why does a karate belt tie a certain way?

Answer 1

its tied that way to show balance between mind and body in taekwondo.

Answer 2

I'll asume the Karate belts tie the same way as Yae Kwon Do belts. The belt wraps around you twice. Once for your body & the 2nd time for your spirit. You then tie these 2 circles together, uniting your body & spirit. In Korean that is called Chong shin tong il.

Answer 3

Because it has to be tied one way so why not that way... Also if you tie it in a basic knot it won't come undone easily that's why the first loop goes under both layers and the second only goes around the first layer. If you look at the knot it looks the same as a basic knot does. Only this way you can untie it...

Answer 4

The way the belt is tied differs depending on what martial art you're involved in.

For the most part, it's tied so that it has a little give and slips. That way your opponent cannot use it as a handle to grab or throw you.

If your opponent grabs the belt, you either attack or tackle on the weak side (the side they're grabbing on.)

Answer 5

To get this, one needs a bit of understanding when it comes to Japanese cultural mentality :

They're perfectionists by nature....even when it comes to something as silly as how to tie an obi correctly. When it comes to traditional Japanese dress, everything is folded, cut, etc....perfectly.

So, when you're tying a standard gi obi, it's tied in a square knot instead of a 'granny knot' so the ends lay perfectly down and at equal length.

If you're tying a wide sword obi, they have their own method of tying to keep the swords securely in place.

Answer 6

travis is pretty well right.it's not about looks like someone else suggested.besides what travis said it's also to keep your gi closed.and the knot represents the centre of your universe,your chi.there's another word for it but i'm a bit foggy at 4 am in the morning.also ma is about the pursuit of perfection,if you can't get a simple thing like your belt tied properly,well what else can i say?

Answer 7

the biggest mistake most people make is take the belt halfway round and go back and forth. this causes a knot to the back which is not comfortable when falling. correct way is take a little end on one side and go round twice. then make a flat simple knot and voila.

Answer 8

It is so the knot will lay somewhat flat and the ends will hang downward properly. If you tie it in a "granny" knot one of the ends will point upward and have a tendency to stick out.

Answer 9

Respect of tradition. And the shape of the tie is the shape of a fortune cookie, if you tie it on right.

Answer 10

In Japanese and Okinawan arts the belt holds symbolic meaning.
I do not know about other arts and their culture.

Answer 11

Its done out of tradition, it also helps to tell the true karate ka from phonies.