2025-11-01
If you've ever watched a judo class, you'll have noticed students wearing belts of different colours. The belt system in judo is a way of recognising a student's progress, knowledge, and skill level. It was actually judo's founder, Jigoro Kano, who introduced the coloured belt ranking system — an idea that was later adopted by almost every other martial art in the world.
Every judoka starts with a white belt. From there, the junior and senior belt progressions differ slightly, but the general path in Australia moves through white, yellow, orange, green, blue, and brown before reaching black belt (1st Dan). Each colour represents a kyu grade, and moving from one belt to the next requires demonstrating specific throws, holds, groundwork techniques, and sometimes knowledge of judo terminology and principles.
Gradings at the Illawarra International Judo Club are conducted regularly and are a positive experience rather than a stressful exam. Students demonstrate techniques they've been practising in class, and the grading panel assesses whether they're ready to move to the next level. There's no pass-or-fail pressure — if you're not quite ready, your instructor will let you know what to work on so you can grade next time with confidence.
One question we hear a lot is: 'How long does it take to get a black belt?' The honest answer is that it varies. As a rough guide, a dedicated adult training two to three times a week might reach 1st Dan (Shodan) in around five to seven years. For juniors, the timeline is longer because there are more belt stages and age requirements. But the most important thing to understand is that judo is about personal progress, not racing to the next belt.
Beyond black belt, the dan grades continue — 2nd Dan, 3rd Dan, and so on, right up to 10th Dan (which has been awarded to only a handful of people in judo's history). From 6th Dan onwards, judoka have the option of wearing a red-and-white panelled belt, and from 9th Dan, a solid red belt. These higher ranks reflect decades of contribution to judo as a whole.
Whether you're aiming for your first yellow belt or dreaming of one day wearing a black belt, the journey is what matters most. If you're in the Illawarra region and curious about starting your judo journey, come along to the Illawarra International Judo Club for a free trial class. No booking necessary — just show up and take the first step.
