Tying your belt

The belt or Obi goes around the waist twice and is symbolic of the original Obi that was worn and would be used to carry the Daisho (long sword and short sword) as well as other weapons and utensils.

The original Obi was a long, folded cloth wrapped several times around the body to create pockets as well as allowing the two swords to be held snugly by the side of the owner.

The modern belt symbolises this by allowing the long sword to go through both belts and the short sword between the belts, this is to stop the swords tapping against each other and making any noise.

So now you know why it is so long, so how do I tie the knot?

When tying your belt, the following steps should be taken.

• Take the belt in both hands and find its mid-section.

• Hold the centre just below the belly button and pass it around the waist, from the front to the back and back to the front again.

• Bring it together with the left end over the right end.

• Feeding the outer belt end (left end) underneath both sections of the belt.

• It is finished by tying the two free ends right over and through the left as in a “Reef knot”.

• The belt should be tied reasonably tightly so that it will not come undone. A useful hint is to make sure you wash your belt just after you get it to soften it up a bit to help it from coming undone while you train.

• How to tie your belt YouTube video showing how to tie the belt.