washing my belt

[White Warlock]

Or, you could spent the $5 to just buy yourself another belt.

[Uechi Kid]

Don't wash it. A dirty belt from training is a sign of hard work. Ware it with pride.

[y2_sub]

hey guys at camp my white belt got a alot of grass stains on it. so i was wandering if i should wash it with the stripes still on it or not? and any advice on washing a belt is also requested

I never wash my belt .

You know that reminds me with an article that i have read , quoting from it :

"Speaking of white and black, these are the only colors of the belt that are "original". The entire concept of adding various colors to designate rank was added when karate began being taught to US servicemen in Japan. The original idea of a "black" belt was due to the use the belt got and its age. A student would start his training with a white belt. Over the years, as the student trained and practiced, sweated and bled, the belt would get dirtier and dirtier. Eventually, the belt would be "black". If the student trained long enough for the belt to get this color, they probably knew what they were doing (or they trained in a REALLY dirty dojo). "

[joerfe]

Don't wash it. A dirty belt from training is a sign of hard work. Ware it with pride.

Nonsense. A dirty belt is like wearing a dirty gi. Or like not washing your hands after being on the toilet.

Is it dirty, wash it. Does it smell from sweat and/or grass, wash it.

Dirty belts and gi's are signs of sloppyness, not a sign of hard work.

[White Warlock]

You know that reminds me with an article that i have read , quoting from it :

"Speaking of white and black, these are the only colors of the belt that are "original". The entire concept of adding various colors to designate rank was added when karate began being taught to US servicemen in Japan. The original idea of a "black" belt was due to the use the belt got and its age. A student would start his training with a white belt. Over the years, as the student trained and practiced, sweated and bled, the belt would get dirtier and dirtier. Eventually, the belt would be "black". If the student trained long enough for the belt to get this color, they probably knew what they were doing (or they trained in a REALLY dirty dojo). "

That article is incorrect. It is a misnomer, a legend if you will, that has been popularized over the years. Indeed, if you examine the Japanese culture, you'll see that such a postulation is unlikely, as Japan's society makes quite a fuss over being cleanly and meticulous. Stained undergarments, or pajamas (the former being the old workout clothing, the latter being adopted later), would very well not be acceptable in a dojo of those times. It's not acceptable now.

In actuality, the first 'belt' rankings were presented by Jigoro Kano, creator of Kano ju-jutsu (aka: Kodokan judo). Kano, a fan of swimming contests, noted that the students and the coaches wore a little ribbon on their bathing suits as a means to differentiate which had the authority. The students wore a white ribbon, and the coaches wore a black ribbon. Jigoro Kano adopted this ranking for his students and teachers, which was later adopted by other ju-jutsu systems, and later by Okinawan karate.

The next part i bring up is contested, but it is strongly held that the Koreans presented 'multi-color' belts, which they found worked well with the U.S. mentality of obtaining a measure of incremental progress (such as one would notice with military ribbons). The other holding is that colored belts were developed in Europe.

[ivette_green]

Icons and symbols don't bring you closer to enlightenment, any more than they bring you closer to God. Stay grounded and treat it like the friggin' 'piece of cloth' that it is.

But your belt is a symbol of something. It is a symbol and essence of all the hard work that you've done. We're not talking about religous fervour, that's about one of three rules (that I know of) that go into the spirtitual side of martial arts. If you don't respect one the others may erode with time as well ("Why do I bow when I enter the place I train?").

If that belt was anything but white I doubt it would be as obvious that you've got grass stains on it. Leave it alone. You'll get a new belt soon.

[White Warlock]

Icons and symbols don't bring you closer to enlightenment, any more than they bring you closer to God. Stay grounded and treat it like the friggin' 'piece of cloth' that it is.

But your belt is a symbol of something. It is a symbol and essence of all the hard work that you've done.

And i do not argue that. Well, except for those who really didn't earn the belts... but that's another topic altogether.

Anyway, if you'll look at my intro, i have some strong issues about belt ranking. One of them, of course, is the 'holding your rank about your waist' thing. People go through life learning a lot of things, but you don't see them wearing it on their lapel, like military ribbons. Military personnel don't walk around with all their ribbons, except for formal ceremonies. Teachers don't wear their academic gowns all over campus, or even in their class. You'll see them proudly wear them during graduation ceremonies, or other ceremonial events, but not every day, and especially not to go pick up an ice cream.

That last being one of my issues, with some parading around in their full gi 'outside' of the classroom setting. In one, it may be construed as a show... a means to uplift a weak ego. In another, it may be construed as an effort to intimidate others. Plenty of other points could be presented for such behaviors, most of which i find... disturbing.

Well, that was a tangent.

My original point being, the belt may be a symbol, but it is not the end-all. It can be discarded and another one put in its place, with the symbolism intact. If, however, someone is so attached to the symbol that he cannot part with it, or cannot handle the replacement of it, then he has attained an emotional dependence on an abstraction unrelated to his actual accomplishments and/or his overall self-worth.

[Oahngoji]

To wash your belt is to disrespect yourself. Karatekas never wash their belts.

[White Warlock]

Ugh! i give up.

[ivette_green]

Agree to disagree?