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Forge Stripes

What is the purpose?

Forge Stripes are one of the ways we bring our mission to life. At The Forge, we believe greatness is built through daily choices, strong character, and a life that impacts others. Our stripe system for martial arts belts and gymnastics ribbons gives students a practical way to live out the Forge Creed beyond class—through service, leadership, bravery, focus, discipline, helping others, and community involvement. Each stripe represents more than achievement; it reflects the habits, values, and God-given greatness we are working to forge in every student, both inside The Forge and out in the world.

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Blue

BLUE – THE FOCUS/LISTENING

  • Blue- The Focus/Listening Stripe

  • Can earn more than one.Forge only.

  • The first step to learning is listening and focusing your attention; therefore, we like to reward devoted attention and effort to listen to the instructors.It’s also a good way to start developing respect to others by looking in the eyes and not interrupting the instructor.

  • Coaches may also give this stripe out for showing leadership in their class.

Purple- Belt Tying Stripe (Martial Arts),

Over coming your fears/Powering through the difficult (Gymnastics)

  • Martial Arts: (can only earn one per belt)

    • Little ninjas and youth must be able to tie their OWN belts, not the parents.This stripe is earned after the student can show they can tie their own belt correctly.The youth must do it in 15 seconds or less to earn their stripe.Littles can earn a second one if they can also tie it within 15 seconds.

    • This is also a stripe that can be earned for a high level of integrity (honesty) shown in class

  • Gymnastics: (can earn multiple)

    • Many skills in gymnastics are hard to do, yet students must believe in themselves and power through their mental blocks to be able to preform them.This stripe is rewarded when coaches see students overcome their mental blocks to achieve what the coaches are asking from them.

      • For example, some students are afraid of being on the high beam and start to get anxious and scared. When a coach is coaching them to look up and take deep breaths and the student reaches the end even though they were scared is a way to earn this stripe.

Purple

Pink

Pink- Wow Stripe

  • Can earn more than one at Forge or at home.

  • The pink stripe is a wow factor or maximum effort stripe. Often the students blow away the coaches with either skill, effort, courage, stamina, and more. This can also be earned if parents or teachers outside of the Forge experience an amazing wow moment; for example, if a student starts cleaning up his room at home without being asked and maybe never would without a fight would be a wow moment, or if a student in class gets hurt, calms themself and gets back in the fight vs sitting out could be a wow moment.

Orange- The Teaching/Helping Stripe

  • Can earn more than one at the Forge or at home.

  • To earn the teaching/helping stripe the student must show assistance to other students without being asked by an instructor. Kids working to help another and showing knowledge to teach what they know is what this stripe is all about.

    • For example, if a student helps another struggling student with a warmup drill or maybe helping a new student feel apart of class would earn an orange stripe.

Orange

Red

Red- The Creed Stripe

  • Can only earn two at most

  • To earn the Creed Stripe the student must recite the entire creed in front of the class.

  • A second stripe can be earned by writing out what each line the creed means in a bit more detail to be given to the coaches

Green- Healthy Choices/Bravery Stripe

  • Can earn more than one. 7 and under- one week, 8+ two weeks for healthy eating or avoiding electronics challenge at the Forge and at home.

  • Healthy choices can look like many things, so this stripe has a lot of opportunities to be earned.The Forge has two ways specifically to earn this stripe, which is to avoid sugars and processed foods for a week or avoid extra electronic use outside of school such as video games and tv. Healthy choice stripes have also been earned by making hard decisions that are overall beneficial for the student.

    • For example, some kids have to be brave to try new things such as martial arts or gymnastics and getting in the class is not always easy and pushing through that is one way to earn this stripe.

Green

Yellow

Yellow- Going the Extra Mile Stripe

  • Can earn more than one at the Forge or at home.

  • This stripe coaches are looking for a student to do more than what is asked, to show they are going above the average and pushing for more.

    • For example, a student might do an extra push up than asked or extra practice before class, or maybe they go above and beyond to better themselves in or outside of the Forge.

Brown- Parents Choice

  • Can earn more than one. Home only.

  • This a stripe only parents can award or let coaches know they have earned.There are many habits parents would like to start at home (such as students saying “yes ma’am/sir” at home them cleaning up after themselves).We hope this can be another way to encourage new and improved behaviors at home.

Brown

Black

Black- The Best (Uke) Partner Stripe (Martial Arts)/ Teammate/Encouraging Stripe (Gymnastics)

  • Can earn more than one at Forge only.

  • Part of winning in life is to help others win first.In class when a partner goes out of their way to help their partner succeed at a move, their partner gets better, which makes them better at their own skills.Creating win-wins in life is not easy; however, it is highly rewarding.Working to help others around you succeed first is the purpose of this stripe.That can look like being a good partner or being a good cheering teammate to accomplish hard skills.Any form or working together is a way to earn the black stripe.

Silver- Service/Community Stripe

  • Can earn more than one in or outside of the Forge.

  • Service is a core part of society that helps those who may need it or the best way to take care of our environment.Cleaning up trash around town is a service event the Forge tries to do at least once a year as a group to help the environment.Service could look like any type of volunteer work or service could even be a kindness or helping hand to someone that may not be your favorite person.This is for the most part earned outside of the dojo.

Silver

white

White Stripe-Book reading stripe

  • Youth (8 and up) must read a book over 100 pages; however, younger students (7 and under) only 50 pages or a small book even with the help of someone for students learning how to read.

Youth must also write at least one sentence describing what they learned from the book they read before getting this

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