“ORANGE IS THE SYMBOL OF THE INCREASING POWER OF THE SUN AS IT WARMS THE EARTH AND MAKES PLANTS GROW. THE ORANGE-BELT STUDENT BEGINS TO DEVELOP BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY IN HIS MARTIAL ARTS DISCIPLINE.”
~GWEN BRUNO, LIVESTRONG.COM
By orange belt, I’d befriended three other women around my age; we had all begun classes at about the same time and we naturally fell together. I was much more comfortable having a “crew,” as it were; we were learning katas and kumites and self-defense techniques that were easier to master with a friendly face standing by.
We’d also learned just enough material to be cocky about our training. By then I was comfortable going with my friends and not drinking, and we would hang out in bars on weekends, doing our self-defense moves on each other and putting our katas to the dance music. We all had key chains reflecting our current belt levels. We were not yet great practitioners of the modesty aspect of the Student Creed.