Progress
Grades and belts
Kyu, dan, coloured belts: how you progress in each discipline, from your first class to black belt.
How grades work
Most Japanese and Korean martial arts split student grades (kyu in Japan, gup in Korea), shown by coloured belts, from master grades (dan), which start at black belt.
Belt colours and their order vary between disciplines and national federations.
Each grading combines a minimum training time, a technical syllabus (basics, kata or forms) and often competition points for dan grades.
Some disciplines have no belts: boxing, savate (coloured gloves) and fencing have their own levels.
Grades, discipline by discipline
More disciplines are on the way.