Blackbelts - Plain or Embroidered

[tallgeese]

Mine's plain, but I certaily have no problem when people have work done on theirs.

If I wore one more I might even have it done myself.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

Yea for the most part i haven't really seen belts i've had a problem with or have considered ugly. Now don't get me wrong i've seen like hot pink belts and camo belts online. But i haven't seen a black belt with a belt i thought was particularly gaudy or of bad taste. If you have a flashy, odd, or 'different' belt i think it's fine as long as there's a LOGICAL reasoning to go with it. Like the old tradition in tang soo do was to wear midnight blue belts(very close to black) as opposed to black ones. this was different but hwang kee wanted it that way because black was perfection, death, or an ending and he didn't want such and accomplishment to equal death and at the same time black belt wasn't an end and it certainly didn't mean perfection, so he chose midnight blue for his style. Logical reasons seem fine to me.

Does anyone have an horror stories about what people have done to their belts, or have you seen any 'different' ones?

I'd be interested to hear...

[cjgotti]

I haven't personally seen any horror stories with how they are embroidered...but I've seen odd ways as to how they are tied.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

really, i've never seen different ways of tying but i've seen people wrap it so it looks like one and i've seen people wrap it so they over lap. i've been told both are right and it depends on the style. i've also been told if you tie it and move the knot to the right side instead of centered it symbolizes a death in the family or a death in the japanese culture.

can anyone confirm?

[cjgotti]

I saw people actually make...two knots? I don't know how to describe it. It was the weirdest thing, and personally I thought it looked stupid.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

were they black belts??? because i've had my kids in my kids class do that. they don't think it looks right so they jsut throw another knot in there...

[DWx]

Not a real blackbelt but my sister got a free "blackbelt" from this Jackie Chan kids magazine. Made me so mad. The thing was made out of material like seatbelts are and had a prestitched loop that you threaded one end through. Didn't even look remotely like a blackbelt; the material was horrible, the knot didn't even look remotely like a proper one and unless you were big-boned you couldn't get the ends to hang the same length.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

wow DWx, now that IS scary! i would have been upset too. Yikes!

[DWx]

wow DWx, now that IS scary! i would have been upset too. Yikes!

It even had clips to hang these metal things on. There's a photo on here, right at the bottom of the page.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

wow that really is tacky and cheap lookin'!

looks like seat belt material...

single wrap

metal things hangin' all on it. wow. let's just hope nobody tries to wear something like this in the real MAs world!