How to tie your martial arts belt

by Mark Lamendola, 4th Degree Black Belt

1. Fold the belt in two.
2. Open the belt toward you, placing the peak of the fold just below your navel.
3. Wrap the belt around behind you, and bring both ends in front.
4. As you wrap it, slide the right handside under the lefthand side--so it looks like one piece of belt from behind.
5. In front, cross the left end over the right end. You now have an X in front. The left end is now to your right and the right end is now to your left.
6. Bring the left und under the belt and back up over it.
7. Cross the right end over the left end, wrap it under the left end, and pull.

This is how I tie my belt. In some schools, they tie it exactly the opposite way--but that is very awkward. Some also cross the belt in back, so it looks like you have two belt pieces instead of one. I think that looks sloppy and I doubt very much that was ever the way people wore their belts before the Americanization of the martial arts.