Belt system?

How do people keep track in martial arts schools without belt systems? in the future i'm planning to teach chinese Kempo but i don't necessarily want the belt system, because i want to show that whether it's 10 years or one day of experience, everyone is equal. I'm only a sophmore in high school, yes. But i want to plan ahead and think up a few stuff that may help if i ever get my own school.

Belt system?
If you want everyone to be equal, whether it's 10 years or one day of experience, it is something you will have to teach them. The belts system is simple a easier way to tell where someone is in their training. Maybe a have modified system of rank will work for you:


"Upperclassmen" (4+ years~"brown belt")Higer level skilled student, assisting to you with new and "Underclassemen" students),


"Underclassmen" (1 to 3 years~"yellow to green") Students with a strong base, working on their finer techniques now and can work with new students on the basics.)


New Students ( Under 1 year) Main focus is learn the basic and how the classes are run.





This can be simply placed on a board and easily seen by the students. I would like to know who i can go to for help on a specific technique at a glance.
Reply:Well, I've never heard of it. I like that you want to see people as being equal but it wouldn't be good for some one who has had a few days of experience to try and tell someone with a few years of experience what to do. Also, having belts (or sashes) allows younger belts to know who they can go to for help. (When if comes to skill and leadership ability, not everyone is equal)





The way you can do it is by just keeping a list. Also, if your a close net community then everyone will just kind of know.





Well good luck, I hope you come up with what you're looking for =]
Reply:In Muay Thai, almost no groups use a belt system, but select groups use a system called Pra Jihad (I think that's what it's called). For us, that's simply sets of colour coded tape, shorts and wristbands. You get upped for outstanding performance or improvement, or a win, etc. Good thing to think about.
Reply:well its hard to have a studio without some sort of rankings , i say keep the belt system, because new students(white belts) can have someone to look up to and motivate themselves if there are no belts, how will they know that that person is good or not
Reply:you dont need a belt system to know who is good and who is new. At my gym there are no belts or rankings, and on the first day i went there within 5 minutes i could tell who was a "black belt" and who wasnt
Reply:Traditionally, a belt system is a thing of pride and honor. You earn your rank, which is represented (shown, rather) by the color of your belt, which is worn with pride because it was earned with your sweat, heart, dedication, and hard work through martial and personal improvement.





Nowadays, however, it's pretty far degenerated into a 'he who continually pays continually gains rank' type of thing, which is sad. This isn't true for all dojos, but a good deal of them are more focused on cash than proper training.





As far as your own school, when I one day open mine, I'm going to implement an all white belt system in which the rank is shown not with color, but rather rounds of tape at the ends of the belt strands; one for each year that the student has been studying. Just a thought. :)
Reply:If I remember correctly the "belt system" was originally instituted in Japan in the 1830s at a particular Judo (?) dojo. Prior to that time each dojo had it's own system for separating skill levels.


The head instructor took his best pupils and gave them black belts and identified them as "students." All the lesser skilled pupils were not given titles and wore white belts. Also a ranking system ("dan," or "degree") was proposed for levels beyond "student." "Teacher" rank was yon-dan, or 4th degree.


The Idea of a systematic way of distinguishing ranks caught on quickly throughout Japan, and a similar system was adopted by most other martial arts. With the new system everyone below black belt was visually ranked the same and it was common for two unequally-skilled people to be paired, and unintentional injuries were common.


The system of colored belts ranging from novice to "student" (black belt) was a necessity for sparring. It was never a "rank" thing as it is often used/seen in the West, but a safety measure and, at least in modern Japanese culture, a way to mark personal progress.


Other traditional Japanese activities such as Kyudo have similar pre-"student" and post-"student" ranks, even if there is not a colored belt to go with it.
Reply:congratulations
Reply:There's a reason why martial arts schools put in a belt system. My sensei taught us that from the first day by letting 2 students with different ranks demostrate sparring techniques. You can clearly see the difference in training experience.





Ranks are put in so that those with lower ranks will strive to achieve the higher rank.. If there are no belt systems, then where is the respect? How will one improve when he or she knows that they are all equal anyway..





Since I started training my goal was to beat my higher belt seniors.. After 2 years, I still haven't able to achieve that goal. So, good luck with teaching without a belt system. =)