What are dans in karate?

Answer by  technogeek (6640)

Dans are the ranks in karate after the achievement of a black belt. There are typically ten dans from the shodan to the judan. Shodan connotates a basic mastery of the style. Sandan, the third dan, is the level at which a person is qualified to teach. In Korean arts, there are nine dans.

Answer by  cb81 (613)

A Dan is a ranking system designed by Japanese people. A dan is a popular ranking system used in many traditional martial arts, not only karate.

Answer by  JDX (133)

Dans are basically a western invention meant to be a measure of an instructor's proficiency at black belt status and above. Dans today are more common worldwide and begin at 1st and go up to 10th: 10th meaning essentially the practitioner is a grand master of that style. 4th dan usually means one is a master.

Answer by  Conjurer (53)

Karate Dans describe a participant's skill level. These are derived from the Japanese martial arts and the ancient game of Go.