and in order to assign a new dan, you need the opinion of a commission of several people, each of whom has a black belt and a dan of a close level. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine a commission that awarded 10 dan to someone!
P.S. My personal amateurish opinion is that Chinese wushu is more interesting, more effective, more universal in general and specifically in terms of healing and fighting scoliosis, much more useful for a person than aikido and karate.

Answer from GABEN[guru]
if you're just doing it to get a "belt" this sport is not for you!


Answer from Edward Wolf[newbie]
there are different schools and everywhere they train differently, so ...


Answer from Grigory Timofeev[active]
About two months


Answer from Luba K[newbie]
I have been doing aikido for two years and two years later I got a yellow belt


Answer from Andrey Khanin[newbie]
Before answering, carefully read the question - this is a test for your personal concentration and understanding of the essence of the issue:
"How long does it take to do aikido to get a DAN/BELT? Are Dan and belts related?"
1. Dan - a master's degree, upon receipt of which it is recommended to wear a black belt.
The terms of obtaining a black belt are affected by the length of time, the intensity of practice, the lead coach, and the school.
1.1. Work experience. Aikikai Hombu Dojo - The Aikido World Center recommends 365 days of practice from the date of receiving 1st kyu in aikido.
1.2. Intensity. 365 days of practice take into account three workouts a week without missing classes (exception: illness, force majeure). There are an average of 12 lessons per month. It is possible to participate in six training sessions per week, which serves as the basis for consolidating the material covered and acquiring skills faster, all other things being equal.
1.3. Lead coach. At the Aikikai International Aikido Center, classes are taught by shihan - teachers from the 6th dan and above. In the peripheral Russian city classes can be conducted by an instructor who does not have a master's degree, at best 1st dan. Obviously, the degree of presentation of the material and the correction of errors under the guidance of a worthy master is faster and better initially.
1.4. School. As a consequence of the above, at the Aikikai Center one can pass the black belt exam after 3.5 years of intensive practice. In Russia, it may take you 5 years or more to pass the black belt exam.
2. Dan grades from 1st and above suggest wearing a black belt, but do not oblige to do so. It is good practice, when attending another aikido school, to wear a beginner's white belt regardless of your skill. It is always good to become a disciple and humble your ego.

Like most martial arts, aikido has a traditional rank system. It includes both student degrees - kyu, and masters - dan. You can roughly estimate what level an aikidoka has by the color of his belt. The sequence of changing colors for belts in aikido can differ significantly, depending on the style, however, we will talk about the gradation adopted in aikikai.

2nd kyu: blue belt.

Similar belt colors in aikikai are adopted around the world. However, there are a number of exceptions. For example, in some schools in aikido classes, only a white belt, brown and black is worn, and all colors in between are ignored.

It should be noted that many aikido beginners mistakenly believe that the darker their belt, the more technical they become. This is not entirely true. Ideally, the abstracts should be in reverse order. Therefore, the main goal of training should not be a stubborn desire to pass the next kyu as soon as possible and obtain the next aikido belt, but methodical development of techniques. Ultimately, the phrase “They don’t hit the waist, but the head” has not lost its cynical justice, and aikido exams are nothing more than another component of training.

Traditionally, Japanese aikido does not use a belt system, much less colored belts. Color grading was first proposed in France to better motivate students. The colors and names of the stages in aikido are taken from judo.

A white belt can be worn by anyone who decides to engage in this type of martial arts. The white color symbolizes the birth of a new life, in this case the birth of a new aikido fighter. This stage in aikido is called the 10th kyu (hereinafter, the belt change sequence in the yoshinkan system is described, in traditional aikido there are only 6 kyu).

In some schools, representatives of 9th and 8th kyu also wear a white belt. In others, as you move up a step, first one and then two stripes are added to the white belt.

The yellow belt speaks of the long journey that a student needs to go through before becoming a master. The warrior has already been training for more than six months and has earned the right to change his white belt to a yellow one.

The orange belt is the 6th kyu. It does not exist in the Japanese tradition, so it can be considered transitional from yellow (the beginning of the path) to green (disclosure of one's potential).

If a student has a green belt in aikido, then he has been practicing this martial art for almost two years. During this time, the fighter worked out the main blows, learned not to be afraid of the opponent, imbued with the very philosophy of aikido. The green belt is the 5th kyu.

Blue belt - the next step, 4th kyu. The student rose in technique, but in the knowledge of the philosophy of martial art, he only saw new horizons, to which the teacher directs him.

The senior kyu are 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Usually all holders of senior kyu wear a brown belt. Sometimes at the 3rd level you can see red belts. The meanings of brown and red in this case are associated with nature. Red is a ripe fruit, or a fighter who is ready to devote his whole life to aikido. Brown is the color of wood. The student found roots in the traditions and culture of aikido and linked his life with it forever.

After the kyu comes the dans, from 1 to 10. Since dan is already a sign of a master, there is no division into colors here. Regardless of the dan number, they wear a black belt - a symbol of wisdom.

Many aikido masters consider the belt system to be detrimental to aikido. Since colors are mainly used for children and teenagers, as well as in sports competitions, this leads to the fact that aikido turns from a martial art into a spectacular sport, where the main thing is showiness, but not efficiency. An example is the style of Steven Seagal, a popular action hero of the 90s. However, if you wish, you can also learn "Segal's Aikido" in the Club18 combat aikido section.

