White Belt - Almost all martial arts students start out as a White Belt. A White Belt symbolizes purity and innocence of all martial arts knowledge. A White Belt is like an empty vessel waiting to be filled. As a White Belt, you must show respect to your instructor and others in the class. You must encourage others and never discourage them.

Orange Stripe - An orange stripe signifies an overall grasp of the basics of any martial arts. Orange tends to signify the first rays of sunlight as it shines upon the seeds of learning that have been planted in the student.

Yellow Stripe - A yellow stripe symbolizes you not only know your basics of martial arts, but you're coming into the beginning of a solid foundation in martial arts. Yellow signifies when the sun sets after a long beautiful day of hard work.

Green Stripe - A green stripe (advanced student) signifies the roots of knowledge having taken to the earth and sprouted upward into their first growth. The student should now have a solid, basic foundation of martial arts skills and be ready to begin building on them.

Purple Stripe - A purple stripe symbolizes that something has grown from just a little seed. At this level, the student should be using more wisdom than knowledge as he/she is on his/her way up towards the sky, not looking down as the younger students grow with them.

Blue Stripe - A blue stripe (leadership student) symbolizes the sky. A blue stripe continues their growth from a purple stripe. Additional knowledge of martial arts enters these students like the clear, blue air of the sky as their knowledge and skills develop. They use knowledge not only in the classroom and at home, but also in their everyday life.

Brown Belt  - A Brown Belt symbolizes someone who is enlightened. He/she has a completely solid base, head on their shoulders, and is firm. This belt level is where the student is at a fork on the road. They now see they can either go left (keep it as a skill) or right (make it a lifestyle).

1st Black Stripe on Brown Belt - Has proven and continuously demonstrated that he or she understands, believes in, is invested in and lives life based on the principles of MIKIO SURAI. Student is able to pass the Black Belt written test. 

2nd Black stripe on Brown Belt - Has flawlessly passed the test on the knowledge and wisdom of all 10 components of belting.  

3rd Black Stripe on Brown Belt (recommended Black belt) - Demonstrates that he or she has the ability to withstand a sparring match against a Black Belt of their choice.

1st Dan - A 1st Dan Black Belt is a White Belt that didn't quit. A Black Belt symbolizes the darkness that lies beyond the sun. They are ready to explore the infinite world of martial arts. As a Black Belt, you are now an assistant instructor while teaching as many classes as possible.  A Black Belt seeks to teach others as they plant seeds and continue the cycle of self-growth, wisdom, and the pursuit of enlightenment while working hard to become a master of the art. 

2nd Dan - You begin the process of truely mastering your MI as you face yourself. You are now a FULL instructor. You are held to a higher standard and are responsible not only for color belts but helping with overseeing 1st Dans.

3rd Dan - You are now a Instructor learning how to be a Sensei with guidance. At this belt level because you have been teaching color belts more than ever, thus mastering those skills. You will be considered a Sensei by everyone but you will not be able to advance to the next rank "4th Dan" until you make a Black Belt of you own. 

4th Dan - You are now a Sensei completely. You have not only proven you have mastered all the color belt levels but shown with your actions you take a student from point A to point B. At this point you will no longer need guidance to teach color belts or make a 1st Dan Black Belt because you have already done so. As a 4th Dan you are now mastering how to get someone from 1st Dan to 3rd Dan. 

5th Dan - You are now a Head Instructor / Master. At this level you should be able to completely run the entire dojo on your own, all paper work, policies, procedures, safety drills, and teaching, etc. 

6th Dan - You are now a Master Instructor. At this level you will have to make a 5th Dan Black Belt to even be considered to become a 7th Dan but it is not guaranteed because you still have to go before the board members and the council members where they will tell you the requirements and if you are able to complete those then you will go back before the board members and the council members once those are completed and they will place a vote.  

7th Dan - A Red Belt in our system is not something you just earn, You can only become and is the only belt in our system like it. A Red Belt is our highest belt. At this belt rank you are awarded the title SOKE. Which means Head of Family.

Many parents are used to martial art instructors saying that they are going to belt test in a certain time frame based on paying your tuition on time and taking a certain amount of classes. This is not so with this martial arts program. Every student is considered an individual and is treated that way. You earn what you earn, so there are no participation medals given out. Students advance at their own pace. In MIKIO SURAI, it is not just based on movements, fighting, paid tuition, and showing up to class, rather the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the student. I would much rather have a student who can’t fight well but help an elderly lady get up if she fell than a student who would walk over a person in need of help but can fight well. The skill of a martial artist is just as important as their heart, body, soul, and moral compass. Therefore, to earn a belt, you must be growing towards the use and full understanding of the 36 laws of MIKIO SURAI Martial Arts Program, hence the motto “martial arts is more than fighting, it’s a lifestyle.”

The martial arts laws deal with mentality and spirituality, as well as behavior and choices that are made on a daily basis, not physical fighting ability. While the students receive a compliment based on their fighting skills, they will only receive color belt stripes when demonstrating growth within oneself. For instance, when a student becomes a green belt, he or she is now learning how to be a positive leader and role model in the choices that he or she makes within the dojo and outside of the dojo in everyday life. We encourage the parents to fill us in on their child's behavior in and outside of the classroom so we can work together to reinforce important life lessons.