Belt Tests

Belt Technical and Philosophical 

Explanations 

*10 points each 

Yellow Belt 

Technical: Start Slow 

Beginners should train slow, even, not too detailed, balanced and aware of the proper waist movements. 

Philosophical: Be Relaxed 

A newborn baby is soft and gentle, at death, man is hard and stiff. Green plants are tender and moist yet at death, they are withered and dry. Things of death are hard, stiff, dry, unbending and brittle. Things of life are soft, gentle, moist, flexible and pliable. 

We should make our primary goal of training to retain the physical qualities of life. This is why it is important to train a system that promotes the aspects of life instead of tension and other aspects of death. If you want to live, copy the characteristics of life! 

Orange Belt 

Technical: The Formula for Usability 

Students should train all new things very slowly. From slowness comes understanding. Through understanding comes comfort. Anything that is truly comfortable, is usable. 

Philosophical: The Great River 

Always train to promote good flow of the Great River. Our body’s Great River consists of Blood, Air and Chi. If at any time, one or all of these do not flow properly, the result will be detrimental. 

Beavers work vigorously to dam up streams and rivers. When the beavers are successful, all below the dam lose out, withering and dying. Tension is our body’s beaver. It, like a beaver, is always at work, and so we must constantly fight it. Our weapon is our training. We must train 

daily to develop relaxation and good feeling. The exercises we practice are our tools with which we wage our battle.

Blue Belt 

Technical: Spool and Spindle 

The outer body revolves around the inner body. The torso acts like a spool. A Straight line from the center of the skull, going down through the body to the point on the floor between your feet is the spindle. The spool revolves around the spindle. This will stabilize the torso for rotation without slumping or arching the back. It will help develop a true center to revolve around. The spindle spurts the head up. The body hangs from the head. The tissue hangs from the bone. 

Philosophy: The Journey 

The process is more important than the result. We should understand that Martial Arts is a journey and not a destination. It is what we learn along that journey that contains the true heart of the art. Enjoy the process, because it can last forever, while a moment of result is fleeting. 

Green Belt 

Technical: The Three Foundations 

The foundation of movement is stillness. 

The foundation of strength is softness. 

The foundation of speed is slowness. 

Philosophy: Without Wax 

From the greatest sincerity comes the greatest achievement. Sincerity comes from the latin words Sans Cera ( Without Wax). It means that we are showing our truest self or acting upon what we truly believe in. When we are living our truth we can achieve our greatest potential. 

Brown Belt 

Technical: Defense, Strategy and Confidence 

Defense- Study defense to become unbeatable, and simply wait for the opportunity to win. That opportunity will be provided by the opponent through an error in footwork, balance or tactic. 

Strategy- Those destined to win develop strategy before a confrontation.. Those destined to lose rush into things headlong without a plan. Brute force is not a reliable strategy. 

Confidence- Confidence comes from planning and practice. It is important to develop muscle memory to the point that you trust your body to perform moves correctly without thinking about them 

Philosophical: Letting Go 

Train to let go of (release) Mind, Body and Self. 

To let go of mind means “do not worry.” 

To let go of body means “do not tense.” 

To let go of self means “do not have excess ego.”

Brown Stripe Belt 

Technical: The Four Golden Aspects of Movement 

Transition- Evenly shift your weight from one foot to the other. Do this smoothly and pay attention to avoid prolonged double weighting. 

Rotation- Always be conscious of your waist axis. Remember your spool and spindle; outer body revolves around the inner body. 

Folding- Folding represents the storage of energy in your bent limbs. Pay close attention to the shock-absorbing and leveling effect of the knees, and focus on moving moothly from one movement to the next. 

Drifting- Utilize varied footwork to control the ebb and flow of the confrontation. 

Philosophical: Seek Peace 

Victory over yourself is greater than victory over an opponent. When faced with an opponent, you should try to harmonize or neutralize the situation, and then victory or self-preservation is easy. Set out to win, and you may lose. Set out to harmonize and you will spot the way to peace. 

Red Belt 

Technical: The Three Muscle Postures 

The three muscle postures are limp, relaxed and tensed. Although there are times that limp and tense may work, relaxation is the center and the position of greatest coordination and power. Train to develop an awareness of tension in your body, to therefore release the tension. 

Philosophical: True Speed 

Swiftness alone is meaningless, it gains meaning only when combined with correct technique. One properly thrown technique can end a conflict faster than a dozen sloppy ones. The qualities of fighting swiftness are: correct technique, simple technique, direct technique and appropriate technique.

Black Belt 

First Degree: Earth 

Earth represents a solidified potential; a memory base that is substantial and the understanding of its contents well established. From the student’s earth grows increased knowledge, its use, and therefore confidence. 

Second Degree: Fire 

Fire is an element of change. In this phase of a student’s training their fundamental skills will start developing more speed and power, while new ideas for how to adapt techniques will start to bubble to the surface. During this period of training it is important to focus on tempering this newfound power with the gentle warmth that is also a trait of fire. Devoting training time to Chi Kung and healing practices will help temper your fire. Fire can destroy but it can also heal, to be a complete practitioner we must acknowledge both of these aspects. 

Third Degree: Water 

During this period of training, the student’s techniques begin to smooth out and round off. The rough edges begin to disappear and the ferocity of the fire begins to cool. Water is an element that responds to its environment. It can take the shape of any object it encounters and change it’s form to adapt to every situation. This is a time when a student should focus on becoming yielding and accepting of the world around them. 

Fourth Degree: Wind 

An element that is both subtle and powerful at the same time. We may never notice the wind until a sudden gust almost takes us off our feet. Wind always finds a way. Wind is patient and flexible while also being strong and ferocious. It can wait in quiet stillness until the right time to rush and howl with the force of a tornado. 

Fifth Degree: Void 

The true path of acceptance. A practitioner is realizing self mastery, and through it the master of any situation they may encounter. 

“It is not the teacup itself that is useful, but the empty space inside.”-Lao Tzu