Why it matters how you tie your karate belt. Find out the right way.

How do you tie your Karate belt? In my travels around the world, I’ve seen it done many different ways. The way below is how we expect you to tie your belt in class and this is the standard way expected from Yellow belt and above.

1. Halve your belt and make sure that the ends are perfectly even.
2. Place the centre at the level of your navel. Pass the ends around the back and cross them over. Pull it firmly.
3. Bring the ends back around to the front and check that they are still perfectly even.
4. Take the right hand end and pass it over the top of the left. Pass that end up under both strands of the belt and pull it through. Pull the ends firmly.
5. Check the ends are still even.
6. Now take the left hand end and pass it back over the right. Pass it through and form a simple knot.
7. Take a moment to check that the strands are sitting flat and untwisted.
8. Pull the knot tight and make a final check that the ends are even.
9. The knot should have two folds coming together that face off to the right.
10. On advanced belts your will see the name of the student on  the left and the name of the style on the right.

When tying the belt you must first make certain that it hangs evenly from the middle. This symbolizes the balance between the physical and mental aspects of our training. The belt is first wrapped around the waist by placing the middle of it just below your belly button.

The following video shows you how to tie your belt correctly one way.

Watch & learn: