Belts

However, a Black Belt rank in WTF Tae Kwon Do may have lesser or greater requirements.

Certainly they will be different, because the skills used and emphasised by the different systems are dramatically different. And here's the thing: A Black Belt in Shotokan Karate will have different requirements than one in Goju Ryu Karate. The fact that both systems are called Karate does not mean that they are equivalent.
It is worth noting, too, that even if two schools are teaching alledgedly the same style, it is possible that one may have stricter requirements for rank than the other. Different instructors teach differently.

There are even some schools where the requirements for gaining such a rank consist of nothing more than attending enough classes and spending enough money, and skill has little or nothing to do with it. Such schools are generally widely unpopular amongst more skills-driven martial artists, with the reasoning being that they give martial artists a bad reputation.

Variations on a theme

So, we know that different schools use the belt systems differently, with different requirements. Below are some variations on the idea.

• Capoeira schools sometimes use a form of this system, though there are some interesting differences. Rather than a belt, they use a "Cordao", a sort of rope. It is also interesting to note that different Capoeira schools use different systems of rank, and very different colour systems, some with only two ranks, some with more - even up to sixteen.
• Savate ranks are shown by the colour of a band around the wrist of the fighter's glove.
• Brazilian Jiu Jitsu generally operates on a system derived, like the rest of BJJ, from Judo. However, there are only five ranks generally used.

So, we see that using belts as denoting rank is by no means universal, or even a terribly old tradition.

We understand a little better the reality behind the cry, "I'm a Black Belt in Karate!"

Rank comes in many forms

"I'm a black belt in Karate, so you better not mess with me!" A line straight out of the movies, that most of us have heard, or even seen someone say in real life. But what does it actually mean?

The first thing we need to understand is that in some martial arts systems, the colour of the belt (obi) you wear is a signifier of your rank within that system. The second thing we need to understand is that these signifiers are by no means universal throughout the martial arts world.

In fact, rank itself is determined in different ways in different systems, and much of this depends upon the social context within which that system developed and has existed.

So let's have a look at where the idea of belts as rank signifiers developed, and then go on to see how different ranking systems are used.

The origins of the belt system

The use of the belt to signify the rank of a martial arts practitioner is not a very old practice, in terms of martial arts history. It can be traced back to Jigoro Kano, the founder of Kodokan Judo. Initially, Kano used only black or white belts to signify rank amongst his students. The most commonly given reason for the belts is to enable recognition of which students could take part in which activities... Best not to throw a student who doesn't have the proven ability to handle being thrown.

Shortly after Kano introduced this innovation, extra colours of belts were integrated. It has proven to be a useful way of telling at a glance generally what level of knowledge and ability a student has. Other teachers adopted the system, or variations on it. Some of these included Tae Kwon Do, Karate, and even teachers of Chinese styles.

Why rank does not translate across systems

The major problem that arises from different styles using similar physical representations of rank is that they are not always equivalent. A black belt ranking in one school may have a significantly different level of skills as its requirement than a black belt rank in another school. This tends to cause confusion.

Judo, which as we have seen was the original school to use a belt system, operates in such a way that the requirements for any given rank in Judo are theoretically the same all over the world, a Black Belt (dan) rank in Judo from Manchester, England is expected to be of the same skill level as one from Boston, USA. (Note: this is how it works in theory. In practice, it may not be the case, but due to the nature of international Judo competition, it is less diverse than some other groups.)