How do they know the level of skill in a group without belts? It is enough at the beginning and at the end of the training to sit in a line for greeting bows. In the beginning - experienced masters, in the end - beginners.

Indeed, in modern aikido, with its division into sports, martial and traditional, there is a certain confusion with colors. Even experienced combat aikido trainers at Club18 sometimes get lost at the sight of colors belts from representatives from other schools. Some have patches, some don't. Somewhere, all senior kyu correspond to the brown belt, and someone allocates red and brown belts for this. Fortunately, which belt someone has in this martial art is not the main thing. Much more important is the desire to learn and comprehend the techniques and techniques of aikido.

You can get your first aikido belt by starting classes in our club - "18Fit" (

It is known that a kimono belt is not just an accessory for convenience, it not only keeps the jacket in a comfortable position, but also reflects the status of a fighter, sometimes even personal data. Watching aikido competitions will be more interesting if you learn to distinguish between belts. If you practice aikido, then the hierarchy of belts will show you what to strive for. From this material you will learn what belts are in aikido, what colors and stripes mean, how belts differ in different directions of aikido.

In martial arts, belts are not just an element of decorative and practical value. Each such accessory carries information, you can learn a lot of interesting things about its owner from the belt. Each martial art has its own hierarchy, belts in aikido differ primarily in color. If you learn to read information from the belt, then watching aikido competitions will become much more interesting.

Why are the belts different colors?

Aikido mastery levels are divided into two types, the master's degree is called "dan", the student's degree is called "kyu". For each degree, a hierarchy and a system of different belts are provided. To find out the skill level of an aikido, you just need to look at the color of the belt he wears.

Even the same dojo can feature belts different colors- white, black, brown, blue and others. The color of the belt shows not only the level of skill, but also reflects the merits of the fighter, since a new degree comes only with certain achievements. The hierarchy of fighters and their belts is very clear and convenient.

Due to the presence of different belts, beginners in training know who to address the question to, the color of the belt will indicate that you have a more experienced aikidoka in front of you.

Aikido belt colors in order

In some dojos, you can see only two colors of belts, black and white, while others are diverse. Each branch of aikido, and even each school within the same branch, can adhere to its own hierarchy.

Even those who have never been interested in martial arts know what a black belt is, this is the highest degree of skill. Thinking logically, we can assume that the white belt is the most initial stage. This assumption will be correct, the belts of black and white color present in every school. Brown belts are also common, they indicate that their owner is no longer quite a novice, he will soon acquire the status of a master. Otherwise, the correspondence of color and level depends on the direction of aikido.

Belt colors in Aikido Aikikai

  • Black belt - this color is worn by masters whose status corresponds to the first dan or higher.
  • Brown belt - 1 kyu degree, if this fighter continues to improve as diligently, then very soon he will receive the first degree of the master and a black belt.
  • Blue belt - degree 2 kyu, a fighter with a belt of this color has enough high level in aikido, he mastered many techniques;
  • Green belt - Grade 3 kyu, an aikidoka student wears a green belt before progressing to blue.
  • The red belt is the 4th kyu degree, this is no longer a beginner, the red belt indicates that its owner has already crossed three levels of mastery.
  • Yellow belt - 5 kyu degree, a belt of this color is awarded immediately after white, but after a novice fighter can pass attestation for 5 kyu.
  • The white belt is a 6 kyu degree, in traditional aikido directions this is an entry-level belt. The white belt is worn by the one who just came to train, then there is certification for the 6th kyu degree, after which the fighter also wears a white belt until he moves to the next level.

Belt colors in Aikido Yoshinkan

  • White belt - everything is different in this direction, the first attestation of students is 10 kyu. A white belt is worn by those whose level corresponds to 8, 9 and 10 kyu.
  • Yellow belt - this color indicates the transition to the level of 7 kyu, in traditional aikido schools there is no such level, the path starts from 6 kyu.
  • Orange belt - in this direction, the level of 6 kyu is no longer the initial stage, so the belt is no longer white, but orange.
  • The green belt is a higher level of skill in the Yoshinkan branch.
  • Blue belt - in this case Blue colour corresponds to the level of 4 kyu, and here it is the last stage before moving to the senior student qualification.
  • The brown belt is the senior degrees of the student, Brown color corresponds to the degree of 1, 2 and 3 kyu, means the same as in the previous school - the student will soon become a master.
  • Black belt - as in any direction, this is a master's degree.

Unspoken belt differences

According to the two schools given, it becomes clear that the gradations of colors can be very different, it is easy to get confused in them. In order to avoid confusion, unspoken principles have been developed; almost all schools adhere to them. If a competition or other public event is coming up, then for clarity, holders of junior degrees who wear a green, blue or yellow belt come in white belts. Black and brown belts come in, they don't have to change color.

Thus, many colors and grades may be present within a school, but at events the hierarchy is simpler. There are only three colors - white, brown and black, that is, three classes - junior and senior students, their masters.

Belt patches

The stripes on the aikido belts look very impressive, it seems that they give the owner of the belt some special status. One has a club logo sewn on the belt, the other has a third-party image, often hieroglyphs are sewn on the belts. Stripes are beautiful, aesthetics are their only role, the designations do not carry any meaning.

The only exception is the gold patch on the black belt. In order for the master, who has just acquired such a degree, and his new black belt to become one, the name of the master is embroidered with golden threads in Japanese characters on the black belt.

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