Proper etiquette

[dancingalone]

Have you ever washed your belt? I've only seen a few that have been washed, and they came out about two thirds of the length they were before, and all weird and wrinkly-looking. Of course, that may have been the result of drying in a clothes dryer, rather than washing. In my school, we don't wash belts, but I always figured the "tradition" of it was just packaging for not wanting to have to replace shrunken belts all the time.

Yes, I have. I just air dry it on my deck as I do with my gi. The sun does a good job of bleaching out any smells or bacteria that may build up.

Tide + cold water + air dry = clean, odor free training uniforms.

 

[miguksaram]

FYI...I spoke to a couple of the old gaurd Koreans who were around when it was "Korean Karate" and they still were referred to as Sabunim or Kwanjangnim...never Sensei.

One of them even told me a story of his student mistakeningly calling him Sensei once. He looked at him and said "Do I look Japanese to you?" He said the student knew any answer he gave would have landed him in push up position. ha.haha.

 

[miguksaram]

Well I would wash the uniform because it simply stinks not because of tradition or anyhting else. My belt probably stinks too, but I guess no one really sniffs my belt. If I got blood on it Id probably wash it or just keep it on there as a warning to others. LOL

NEVER wash the blood out...The blood feeds the belt, makes it go stronger so your knowledge grows bigger...(Damn that was hard to type with a straight face:lfao

 

[Stac3y]

Yes, I have. I just air dry it on my deck as I do with my gi. The sun does a good job of bleaching out any smells or bacteria that may build up.

Tide + cold water + air dry = clean, odor free training uniforms.

We have black gis, so sun drying would not be a good idea--the Texas sun bleaches everything. I hang mine to dry indoors, and I use Woolite for Dark Fabrics to wash them. It's much easier on the skin for those of us who have weird allergies (me) or eczema (my son). And it smells great.

If I ever get a white gi (doubtful; black is slimming ), I'll have to try your sun-drying method.

 

[dancingalone]

If I ever get a white gi (doubtful; black is slimming ), I'll have to try your sun-drying method.

Your black uniform will fade anyway as you wash and wear it. I have one I keep for outdoors training. It's almost 10 years old and is definitely not jet black any longer. It still looks nice though.

Good luck with your training!

 

[Twin Fist]

black uniforms look BETTER when they fade to grey

and you have a better chanced of Seeing lucille Ball in a new sitcom than you do of seeing me or any student of mine washing thier belts.

somethings just aint right.

 

[miguksaram]

black uniforms look BETTER when they fade to grey

and you have a better chanced of Seeing lucille Ball in a new sitcom than you do of seeing me or any student of mine washing thier belts.

somethings just aint right.

Why isn't it right? Or better question to ask, what is your reasoning for not washing it?

 

[Twin Fist]

reasons why?
1) tradition, silly i know, but there you have it
2) faded out belts look sort of cool, but i can get a faded uniform by washing it over and over, if i want a faded belt, i have to work out some more....
3) I have never had a belt start to stink, so they have never needed washing...

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

How do you handle proper ediquette inside your school, do you have them bow in and out? Do they bow before entering the workout area? We still do but alot of people tell me this is to old school to do anymore and it is not proper in today era.

This is taekwondo, not a high school ball sport. If they do not want to practice dojo etiquette, then they can just to the local boxing or wrestling gym, where the etiquette is more familiar to most westerners. Dojo etiquette is a part of Asian martial arts. Traditional western fencing salles have equally strict etiquette.

At our school, the students bow in and out when stepping onto or off of the mat. My students address me as 'Mister' Sullivan or sir. GM Kim, Master Choi, and Master Disney are addressed as 'Master', sir or maam. Junior students address senior students as sir or maam or Mister/Mrs./Miss followed by their last name. Students of the the same level of seniority address eachother on a first name basis.

At the beginning of class, the students bow to the instructor and bow to the flags (US flag, Korean flag, and organization banners). At the end of class, the students turn to the wall to adjust their doboks. Then the flags are again bowed to, then the black belts, then the instructor. The students and instructor all shake hands and say 'kansamhapnida' and then bow out when leaving the mat.

We are not supremely strict in this, but obvious disrespect or apathy will get you push ups.

Daniel

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Have you ever washed your belt? I've only seen a few that have been washed, and they came out about two thirds of the length they were before, and all weird and wrinkly-looking. Of course, that may have been the result of drying in a clothes dryer, rather than washing. In my school, we don't wash belts, but I always figured the "tradition" of it was just packaging for not wanting to have to replace shrunken belts all the time.

I have only had the misfortune of encountering a gi non-washer once. Ugh! I would never wear my gi twice without washing it; at the end of a class I look like I've taken a shower in it. If you can wear your gi twice without washing it, you're probably not working hard enough!

Gi is washed after each and every use and I have several, so I rotate and wash them consistently.

Because belts have synthetics in them, they do not do well with the drier. Like T/F, I have never had an issue with the belt getting dirty, thus I have never had it brave the washer. As a kendo instructor, we generally do not wear our belts, so that one hardly has a chance to get dirty or fade.

Daniel

 

[Stac3y]

Your black uniform will fade anyway as you wash and wear it. I have one I keep for outdoors training. It's almost 10 years old and is definitely not jet black any longer. It still looks nice though.

