Belt Greying

[scottnshelly]

I spent a lot of time in a local competition circuit and got to know a lot of great Instructors and Black Belts. We celebrated one guys 40th anniversary of being a Black Belt. His belt was pretty grey.

 

Also, my Instructor's Instructor - Sensei Ron Chandler - had a belt that he eventually had to retire because it was so tattered. It was so grey, that it started turning black again. He said that he just had to hold it up to his waist and it would tie itself.

 

I have the utmost respect for these guys and their belts. But in the NBL circuit there were a lot of kids as young as 12 with greying belts. They were crisp and fresh black in the middle, but extremely tattered and grey around the top and bottom and at the ends. My grandpa first pointed this out to me (he was a Black Belt also). As best as we could figure, they either washed them profusley, rubbed them on something or used a sander on them for this effect.

 

I think this is the most disrespectful thing that i've ever seen in Martial Arts history - maybe aside from Sinbad the comedian claiming to be a Blakc Belt under Billy Blanks. First of all, they are trying to exaggerate their Martial experience. Secondly they are disprespecting their, allegly hard-earned, belts. Thirdly they are showing a lot of disrespect for the above two mentioned Masters and all of the others in the world with a greying belt.

 

Can anyone here justify this behavior? perhaps someone could shine some light on this for me...

[Kumite988]

No justification for it. It' just pretty stupid, mostly the younger kids do it.

[Sam]

If your talking about TKD belts, some of the bBelts you can in some styles actually come appearing tattered at the edges, ive been trying to get a picture to show you but cant find one - will post a link when i do.

[Red J]

Can anyone here justify this behavior? perhaps someone could shine some light on this for me...

 

I can't figure it out unless it is "Black Belt" Vanity. Its disrespectful at least.

[SloMo]

I agree, it's pretty stupid. I've seen greying belts and I keep waiting for mine to start to grey on its own!

 

Anybody who knows anything knows

 

1) You rarely if ever wash your belt

 

2) It takes many many many years and a lot of use for a belt to go grey.

 

Seeing little kids with them on is just dumb. But, whatever. The proof is always in the pudding.

[smr]

It's just a fad I hope. Sorta like the frayed gi fad in the 80s. It's supposed to make you look like your belt is old, and somehow that look makes you more wise in the ways of karate.

[TangSooGuy]

I've seen kids do it on purpose, and I agree that it is pretty stupid.

 

There are a lot of belts now that are just made cheaply, though, and start fraying and greying after very little use.

 

I had my original black belt for about 15 years, and it was extremely tattered...

 

While it serves as a good lesson in some ways, I don't intend to ever let my belt get that way again now that I'm teaching. The general public just doesn't get it most of the time, and once it gets to a certain point, it actually starts to look unprofessional.

[CloudDragon]

The American Taekwondo Association founder EGM H.U. Lee was once quoted on this topic, saying: "If you had a worn out black belt it meant you were so poor you couldn't buy a new one." When I see a person with a belt that looks older than they are, I wonder if maybe he didn't mean that it was just a financial issue or possibly that they were poor in character.

[KungFuSith]

My old Shotokan instructor told me about belt greying once and said traditionally Karate practitioners wore white when they began and as years and years past it became almost black with dirt and whatever.Some schools take the traditions seriously and just let their belts get ragged and stuff.

[Grenadier]

IMHO, the only time a belt should be washed, is under two conditions:

 

1) The belt is brand new, and exceptionally stiff, and needs just a bit of breaking in. Some brands, such as Pine Tree, make excellent black belts, but are thick, stiff, and could use a single cycle in a gentle cold wash. This also helps remove excess dye that can come off and permanently embed itself in a gi. If that means that it loses a wee bit of its "blackness," then so be it.

 

or

 

2) The belt has accumulated sweat / dirt, etc., that it's starting to stink.

 

If a kid has to wash it just to give it the broken down look so that he can look more experienced, then I'd say that's rather disrespectful. Besides, as a kid, you're supposed to be growing, and that you're not going to keep your belt size for very long!