Mark Brewer’s Analysis of Ranking System in Judo

Different colors denotes different rank

My namesake Mark Brewer is one of the most talented Judo professionals hailing from New Zealand. Ever since I heard of him I have started following judo keenly. My friends Mr. Phoenix, Mr. Oak and Mr. Jones (a Forex trader) watch games with me. In this blog I am going to tell you about the judo ranking system and its details. The achievements in judo are weighed in terms of a series of systematic ranks. The ranks for judo students are known as kyu and they are differentiated from one to the other by the color of belts they wear. There are different belt colors used, in some countries there are more than 6 kyu ranks used. There are ten black belt or expert ranks which are known as dan.

Kano was the mastermind of modern judo. Before Kano there was no formal ranking system in place for judo professionals. They were awarded scrolls or certificates containing the details about their school and style. Kano thought of a new way. In 1883, Kano awarded a couple of his students with belts. But back then there was no way to differentiate between the experts (black belt holders) and the other judo practitioners. So, Kano decided to let his expert students wear black belts. These belts were not similar to the ones worn by modern practitioners. These were much wider belts. In 1903, Kano introduced modern style of belts but he included black and white belts in the ranking system. According to Kano, white belt symbolized simplicity, purity and avoidance of ego. It indicated that all the students were equal. The white and black belt represented the progression of a student from being empty to full.

Today, the ranking system is a sort of grade system. You can earn a new ranking after completing a specific syllabus. A belt denotes the proficiency, skills and functional manners of a professional. All the belts are made with a mission to instigate the practitioner to climb higher. Mark Brewer may have passed through all the belts, but there are many young judo practitioners who are still targeting the black belt and sweating out for that.