The diff ?

So after being informed that our belt systems color progression was about to change I received a facebook message with the details early this morning. Below you can see the difference in the color of the grade scales, just wondering what the opnions of more experienced Martial Artists was.

Old System / New system
1.white / 1.White
2.Orange / 2.Yellow
3.Purple / 3.Orange
4.Blue / 4.Green
5.Brown / 5.Brown
6.Black / 6.Black

So as you can see its the same number of belts and the length of time required to attain each belt hasnt changed, just another Karate thing I dont quit get.:hat:

 

well, purple is the best colour, and they removed it, so the old system was better (also i find yellow belts highly ugly )

 

I saw the recent thread about why certain colors are used in Karate belt rank systems so I wondered what the difference really is anyway.
As per normal Im not allowed to ask any serious questions of my instructor, guess hes a busy guy.

 

The New system is a very standard color order, except I'd normally expect either a blue or purple after Green.

But the real question is: Why do you care?

 

Ive always been suspicious of change, and I rather like things staying the same, just a me thing. I cant quite nail it down but there is a different feel to it now than there was before.
Has anyone else gone from one color progression to another and experienced similar thoughts/feelings about it?

 

It's a belt. It holds your jacket closed and your pants up. What is there to be suspicious of?

 

I guess It makes me wonder what it represnts in relationship to Zanshin Karate. So before I was a Purple belt, now Im back to an orange belt, it really just shows that the belt dosent mean any concrete thing....But then again it does. Its kinda weird, Im trying to wrap my head around it.:bang:
Also Im wondering why a change, what we had was working I thought.

 

It means you're moving to a more standard colour progression. You were always an orange belt. You were just wearing a purple one.

 

I'm not sure it really matters, especially because there are the same number of belts. The time elapsed to each belt is probably the same. Even when we added half belts, cutting the cost of gradings in half because there were twice the amount of belts, for example if it was $10 for a grading from yellow to orange. Yellow -> half yellow = $5, and half yellow -> orange = $5. Yellow -> Orange = 6 months. Yellow -> half yellow = 3 months. It gave a sense of progression and allowed us to break up the curriculum into quarters for easier retention because of obvious shifts and a chronological cue. As long as it takes the same amount, or generally the same amount to get to shodan, it's not very important. If the level is still equivalent between old purple and new orange, it's not important that the color is different, just that the representation of a certain level of mastery between belt colors of equivalent value are still there.

 

If I were you I'd be more concerned about this

 

If I were you, I'd be more concerned with the apparent fact that you can't ask your own instructor questions. I think that's much more cause for worry than the colour of the belt.

EDIT: I've just said precisely the same thing as Wildlings. Quick Draw McGraw, I am.

 

I agree with Wildlings and ad Oweyn - I can ask all my coaches all sorts of things, especially if they are training related.
(And if I think about the stuff not training-related I asked two of my teachers... ^^)
Kind of weird to think, that you couldn't ask your instructor things like that.

To the change: The new system is more like in ... well, every Japanese martial art here (as in: The belt system, that's used here and probably most other places too), I read about. At least if you were to add a blue belt as 2nd kyu.

Just reading your text makes me wonder though, why your instructor would change the colors, if everything else stays the same.
Unless he wants to adjust his system to that of other karate schools for example.

 

So how awesome is this, I sent another email to Jeff my instructor asking about the change and whats up and he gave me the straight up dirt baby, and its awesome in my opnion.

Alright so we all talked about the kids that were asked to leave, no sense bringing that up. and we all know they lost rank and have to retrain to their former level right, right. Well check this out.

In Zanshin Karate we have this life is a Journey theme, in fact we have a list of the 10 Zanshinisms and they all kinda are metaphors for a journey such as the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, thats the first one.

So Jeff confides in me that the new belt system is a Metaphore for building a road and that the road ultimately begins and never ends at BB.

White- Void and empty the worker is asleep

yellow-the day begins, its time to work on this road.

orange- time to set out the under construction signs so we can begin building.

Green- In order to build a road we need to peel off the turf.

brown- with the turf peeled back we need to dig the foundation of our road

brown with black stripe-now we need to tamp our foundation and apply the first layer of road.

Black belt- its time to pave, the road is complete and the journey begins.

Awesome....

 

Do you have to buy belts from the club?

If so lots of people need to cough up for new belts all of a sudden.

Instructor need a new car maybe? :evil:

 

I was kinda thinking a new boat??

 

Awe cmon man, that freakin Nailed it.:bang::yeleyes: