Faded Belt

[Aikilove]

TD, What? so you are not washing the gi in hot water either because it shrinks the first time?

Guys, you are talking about a set of training garmament made of cotton! It will not break or get destroyd just because you are washing it warm.
The thumb of rule is that your dogi and belt should be used and washed as often that the wear from the washing greatly outruns the one from training.
This is as it should be.
Secondly bacteria and fungi do not die at cold water wash. Do you wash you underwear cold? Your dogi and belt are traditional underwear (enhanced for training purposes but still)!

Do everyone at training a favour, wash dogi and belt warm. Don't smell when training.
How do you solve the shrinkage problem then? Buy the size over your own! Then wash it directly in HOT program, so that it shrinks as much as it will the first time. Standard proceedure here really...

Oh.. btw, please DO use detergent when you wash your black clothes (including your black belt)! Just don't use one with bleech. Same here, do you not use detergent when washing your black t-shirt or jeans?

Just a tip - I personally wash my dogi together with other white underwear, clothes and bedsheets etc, that needs to be washed hot. For this I use detergent for white wash (usually with some sort of bleecher in). My belt (black) I wash with my dark colored clothes (socks, jeans, t-shirt etc) that can be washed in medium or hot wash. For this I use detergent for color wash (without bleech in). I don't train more than 2 times in a dogi before I wash it. My wife and me washes once a week, so I need at least two dogi per week.
Let's just say that we don't tolerate bad BO in our dojo.

/J

/J

 

[Purplelotus1]

Thank you aikilove, Washing is imperative. Hot water is essential.

 

[Margo1215]

Sorry, I don't make it here every day, do you want a history lesson? Just kidding. I can tell you what I have been told. When the arts were started they had one belt, if you add all the colors in the belts you will get a black belt. That is the way it was done back then. To answer your question, it is out of respect for the Art.

Do you all not learn that the colors of your belt have a meaning? Washing the belt will change the color too. Also it consider by some that throwing the belt down and getting it dirty is very bad. Suppose to take care of it.
The uniform though, I have one that is faded from washing, that I do keep washed because it does get nasty.


You are not suppose to wash your Belt.


Yes, I have tried tying a new belt several times, putting it in the dryer is what I do. The uniform I have is faded from washing because it does get nasty. The belt stays in my karate bag, going to class without it, is not good. No belt, then you are not in complete uniform.
This is going to sound strange to you I think, but the reason for not washing the belt is out of respect to the Art. Each color belt means something different, it shows at what level and your ablitlity should be at.
So the color of the belt shows others at what level you are at.
All schools are different, so you could ask your instructor.

 

[Margo1215]

Do you all not learn that the colors of your belt have a meaning? Washing the belt will change the color too. Also it consider by some that throwing the belt down and getting it dirty is very bad. Suppose to take care of it.
The uniform though, I have one that is faded from washing, that I do keep washed because it does get nasty.

 

[Margo1215]

Yes, I have tried tying a new belt several times, putting it in the dryer is what I do. The uniform I have is faded from washing because it does get nasty. The belt stays in my karate bag, going to class without it, is not good. No belt, then you are not in complete uniform.
This is going to sound strange to you I think, but the reason for not washing the belt is out of respect to the Art. Each color belt means something different, it shows at what level and your ablitlity should be at.
So the color of the belt shows others at what level you are at.
All schools are different, so you could ask your instructor.

 

[Aikilove]

Margo, this is NOT historically correct! I'm sorry to tell you that you have been told a urban myth, nothing more! Take Karate for example. Gishin Funakoshi who established karate in its modern form (together with his students like Mas Oyama) did NOT initially have colored belts! Not even a dan/kyu-grading system. It was not until the 1920's when Funakoshin started to teach karate at the judo headquarter he adapted the dan system.

It was Jigoro Kano (establisher of kodokan judo) who introduced the kyu/dan-grading system around the turn of the century 1899-1900. Still there were no color (not even black in the beginning).
Before this all traditional bujutsu school had a menkyo/mokoruko scroll system, were the teacher awarded you with a scroll with the techniques you had mastered of that school (no belt what so ever, except the regular haori obi).
The whole deal with colored kyu-belts came from within judo schools in Europe! in the 1950's. Not Japan.
Nowhere in the history of karate or judo (the two more common budo-arts that use colored grades) does either of these arts creator say anything about that you shouldn't wash your belt!
The only respect one should show (with respect to belts and gi) is that you and your training gear should be clean and odor free!.

Everyone, please read this excelent article:

http://www.e-budokai.com/articles/belts.htm

/J

 

[tenshinaikidoka]

To be honest, I was told to not wash any of my belts because it was said to ruin them. Not sure why or how it would ruin them, but I just did as I was told!!!! But I will brave it and throw a black belt in the wash and see what happens!!!!

 

[latinojazz]

Margo1215, Why not? Why is it not alowed?
Everyone: Why would washing your belt ruin it or be bad etc? Please explain it to me. It's just another piece of cloth that keeps you pants and dogi tucked and one that also get soaked in sweat.

Do you think it has anything to do with tradition? The tradition of wearing a belt (like they look today) wasn't introduced until modern times (after year 1900) by Kano and the guys.

Before you used your obi to keep your clothes together (and the sword tucked if you were alowed to wear one). And this obi was a wide one, like you see kenjutsu and iaido people wear today.

here is an example of a traditional obi worn by men http://www.kyotokimono.com/WhatsForSale/ObiSaleImages/0905obi5detail.jpg

And believe me they washed it just like anything else that got sweaty. If there is anything that japanese people didn't like (I don't know about today) it was bad odor.

I just don't see why one shouldn't wash it. Is there something holy about your belt, that prevent it from being cleaned?

/J

Are you sure, it looks like a peruvian clothe(My wife is from Peru, and I have several similar like the link sample)

 

[Aikilove]

A belt is a belt. Not too strange that a traditional belt look similar around the world. It's just something to keep your clothes tucked (and sometimes to keep your weapons safe!)

/J

 

[Margo1215]

You must have misunderstood what I said in one post, I said at one time they didn't have the colored belts, by the time they achieved the level we now call black belt the belt would be black by time.

 

[latinojazz]

At one time they didn´t coloured belts, but it´s important the motivation that gives to the pupil and makes him grow.

 

[Aikilove]

Really? You have reference of this? What I said was that once they didn't even have belt, at least the way they look today. Not even white!
As for the motivation goes - Most aikido dojos (including ours) don't have more than black and white. Seems to work for them!

/J

 

[Littledragon]

Really? You have reference of this? What I said was that once they didn't even have belt, at least the way they look today. Not even white!
As for the motivation goes - Most aikido dojos (including ours) don't have more than black and white. Seems to work for them!

/J

Rankings now Aiki the way I see it is a political and sometimes monetary system for dojo's to have. In addition it motivates the students especially the children.

But yes back in the old time the only good a belt was for was to hold up their pants.

Also a Korean origin or not just a Korean origin of rankings but happened in Korea, they Koreans practiced on a remote island because Martial Arts was outlawed by the Japanese during the war, they would wear their gi or dobok and have a white cloth belt just to hold up their pants. As time went on the more and more they practiced the more dirty and darker their belt became, and that was one of the ways rankings were developed.

 

[latinojazz]

Rankings now Aiki the way I see it is a political and sometimes monetary system for dojo's to have. In addition it motivates the students especially the children.

But yes back in the old time the only good a belt was for was to hold up their pants.

Also a Korean origin or not just a Korean origin of rankings but happened in Korea, they Koreans practiced on a remote island because Martial Arts was outlawed by the Japanese during the war, they would wear their gi or dobok and have a white cloth belt just to hold up their pants. As time went on the more and more they practiced the more dirty and darker their belt became, and that was one of the ways rankings were developed.

Yes, it´s proved that the colured belts and the Dans motivates the human race.

The person who said another thing is a lier or a Saint.

For example, Steven always talk about his black belts, and his very proud of his 7th Dan in Aikido and we are impressed and respects him for all his black belts, the same we have no respect for Van Damme because he is only 7th Dan in night´s parties and cocaine

 

[tenshinaikidoka]

Van Damme...LOL now there is someone who needs martial arts. Has he ever done anything more than kick, do the splits and use both hands to do his "double punch"?

 

[Littledragon]

Van Damme...LOL now there is someone who needs martial arts. Has he ever done anything more than kick, do the splits and use both hands to do his "double punch"?

Van Damme showed no Martial Art skills and knowledge of self-defense in his movies Tenshin. He only showed his nice jump kicks and his flexibility due to his ballet. I believe he is only a 1st Dan in Shotokan Karate-Do.

 

[tenshinaikidoka]

Oh well, that would explain it. Thank you again LittleD!!!

 

[Littledragon]

Oh well, that would explain it. Thank you again LittleD!!!

You're welcome my friend.