Keying your black belt

[Jussi Häkkinen]

That's not quite so bad, on the condition that your old belt was already so worn that it broke when you tied it. But then again, isn't the whole point of getting a new belt the fact that it's new? LOL..

I haven't "preworn" my belt in any way - I just stated that I've worn one out completely in history. I haven't done any alterations to my current belt (or none of my belts ever) and they wear in just fine (I like a new looking belt anyway).

I know some high ranking lads who "prewear" their belts in - excuses such as "easier to tie" etc. are common, as well as buying a satin black belt which wears out faster. That's their "style issue", I think, and fine as so.

The state of belt wear is actually one of the rare "own style" things present in traditional karate. Some prefer to have a fresh belt, some prefer the frayed one. Otherwisely everyone is wearing a white uniform (with little alterations in cut etc., but it's still an uniform) and looks pretty much the same.

[KarateChick06]

I'm sorry, I meant "you" to be a general term for all martial artists.

[shotochem]

I would personally want any of my belts or gi looking as neat and clean as possible. It is 100x more sanitary and a lot easier on the wallet .

The longer it lasts the less frequently I have to pay for a new one.

Hey, I'm a cheapskate. (a good quality belt or gi is expensive)

[P.A.L]

first time i met my current sensei was in a locker room, the belt was almost white and i asked him if he likes karate so far, and he said "yes so far it's ok" , and in the class after 2-3 minutes i found out he was invited to teach the class a white crane kata , after the class i asked him about his dojo and he told me that he has small dojo in his garage, i've been with him since then,

[KarateChick06]

first time i met my current sensei was in a locker room, the belt was almost white and i asked him if he likes karate so far, and he said "yes so far it's ok" , and in the class after 2-3 minutes i found out he was invited to teach the class a white crane kata , after the class i asked him about his dojo and he told me that he has small dojo in his garage, i've been with him since then,

LOL, you thought he was a white belt?

[Conqueror]

And a 19 yr old sandan? *shaking my head*

I made Sandan at 18 in a legitimate Shorinkan dojo. While I admit that most people who have "rank beyond their age" are likely not legit, it is certainly possible for someone to achieve rank the old-fashioned (read: correct) way if they started young.

Judge by skill, not by birthdate.

[Shorin Ryuu]

At age 18? Normally I'd be skeptical, but since you came from Kyoshi Perry's dojo, I'm very impressed instead.

For all those unfamiliar with the standards there, they are extremely high so a sandan is certainly well-deserved from that source.

[Conqueror]

Thanks for the kind words, but I'm nothing special. I didn't rise especially fast or do anything amazing, I just started early.

[Bleeding Lion]

Conqueror:

Thats actually very impressive. Like my sensei says, ultimately everything is shown on the mat, not on certificates. In my opinion theres nothing wrong even with a 15-year old sandan as long as she has the technique and proficiency of a sandan.

[Conqueror]

meh, I don't even think or care about rank. In our dojo we don't have stripes on our obi or anything... I don't even know the rank of most of my fellow yudansha, just whether they line up ahead or behind me. It's not where you are, it's where you've been and where you're going. As long as I'm allowed to come to class and keep learning, my obi is just a piece of cloth that holds my pants up.