Good luck with your training!

Overall fading isn't the problem; I do my best to minimize that by soaking each new gi (I wear them out fast, even the heavy weight ones) in vinegar and saltwater before the first wearing, which helps "set" the color. They all do fade, no matter what, but fairly evenly. When dried in sunlight, though, dark fabrics tend to get patches of more fading, depending on where the sunlight was most intense. I have dark sweaters that have white areas from being exposed to a spot of sunlight through a window, and since I'm a cheapskate, I don't want to risk that with an expensive gi.

I wish you good luck, as well.

 

[Stac3y]

black uniforms look BETTER when they fade to grey

and you have a better chanced of Seeing lucille Ball in a new sitcom than you do of seeing me or any student of mine washing thier belts.

somethings just aint right.

I have to disagree about black gis fading to grey. I like my gis to match my hair, which is dyed black. Hey, I'm a chick. My ovaries tell me <teehee> that a jet black gi with jet black hair looks, well, more dramatic. My gear all matches, too, and my gi is always immaculately ironed when I go to a tournament. I love that I can be (in my friend's words) a Trophy-Winning *** Kicker and still be girly when I feel like it.

I don't wash my belt, either. Anybody sniffing my belt will be getting a face full of knee and won't care how it smells. And my tape stripes would fall off in the washer, anyway.

 

[Errant108]

never wash the blood out...the blood feeds the belt, makes it go stronger so your knowledge grows bigger...(damn that was hard to type with a straight face:lfao

blood makes the grass grow! Kill! Kill! Kill!

 

[Errant108]

Our dojang is in a Buddhist temple, so things are a bit different.

You bow twice when you enter the hall, as a show of respect to the activities that take place there.

At the beginning and end of class we circle up & bow to each other. As the instructor, I'm not singled out for special treatment.

We have no belts...so there's no issue as far as when to wash it or not.

We manage to keep a perfect level of respect without enforcing Confucianist hierarchies on everyone. Non-Asian students usually address me by either my first name or my Dharma name, children add Mr. The younger Korean girls tend to call me "oppa", which means big brother.

Side note: This is not necessarily a good thing, since as Miguksaram can tell you, girlls calling you "Oppa" usually follow it with "I'm hungry." or "Buy me something pretty".

Since we don't follow the dan rank system, our dojang is organized like a family. Older members are big brothers & sisters, younger members are little brothers & sisters. I'm the eldest brother, my teacher, the headmonk, is like the father.

 

[dancingalone]

Like T/F, I have never had an issue with the belt getting dirty, thus I have never had it brave the washer. As a kendo instructor, we generally do not wear our belts, so that one hardly has a chance to get dirty or fade.

Daniel

That's cool, if it works for you and TF, Daniel. Like I said, I teach a lot of self-defense from the kneeling or prone positions with paired partners. In a scenario like that, transfer of sweat and blood can and does happen. I can't imagine not cleaning one's obi when it is warranted. If it never gets dirty, then great. If it does, and you still don't wash it, I'd question your hygiene. LOL.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

That's cool, if it works for you and TF, Daniel. Like I said, I teach a lot of self-defense from the kneeling or prone positions with paired partners. In a scenario like that, transfer of sweat and blood can and does happen. I can't imagine not cleaning one's obi when it is warranted. If it never gets dirty, then great. If it does, and you still don't wash it, I'd question your hygiene. LOL.

In that circumstance, I would definitely wash it!

When I spar in taekwondo, I generally remove my belt when the hogu goes on.

Being a colored belt in hapkido, I have not kept any of my belts long enough for it to become an issue there as of yet. Frequently, I catch the hapkido class back to back with my kendo class, so I often participate in my keikogi and hakama, looking much like an aikido student, and of course, am not wearing the belt.

Daniel

 

[dancingalone]

Why don't you take off your hakama for the hapkido class? You'd look less out of place that way.

 

[miguksaram]

reasons why?
1) tradition, silly i know, but there you have it
2) faded out belts look sort of cool, but i can get a faded uniform by washing it over and over, if i want a faded belt, i have to work out some more....
3) I have never had a belt start to stink, so they have never needed washing...

1) Understandable...I'm assuming it is your own teacher's tradition as it is not an Asian tradition.
2) Cool reasoning
3) Understood

Everyone has their own way, which is cool. I am just tired of hearing all the Samurai Sunday movie reasoning as the source of why.

 

[miguksaram]

Side note: This is not necessarily a good thing, since as Miguksaram can tell you, girlls calling you "Oppa" usually follow it with "I'm hungry." or "Buy me something pretty".

"Oppa!! Paegupayo!"
"Aigoo oppa! Panji ipoda! Doan juseyo."

Ahhh how I remember those words all too well. ha.haha.

 

[Errant108]

"Oppa!! Paegupayo!"
"Aigoo oppa! Panji ipoda! Doan juseyo."

Ahhh how I remember those words all too well. ha.haha.

Aeeesh....

You'll get a kick out of this. It's my boy PK performing his parody of Enrique Iglesias "I Can Be Your Hero"...called "It Costs a Lot to be Your Oppa".