Knot the Whole Story

I found this historical photo and shared it on Facebook more for Charles stories about Bob Bremmer. But the discussion which followed brought something else in view.

Left-Right: Bob Bremer, Shimabuku Sensei, Walt Van Gilson

 

Susan Ingermann Just an observation, Shimabuku Sensei's knot is going to the left.

Mark Radunz Another observation: the others are to the right.

 

Jeff Perkins That knot thing people are told about is BS.

 

Mark Radunz So you're saying there's no "correct" way to tie an obi?

 

And hey, I'm not trying to start a fight! I'm just sharing how I've always been taught. It's a square knot, and not a granny knot, that's for sure. But I was always shown the belt V to the right, while always being aware of, even dating back to Norbert Donnelly's book on IR with a pic of Master Shimabuku, with his pointing left. Guess I always figured it was done that way because of his rank, but nobody ever told me that.

 

Jeff Perkins Mark Radunz Obi’s weren’t even OKINAWAN , they were Japanese! Probably where USA Instructors got these ridiculous tying rules.

 

Susan Ingermann Well, for the record, I have been told all kinds of things. Left, right, depends on rank and doesn't matter... I am left handed and just tied it the way it was most natural to me. A couple of weeks ago sensei I have much respect for kindly mentioned to consider switching it. Which I voluntarily did. And I found it easier to get a nice looking knot. I will keep doing it the new way. I only noticed because I just recently changed. Seeing Shimabuku's obi knot made me smile and chuckle.

 
It makes me think of something I have been told that Sensei Harrill said. He said 'I can hit you just as hard wearing a white belt.' Same for the direction of the knot.... Still, I'm keeping my new way of tying my obi. It's all good! ♥️

 

 Victor Smith:   I have never heard a discussion anywhere about the right way to tie an obi. And now not wearing one in over a year I am not prone to digging it out, tieing it, to see how I do it.

 

When I started I did not have a gi (Sensei’s dojo did not have one in stock my size 6, so I just wore sweat pants and a t shirt. After a while, my younger brother who was training at a Jhoon Ree school, got me one from them a light weight size 6.)

 

And of course the gi had an obi, so I imagine somebody showed me how to tie it, but I have no idea who. From that time in I just tied my obi.

 

For the next  4 years as I moved along (training in Isshinryu and for several years also in Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan)  I just ties my obi and never, ever gave it a thought. The same holds for the next 40 years or so.

 

Then as a new black belt at Pa. tournaments one day a Senior Instructor from another style (and a Senior Judge) approached me in the locker room after a tournament.

 

He said, “Smith, you have your obi tied incorrectly. When you tie your obi your straps cross at the back. Leaving the obi showing both straps at the back.  Perhaps this is not the best description but this is what I recall. Many Senior instructors privately sneer at anyone tieing their obi that way. The correct way is to have the obi flat on top of itself at the back, and then have the knot where the strap passes itself behind the obi.” He then proceeded to show me how to tie an obi that way.”

 

It really didn’t make any difference to me, so I thought about it a while. Of course I also watched what others were doing, seeing both methods in use.

 

On my own I decided that perhaps there was something to it, and I changed how I tied my obi so it lay down flat on itself at the back. And I did it that was forevermore. And that is what I taught.

 

Later I saw someone describe the method of crossing the obi at the back  coming from judo, to provide more support for the lower back. Not that I ever did further research to determine this was true.

 

So I just did what I did, and that all I thought about that.

 

To me the obi was just part of the uniform I wore to train. The color changed to remind me it got ever more difficult.

 

Later more experienced in tournaments I realized that many seniors and Sr. juges from many styles at times were playing head games to influence your thinking, ofter for their own reasons. That also existed with some of the competitors who would also try to play subtle games with your head for other reasons, more for their advangate. I am not saying that was the case here, but… creavat emptor.