Fancy Belts

I attended a martial arts seminar a while back. It was fun and informative. I've decided to put into words some of my experiences and resulting thoughts and feelings on things learned there.

Belts are used in the martial arts to denote rank. One thing I observed:
- Those from a Judo background (myself included as the jiu-jitsu style I practice is actually simply a Judo rules subset geared toward self defense) wore plain black belts.Our uniforms were also a simple solid color and not adorned with numerous patches.
- Those high ranks from other (stand-up) jujutsu styles wore kohaku (red & white) belts and red belts.  Their uniforms sported 3-6 patches, or more.

I have a kohaku belt, as is protocol with my rank (6th Dan). However, I almost never wear it outside my own dojo. And I only rarely wear it within the confines of my own dojo.

You will often find this to be true of grapplers, as we rarely take ourselves too seriously.


.