You’ve heard them: never let your belt touch the floor. You gotta register your hands and feet when you become a black belt. The colors of the belt represent… the list goes on. I’ll mention a few here and cover the history and reality behind the myth.
Never Let the Belt Touch the Floor
If you let your belt touch the floor, the myth goes, you are disrespecting the uniform, the dojang, the instructor, and the style. Bushes outside will auto-incinerate, and locusts will fly in by the millions. God will toss down thunderbolts at the heathen who dropped his belt.
Background Story
Ever hear that before? I was 20 years into Taekwondo, and 5 into teaching my own classes when one day I joined a new school. The assistant instructor at the time did not know my history, and he gave me my uniform. He told me to change in the changing room, but not to tie the belt. I figured he was going to show me how to tie the thing, and maybe they had a different way to tie it than other schools. I was coming in at white belt, as agreed upon by the instructor and me. Apparently, nobody talked to the assistant when I came in, he just assumed I was a brand new student. Not wanting to sound like a showboating braggart, I kept my mouth shut.
So I came out of the changing room – without the belt tied as instructed. He wanted to show me how to tie the strings at the sides of the uniform, so he said lift your arms. I set the folded belt onto the floor at my feet and raised my arms outward. Oh, Dear God! What a mistake! He yelled at me, sort of. More like gave me a stern warning that “we don’t let our belts touch the floor here”. Um. Ok. I picked up the belt, and as he tied the strings and then the belt (which was no different than anywhere else) I asked why the belts don’t touch the floor. He said that’s terribly insulting to the style and instructor.
I later had a chat with the instructor, who had a chat with his assistant about my history. I mentioned about the belt touching the floor thing, and we both laughed. He told me his reasoning had more to do with discipline. It’s not an insult, it’s just a pedagogic tool to teach discipline and respect. No insult was inferred, and the assistant was well-intentioned, although he does take things a bit seriously.
Really: grapplers in jujitsu and judo touch the floor all the time, so what’s the big deal?
Pedagogy
It turns out, it isn’t a big deal. Such really is a pedagogic tool to teach discipline. It’s a small part of a larger picture. You wouldn’t drop a spoon on the floor then pick it up and use it, would you? The floor is a dirty place, and if you have a clean spoon nearby, you’ll just exchange it.
It’s no different than in the dojang. It’s not that the floor is dirty, although the lesson is partly about cleanliness; but also about respect for the uniform and its upkeep. To that end, uniforms should be neatly folded so that when you come to class, you don’t look like you’re in wrinkly pajamas. You don’t want your uniform to be dragged along the garage floor gathering dust balls at home. That kind of thing. You don’t have to have your uniform pressed for each class, and it will need to be washed every now and then. Just respect it like you would respect your suit, tie, dress, shoes, and dress shirts and blouses, that’s all.
The Colors of the Belt
The Myth
This is a gem. Everyone starts out at white belt. White represents purity, or the absence of other colors (and dirt), they say. As you train, the belt gets dirty (ostensibly from other than letting it touch the floor…), so it becomes a shade of yellow (I guess that’s the sweat?) Later, it builds up and becomes darker, so it’s orange. Then with even more training, it becomes seriously dark, that’s where the blues, greens, and purples come in. (From what, I have no idea). Then when the serious training comes in, there’s blood (that’s the red) and then dirt from outside training (that’s the brown), and then finally, with the belt completely used, it’s a blackish hue.
You buy any of that? I don’t. It’s nice and poetic, but really: blood? Blood turns brown in a few hours. And you’d wash the thing, yes? You’d have to, it’s a biohazard. The health department can shut down the instructor if the blood isn’t properly handled. And who gets blood stains on their belt – and leaves it there – but not on the uniform? And who washes their uniform but doesn’t wash the belt?? (we’ll talk about that one in a minute).
The Truth
You wanna know what the belt colors really represent?
Hint: the belt colors are only for the benefit of the instructor.
The lighter the colors are, the more junior the student. Each person at that color has the presumed same knowledge and is working on the same things. Now the instructor (or a substitute) doesn’t have to remember who is working on what, all that is needed is to group the students so that they can be broken up into groups to work on whatever it is they’re supposed to be working on. It is for that reason that each school has a different idea about what colors to use.
What Are The Colors, Anyway?
Some are basic: white belt and black belt (many Aikido schools are like this). Some are really fancy: white, white/yellow, yellow, yellow/orange, orange, orange/green, green, green/blue, blue, blue/purple, purple, purple/re, red, red/brown, brown, brown/black, black… you get the idea. Most schools are somewhere in the middle: white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, red, brown, black. Maybe some will use 4 colors, maybe some will change the order around. Some start with no belt (!) and you have to test for your white belt. Some wear a black belt, but aren’t 1st degree yet (that comes with a bar, stripe, or star or some such thing on the belt.
It can get crazy with the array of colors, and that contributes to the perception of schools being money-grabbers, as students have to test (and pay for those tests) for each belt. I’ll leave my opinion that for another blog post.
