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I am new to Krav and am curious as to whether or not there exists any belt (or similar) system. I chose Krav because of the practical applications in self defense. If I only wanted to collect belts, many other options would have been more appealing. However, I can’t help but be curious. I see on the KMW webpage that there is a link for belt promotions which leads me to believe that a belt system exists. That being said, I train at a KMW “Official Training Center” in GA and the entire state is absent from the drop down list. Also, no one at my center wears a belt. Our classes are named Level 1, Level 2, etc… Are there some training centers that use the belt system (assuming it does exist)? Why don’t all KMW training centers do the same thing?
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
Krav Maga has had a belt system since its inception in the early 70s. It was adapted by the Judo ranking system.All stsudents start out as white belts.The rest are earned:
Yellow
Orange
Green
Blue
Brown
Black
Then the degrees of black 1st dan..2nd dan…3rd dan,etc,etc.
I think 6th degree and up is red and white. Then red belt is for 10th dan.
In the mid 90s Eyal Yanilov formed the IKMF which used a new ranking system they designed Practioner 1-4 Graduate 1-4 Expert 1-5 Master (not exact but close enough).
In the late 90s and possibly due to Eyals influence Darren Levine and his organization KMW created the level system but they also kept the belt system.Kind of a mix of the old and new yet they slowly stopped wearing their belts.
All the other legit IMI lineage organizations use the belt system.
Haim Zut Krav Maga…..KMF(Rhon Mizrachi in NYC)…..IKMA….Richard Douiebs org in France….K.A.M.I (Israeli Krav Magen Association)…and my organization Krav Maga Nation.The IKMF split apart into three groups KMG(Eyal Yanilov),IKM(Gabi Noah) and IKMF(Avi Moyal). All three use the unique ranking system that the IKMF introduced in the 90s.
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
The school i went used the belt ranking system, i like using the belts, their just a way to distinguish the amount you studied, and a lower ranking martial artist should always be respectful of a higher ranking martial artist, but never should a higher ranking martial artist look down on the people who do not have as high ranking, all ranks should be respectful of all other ranks, and martial arts.
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
Great explanations! However, why do some KMW “Official Training Centers” use belts while others do not? Why are they not all uniform (no pun intended)?
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
quote GNB:Great explanations! However, why do some KMW “Official Training Centers” use belts while others do not? Why are they not all uniform (no pun intended)?They do, they just don’t wear them in class. Level 1 class = training for yellow belt, etc.
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
I just learned it from here. I thought there is no leveling for Krav Maga.
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
The levels in Krav Maga is more or less for structuring/organization of the curriculum being taught. You are only as good as how you train.
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
KMyoshi: I totally agree. I just figured if I was going to begin devoting substantial time and effort to something I should learn as much about it as possible.
lavrovaS: I had never heard about it either until I found out my instructor was awarded his black belt 2nd Dan. I figured that if there existed a black belt, it made sense that there were other belt colors as well. However, I still find it confusing (or at least a little odd) that there exists a colored belt system that some training centers don’t use (although as catapult explained, “technically” they do, they just call them “levels” and don’t wear the actual belts). I guess we learn something new every day! :):
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
Whats worse is when students wear their belts but no gi pants. Belts with shorts do not go together. You wouldnt wear a necktie with a wifebeater tank top would you?
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
quote KevinMack:Whats worse is when students wear their belts but no gi pants. Belts with shorts do not go together. You wouldnt wear a necktie with a wifebeater tank top would you?I have never looked at my studio as a place for fashion statements… taking your argument to the next level, I’m sure someone in Japan looks at people wearing gi pants and t-shirts while gnashing their teeth and wailing on about how no one would wear Converse and a Kimono. The belts are there for the students to have a physical symbol of their achievements and to allow Instructors to quickly segregate the students into groups. I could give a Sh!t less about how it looks, bro!
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
The belt is just a strip of fabric to control your hips, get your arms tied up in, and even to be choked with LOL. But what do the colors symbolize for you KM guys? I’ll tell you how it goes in BJJ from my exposure to the culture. This is somewhat idealized because it sometimes gets corrupted for one reason or another in particular instances.
BJJ Belts – White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black, (Red*)
White – you came in off the street and are new to BJJ. You attend the beginner’s class and only do drills until you feel comfortable to roll. You begin to learn the techniques of BJJ and are tapping a lot to higher belts. You start to be able to submit other white belts but most of your time rolling is spent defending attacks while stuck on the bottom. This is a difficult time but you must stick with it.
(62% of students at the gym)Blue – (1 to 4 years typically, most in 1-2 if they are dedicated) You have not only memorized all of the fundamental techniques from every position in BJJ, you have drilled all of them at least a dozen times. Most classes are repeated techniques with maybe one or two new tricks salted in per week. For the most part you’ve stopped getting hurt when you roll and can force submissions on a fully resisting opponent. Your love of BJJ is overflowing now that you can utilize it instinctively. You start to get a feel for strategy, balance and timing and use less strength and speed. You also gained the first target on your back for lower belts who want to claim tapping a blue, which is ok. You are used to tapping often and so you commonly play with your less than optimal techniques to increase experience with your game, even if it makes you lose in training. The only white belts that give you a hard time are previously trained athletic wrestlers and judokas, as well as experienced white belts getting near blue. Sometimes in MMA they will give a fighter who trains BJJ a blue early because of in-ring accomplishments, even if they are missing some technical knowledge of the fundamentals of BJJ. The same early promotion may happen for a really good and experienced wrestler that is just missing the whole BJJ specific repertoire. I believe it’s irresponsible to fight in a MMA format without at least a true blue.
(25% of students)Purple – (4 to 8 years, typically 6) The grad school of BJJ. You may begin formally teaching. Your game is airtight and you have a well developed personal style with good flow from one technique to another. You have pretty much seen and experienced everything BJJ on the mat. You rarely waist time or energy while rolling. You spend more attention on the timing, feel and tricking of your opponent because you have nailing the technical knowledge on auto-pilot of what you’re doing. Your technical skills may be similar to that of a blue, but the blues can be slow and sloppy and you are deliberate and clean with everything, and have a slightly bigger game. It’s just experience. At this level you have to start to care if you get tapped by a lower belt, but not until this level. When you try something new if it fails with a lower belt it doesn’t often set you back much.
(10% of students)Brown – (8 to 12 years, sometimes 8-10) You no longer make mistakes. If you are submitted it was by a brown or black and one helluva fight. Of course sometimes you may let lower belts advance on you and get close to a submission so that you have a sporting fight to practice your defense. You have a stack of tournament wins and have spent a significant effort teaching, giving back to the BJJ community. Most often when you roll you expend very little energy and have your opponent running like an exhausted scared rabbit. 99.9999% of the world cannot hang at your level. You definitely have a flawlessly executed personal style which contains multiple solutions and contingencies for any 1-on-1 unarmed position and situation, and you recognize them occurring many steps ahead of time to exploit them.
(2% of students)Black – (10 to 12, mostly 12+) You are the white belt that never gave up. Now you get to control where and how the fight goes with rare exception. You are expected to open your own school and make contributions to the technical development of the art. Virtually no one but other world class elite grapplers can hang at your level. Not only do you do everything perfectly down to the smallest detail, you know where others tend to go wrong from all of your teaching experience. Other elites and celebrities come from far and wide and you travel to meet them, for the best gym battles in history.
(1% of students)*Red- Red is reserved for the founding fathers of BJJ. No one in our time would get a red belt unless they made contributions to the art that literally turned it on its head.
Re: Krav Levels/Rankings/Belts?
quote Jeremy Stafford:I have never looked at my studio as a place for fashion statements… taking your argument to the next level, I’m sure someone in Japan looks at people wearing gi pants and t-shirts while gnashing their teeth and wailing on about how no one would wear Converse and a Kimono. The belts are there for the students to have a physical symbol of their achievements and to allow Instructors to quickly segregate the students into groups. I could give a Sh!t less about how it looks, bro!Guys who show up with matching rash guards and fight shorts tend to get made fun of at my gym. I like to wear rashguard and gi pants to limit skin-on-skin contact. Sometimes it’s a t-shirt and fight shorts day. Occasionally we will have a full blown gi day, jacket, pants and belt. Typically we will were belts for the segregation purposes that you mention earlier as well as some training techniques involving use of the belt.
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