Shaolin Kempo Karate Belt Heirarchy
Shaolin Kempo Karate employ's a heirarchical belt structure to demonstrate the levels of skill and expertise a student has obtained during their time learning martial arts. Students are invited to test at each level when their instructor feels they have an adequate knowledge of the elements necessary to move to the next rank.
The belts are categorized as follows:
White Belt
All students begin their training at the While Belt level. It signifies the beginning of their journey in the martial arts.
Yellow Belt
Students progress to the yellow belt level after demonstrating basic movements and learning the school rules and five animals.
Orange Belt
Moving to orange belt requires greater knowledge and use of the basic movements and combinations, movement sequences, and more indepth knowledge of the animal attributes.
Purple Belt
Purple Belt students demonstrate a significant understanding of all movements and practices learned thus far, as well as physical agility and stamina.
Blue Belt
Attainting a blue belt requires students to demonstrate their growing ability to strategize and react. The next achievement from this level is to obtain a blue belt with a Green Stripe, signifying a students progress towards the next colored belt.
Green Belt
Those students moving to the green belt level are able to express their self-confidence and now significant skills in movement and strategy. Students progress at this level to obtain a green belt with a Brown Stripe - the path towards earning a Brown Belt.
Brown Belt
Emotionally, physically and mentally, brown belt achievement signifies a depth of commitment to this art. The three levels of brown belt are: brown with one, two, and three stripes (3rd, 2nd, and 1st degree brown respectively).
Black Belt
Also known as 'Shodan', black belt students earn this rank by demonstrating their reflexes, instincts, strength, power, and agility. This is not the end of the journey however, but rather the beginning of a new phase of indepth learning and study!