Never Wash Your Belt
This is another gem. Ever smell someone who didn’t wash their clothes? They stink. The belts are made out of cotton, and cotton absorbs sweat. That means, the belt will get ripe real soon if it isn’t washed.
Die, Dye!
There is some truth to this myth. It’s almost universally accepted that martial artists in a belt-oriented system like Taekwondo or Karate will not remain at their belt colors for long. As a result, belt manufacturers will often use cheap dyes. It’s fully conceivable to have a belt for only 2 or 3 months and get away with not washing it. Go ahead and put your pearly white uniform in the wash with a red or blue belt and watch what happens to the uniform when you take it out.
Yeah, maybe better not wash the belt next time – now it’s faded and the uniform is pink. Good luck on your next class.
Myth Birth
That’s where this myth was born out of. The reality is you can – and should – wash the belt, you just can’t use bleach, and you should wash in cold water with like-colored clothes or towels. And for Pete’s sake, don’t dry the thing in the drier. Just let it hang on a clothes line in the basement or outside for a few hours, or else it’ll shrink. (If your belt hangs to the knees, then by all means dry it in the drier.)
Register Your Hands With Local Police
This is a famous one. And it’s actually true – but only in one place in the world (Guam). I can tell you with absolute assurance that if you walked into the local police station and tried to register yourself, you’ll be laughed out of the precinct.
But I did say it was true that in Guam, that you do have to register as a martial artist.
Title 10 – Health & Safety Division 3 – Public Safety, Chapter 62, Ann. § 62100
“Any person who is an expert in the art of karate or judo, or any similar physical ar[t] in which the hands and feet are used as deadly weapons, is required to register with the Department of Revenue and Taxation.“
Experts, by the way, are defined in Ann. § 62104
“A karate or judo expert required to register by the provisions of this Chapter shall be a person trained in the arts of karate, judo or other hand-to-hand fighting technique, whereby the hands, feet or other parts of the body are used as weapons, who shall have completed at least one level of training therein and shall have been issued a belt or other symbol showing proficiency in such art.“
And according to § 62106
“Any registered karate or judo expert who thereafter is charged with having used his art in a physical assault on some other person, shall upon conviction thereof, be deemed guilty of aggravated assault.“
So there you have it. You gotta register yourself in Guam. Personally? I’d love to send them my certificate and have them mail me an embossed and framed certificate, but apparently, they have not determined the need to generate money there, and so I’m just going to have to go there and get it myself. Ho hum…
Nevertheless, that last part, in 62106, is interesting. That can happen anywhere in the world: if you get into an altercation and you are “an expert”, or are perceived to be an expert by the judge or jury, then you can be up-charged with aggravated assault charges, instead of simple assault charges. Depending on where you are, that can mean the difference between misdemeanor and felony. It can also have an effect on a civil suit.
Martial Arts Turn Kids into Bullies
This one is passed around by people who have had bad experiences. This is patently false, but the truth is that the quality of instructor is the biggest factor. If the instructor is like John Kreese in the Cobra Kai (Karate Kid, anyone?) then you’re going to end up with gangster students. (And a liability, by the way. There’s nothing glamorous about being a dojo that turns out mercenaries and gangsters for the hell of it.)
There is also the thought that it will teach kids that fighting is the answer to their problems. But properly taught, this is bunk. Children become bullies because that is how they are raised and what they learned. Similarly, children who hunt do not learn to be murderers.
You’ll Get Seriously Injured
It’s possible. It’s also possible you’ll get killed in a car accident on your way to the dojang too. Or you could slip in the shower and crack your skull open. And it’s possible you’ll be seriously injured by a mugger or home invader because you didn’t know how to protect yourself.
So what’s it gonna be: this might happen, that might happen, something might happen, so, not gonna do it.
Risk Is More Likely In Sport
You’re more likely to get hurt from a sport martial art, like boxing. Dementia Pugilistica (boxer’s dementia) is a rare injury borne out of repetitive concussions. But, having participated in many martial arts over the years, I can say my injuries – I’ve had many as I pushed the envelope – are overall quite minor.
Age Factor
Taekwondo is a risky one, for older people and young, and for very different reasons. Older people are less likely to get knocked out from a kick to the head (because let’s face it, we can’t always kick that high). Younger people are more likely to get a concussion from a head kick. Young folks are likely to twist an ankle in the more acrobatic schools, while young adults are more likely to end up with a torn ACL. Older people should refrain from doing this stuff, as it has no martial application, and really… it’s not necessary.
Power Breaking Risks
With Karate, Kung Fu, and Taekwondo where it’s common to do power breaking, a sprained wrist or broken toe might result.
With Aikido and Hapkido, sprained wrists are common in aggressive schools. And I joke all the time with my chiropracter when I tell him that Aikido seems to be robbing him of business because of all the back adjustments I get from taking ukemi. But he jokes back that for every patient he doesn’t get because of Aikido, he also gets a student because of Aikido.
