Belt Colours - Why?

[JusticeZero]

I would think that if your belt got dirty, you would, out of respect and the desire not to look like a hobo, WASH it. Or maybe get a new one if it got too ratty.

[MasterPain]

I would think that if your belt got dirty, you would, out of respect and the desire not to look like a hobo, WASH it. Or maybe get a new one if it got too ratty.

As a fan of old kung fu movies, let me tell you that the real masters are always hobos.

[Zaine]

I would think that if your belt got dirty, you would, out of respect and the desire not to look like a hobo, WASH it. Or maybe get a new one if it got too ratty.

For a lot of schools it's super taboo to wash your belt, some even consider it bad luck. I've heard plenty of stories of instructors requiring students to buy new belts after finding out that they washed it.

[JusticeZero]

Yes, but that seems like it would be an adaptation to the existing "belt colors" story, rather than a weird quirk that evolved into a ranking system.

That is, I doubt that anyone started not-washing belts until after they heard it claimed that the color belt system was meant to signify accumulated dirt from experience. Otherwise, why would they stop at only wearing a BELT that was moldy and grimy and stained and smelly?

Wouldn't they more likely wear an entire UNIFORM that smelled bad and was covered in grime and yuck? Then you would have rather than a belt system, a system of buying different colored full uniforms at each level, and a tradition of never washing the uniform, and a training hall scented heavily with deodorant.

The claim that it was created so that the founders of Judo would not accidentally hospitalize beginning students at their students' and grandstudents' classes seems to be much more plausible from a pragmatic point of view.

[Zaine]

That does make a more plausible origin, but if it's part of the mythos it's part of the mythos.

[JusticeZero]

Some people don't give a rats' tail about crazy fictions that don't make sense under investigation. Strange and implausible tales passed on from teacher to student unchallenged are in the same category as the Tooth Fairy, which I don't believe in and see no merit in. The main difference is that most people realize that the Tooth Fairy isn't a real thing early on.

[MasterPain]

most people realize that the Tooth Fairy isn't a real thing early on.

Around the age of 6, I became a nihilist.

[ps1]

I would think that if your belt got dirty, you would, out of respect and the desire not to look like a hobo, WASH it. Or maybe get a new one if it got too ratty.

For a lot of schools it's super taboo to wash your belt, some even consider it bad luck. I've heard plenty of stories of instructors requiring students to buy new belts after finding out that they washed it.

The first few paragraphs of this article address the whole "don't wash your belt" and "belt system derived from dirty belts" myths.

http://www.24fightingchickens.com/2005/09/09/urban-legends-of-karate-belts/

Origin of the belt system: http://judoinfo.com/obi.htm

Anything that differs from what Kano originally created is for that sytem/person's own needs. Some do it to allow for more tangible and easily attainable goals along the way, others do it for money. Really is that simple.

[Liver Punch]

I prefer not washing my grappling uniform and belt. Of course, I consider this to be an offensive tactic rather than anything philosophical, however.

[MasterPain]

Staph infections can be deadly. How are they prevented? By washing things.