Your Belt

[Grenadier]

Normally, I'll just fold it into eighths. If it's damp, then I'll take it out when I get home, and let it hang dry. If it gets to the point where it needs washing, then I'll run it through the gentlest wash cycle, with some Woolite (the type for black colors).

 

[jks9199]

I fold my gi, and wash it as needed. Just like any other gym clothes...

My belt gets folded and placed in my gym bag. If appropriate, it's either hung up to dry or even washed... (Rarely needs washing...)

I teach students not to carelessly or sloppily handle their uniform and belt. That said -- we use belts as training tools, too. They're great for various strength or stretching exercises.

I did recently give my first black belt to the son of my training partner when he achieved black belt himself. In some ways, I consider him my "first" student to reach black belt, as I've been responsible for much of his training, even though there are several others over the years that I did a lot of final prep work or that started training when I was a senior student and often teaching.

 

[dbell]

[rant]I have never understood why so much emphasis has been put on the belt used to show rank, etc. I get told that the "long" history (less than 80 years) of the belt being worn made it a "sacred" item of your uniform.

When Jigiro Kano-sensei started using the belts, it was so he and his students would know at what level they were by looking at the belt. It wasn't anything religious or special. He was at a point where he had a lot of students (most "hard arts" were illegal at the time, and many people were coming to Judo, both because of what he could do, and it was one of the few legal schools around at the time) coming on board, and he was no longer able to keep track of who was at what level, except his higher students. In one of the books he wrote on Judo, he stated that tools of the art - uniform, belt, etc - were to be kept clean, in good repair and neat. There was no forbidding of washing the belts. (In Japan the belts were washed as needed, as Japan was/is a fairly clean conscious country.)

In Judo, if you are doing things right, every person will hit the ground, on their back or their stomach, which puts the belt in DIRECT contact with the ground. Yes, if you are the person being thrown, your goal is to not hit the ground, but you will with time. Even if you through them instead and land on top of them to pin them, over half the pins will place your belt on the ground as well.

So the "history" of not cleaning your belt, and not letting it touch the ground isn't there.

As the belts started becoming cheaper and cheaper in quality, due to the desire to make more and more money by the vendors, it became an issue with washing the belts would cause them to deteriorate faster. To me, this is the only reason you don't want to wash a belt.

Your belt is a tool, a tool used to keep your gi closed and to show others in your school/style at what level of training you are at. That is all it is. It isn't endowed with powers of knowledge, it isn't something to be placed on a special pedestal (figurative or real). It is a tool.

These people that wear beat up, torn, ratty, dirty belts "because of the knowledge or history" in them deteriorate from the training of the art in my eyes. They are violating some of their very training and history in using torn beat up tools. If you want to keep it for nostalgia purposes, by a nice (why nice when the belt is all beat up?) rack and keep it on that. If your belt starts to get ratty, faded, and dirty, it is time to go back to the history of your art and keep your tools clean and fully functional by buying a new belt. (I have seen people get hurt by a torn, ratty belt falling apart in throws causing the person being thrown to land wrong as well!!)[/rant]

 

[Cirdan]

If your belt starts to get ratty, faded, and dirty, it is time to go back to the history of your art and keep your tools clean and fully functional by buying a new belt.

Tell that to Tatsuo Suzuki :wink2:

 

[ELLEN]

Hi, I agree with all you posted till you got to the part about washing your belt. When I first started. I was impressed (or naive) lol, when the tale was told that: NEVER, EVER WASH YOUR BELT! Why? If you have a white belt, when it is "dirty brown" that "might" mean you are close to being ready to test for brown belt, and, so on. It usually doesn't get dirty, unless you are working with it on.
Now, I keep my belts dumped on top of my Gi and the rest of the things I take with me...it's a belt. It also can serve as a reminder of where your center is, where your power is the greatest etc. It does have a purpose besides just holding your Gi top shut. lol

 

[kingkong89]

I fold it in half then half again and half again then lay it in my gear bag along with my gi

 

[dbell]

Tell that to Tatsuo Suzuki :wink2:

Be happy to!! At least he doesn't have 100 patches on!!

 

[xfighter88]

My belt doesn't have a specific place. It is inmy bag for transport. It sits on my washing machine in 8ths while my uniform is being washed. Sometimes it hangs on the back of the dining room chair(the wife gets upset if i leave it there too long). I don't let it touch the ground though I don't do this conciously. I don't throw my jeans and shirts on the ground either once again my wife would get annoyed

 

[Cirdan]

Be happy to!! At least he doesn't have 100 patches on!!

Wado tends to be a bit minimalistic when it comes to the uniform, not a lot of patches, stripes on the belt or such. Worn belts are common but black belts are often high quality ones that last far longer.

Suzuki is probably wearing the original belt he received from Othsuka in that picture.

 

[Brother John]

When you are not training, how do you leave your belt?

I never let my belt touch the floor or ground. My belt represents my hard work and I do not want to disrespect myself by letting it get walked all over. And because it represents me, when I tie it, I keep it nice and tidey in a respectable fashion.

What about you?

I've studied different styles under instructors who showed various levels of respect to objects like the belt: they've ranged from treating it like just another piece of clothing to outright reverence.

My Kenpo father (call him that because he's not the instructor I've still got, but he brought me in and took me the furthest) told me once that "Rank (belt) is nothing more than your instructor's opinion of you and your ability in their art." So that's how I treat it, a gift from a valued person. I'm generally not real big on fetishizing a material object. Touching the floor? Well....I won't toss it around, but it may get left on a chair for a bit. Generally I keep it over a hook on the inside of my closet door.

Your Brother
John

 

[boricuakenpo]

I fold my belt the same way it came when it was give to me so it has the same creases as when it was wrap in the plastic that it came in

By the Way can someone tell me how to get the color of my belt displayed when I make post instead of it just showing the words

 

[Steve]

The belt color will change as you post more. White Belt under your name simply means you have very few posts. As your post count increases, your "rank" will also increase.

 

[dbell]

By the Way can someone tell me how to get the color of my belt displayed when I make post instead of it just showing the words

It is showing, but it is white, so no one can see it on the white background. It will show up when you advance to the next belt.

 

[Tez3]

It is showing, but it is white, so no one can see it on the white background. It will show up when you advance to the next belt.

I can see it lol, the background is blue!

When I did Wado we never had patches either, we don't now I do TSD. several of the instructors I had in Wado had belts similiar to that shown in the photo, they only wore them though at seminars etc not for everyday training.

 

[tshadowchaser]

My belt is just that a belt. It may or may not have rank stripes on it, but they only represent the knowledge I may have.
When I am not wearing it , it is in my carry bag along with at least one uniform.
In practice I may take it off and throw it in a cornor. My students will do the same. If anyone comes into class I am sure they will need no belts around our waists to tell who is a student and who is the instructor. I am also sure they will be able to discern who has more knowledge without seeing a belt around a waist.