I what ways does belt color differentiate from various styles of martial arts?

Yes you can usually sit and watch most martial arts while they go through that particular nights training keeping in mind if that style suits you . the variety in the different styles and teaching methods varies greatly , so I suggest do a bit of searching on line youtube is a start and it has many many vids to watch and can help you with the sort of system that you favor , next will be looking in you area for someone that offers that style and thats where you can sit in and watch .here is some things to consider......is the training method a realistic one ? just doing carters or the form behind the system will bore you and not give you the opportunity to have a person attack you and defend and counter , you will have to train for at least one to two years before you can get street effective depending on the teaching and style and most people on average dont last 6 months before quitting , I am also of the opinion that its not so much as one style is better than the other but more of who can execute their style more correct therefore making them the better martial artist ,I picked Ninjutsu to train in ( Togakure Ryu under Grandmaster Hatsumi ) and enjoyed it very much reaching 4TH degree Black Belt and also instructing , while many of my other friends were involved in other styles, we were all working in security and clubs etc and had respect for each other regarding what martial art we trained in .You do need a intelligent school owner to train under not just a sheep , one that has their pupils best interests at heart ,meaning realistic training , giving you value for your dollars spent ,keeping training as safe as possible ,sharing all knowledge when appropriate and not with holding particular aspects of the style or keeping you in the dark ,If your instructors have a open mind then they to will see that other systems also have merit, these things are not the technical side of martial arts but can make for a great instructor or a poor one . the rest is up to you go and find one enjoy the journey and spiritual growth and empowerment ! best of luck

I have found a few sites that sell wall mounting displays for martials arts belts; however there are so many to choose from online - I recommend you do some extra searching of your own.

http://www.kochmartialarts.net/servlet/the-5783/karate-belt-display%2C-martial/Detail

http://www.kochmartialarts.net/servlet/the-7771/karate-belt-display%2C-martial/Detail

http://www.amazon.com/Personalized-Karate-Belt-Display-Rack/dp/B0069WOKYK/ref=sr_1_5?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1346574646&sr=1-5

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=karate+belt+display

The color of the belt signifies the amount of knowledge you have obtained. Wearing a white/yellow belt means you know some basics - in terms of blocks, kicks and punches. You will reach a better understanding of martial arts techniques in further levels like green, blue and purple. Brown and black level students have applied learned techniques.

The color order was determined years ago when the belts were individually dyed from one level to the next, rather than replacing an old belt for a new one. Since the belts were dyed, the colors went from lightest to darkest, making the process easier.

Each belt color signifies a level of skill and technique learned throughout training. If each belt color is combined together (yellow, orange, green, purple, blue, brown and red) they would eventually produce black - thus determining why black is the final color level.

At a green belt level, students learn to strengthen and refine their technique. In Japanese culture, this color represents the growth of a seed (the student) as it sprouts from the earth and begins to grow into a plant.

Both the yellow and orange belts signify the sun. Yellow represents the rising sun and orange the sunset.

This will require a lot of training on your behalf. Graduation from bely colors is very dependent on your discipline. Many martial arts experts would determine from the beginning it will require a minimum of 1600 hours of intense training.

Every school of martial arts has a slightly different grading system; however, the most common color grading comes from the Dankyu system. From lowest to highest, belts are awarded in the following order - white, yellow, orange, green, blue brown and black.