Have you recently signed your child up for karate classes? Learning how to tie your little one’s karate belt can be a headache-inducing task. Even those who have tied their own belts for many years might struggle to tie a child’s belt up for them.
It can be really hard to gauge whether the belt is fitting nice and snug across their waist or if it’s too tight or not.
These things are perfectly easy to recognize on your own body, but on someone else’s it can get a bit tricky, especially when little children aren’t known for their eloquent explanations.
However, do not worry, as this is where I come in. Throughout this article, I’ll teach you all the best tips and tricks that I have to offer so that you can tie your child’s belt perfectly in no time at all.
Why The Karate Belt Is So Important?
You may be wondering, is it that important that the belt is tied up correctly. The answer is yes. The karate uniform is a very important part of the training.
The specific uniform is designed to ensure that those practicing the sport are always able to freely move their body.
This is super important for people who practice karate as they need to be able to kick their legs quite high and restrictive clothes will make this impossible.
The uniform consists of three components; pants, jacket, and belt. It is known as a Gi and the belt is arguably the most vital component of the three.
As your child progresses through their training, they will receive new different colored belts that represent the levels they move up through, the black belt being the ultimate goal.
The belt, especially a black belt, symbolizes the skills the practitioner has learned and thus is also a symbol of respect. However, this will be diminished if the belt is not being worn correctly.
Common Issues With Children’s Belts
When a belt is not tied correctly it can cause all types of problems. Usually, it’ll mean that your child’s presentation seems really poor, which nobody wants for their child.
More than this though, it can also mean that the belt is not keeping their jacket together and in place.
Contrastingly, the belt can also be tied much too tight. If this happens your child will end up in a lot of physical discomfort and they may even have trouble breathing.
And this is the last thing that any parent wants for their child, especially when they are being very physically active.
How To Tie A Belt Correctly?
Luckily, these issues mentioned above can be avoided as long as you use the proper methods when you tie your child’s belt.
Remember when you try out these methods, you’ll need to try and find the perfect balance between tying it tight enough to keep the jacket in place without restricting your child’s breathing. Don’t tie it too loose either.
The Right Wrap
When you’re tying your child’s belt, it is important to keep in mind that just because it is loose enough while they are relaxed does not mean that it will still be loose once they start breathing heavily.
Your child’s chest and abdomen will expand once they get into the heavier activities and their breathing increases.
So if you find that you are wrapping the belt fairly loosely but still getting complaints from your child when they begin their lesson, this may be why.
To combat this you should always ensure that your child’s belt is wrapped loosely around their waste. Of course, too loose and you’ll also have other problems.
As a general rule, to get the perfect wrap, I would recommend tying the belt so that you can still fit one hand underneath it. This gives room for chest expansion without the belt becoming too loose.
A Tight Knot
Karate is a highly physical sport, so when you tie the knot, you want to ensure it’s been tied tightly enough that all the movement won’t allow it to come undone.
This is really easy to do, just tie the knot and once it is done, give the belt ends a tough pull and the knot should tighten right up.
Step-By-Step Guide To Tying A Karate Belt On A Child
First of all, you’ll want to fold the belt in half to find the middle. Once you’ve located this, align it with the middle of your child’s stomach, just beneath their belly button. Wrap the belt around their waist. Ensure that you use an X’ formation at the back and make sure you bring both ends back round to the front. The belt should always be flat, if it’s twisted you’ll need to start again.
The left side of the belt (your left, the child’s right) needs to be brought over the top of the right side. This can then be tucked under the strap sat around the waist.
The right side of the belt should currently be facing to the left. You’ll want to bend this backward so that it points towards the right. Then bring the top strap so that it sits over the right strap. Next, bring the strap under the right strap on the left side of itself. This should go through a loop.
The left strap should now be hanging to the left and the right strap should be hanging to the right. Pull these tight and give them a few extra tugs to ensure they are tight.
Final Thoughts
Tying up a belt seems like a fairly simple thing to do, but it can be more complicated than you think. Hopefully, this article has made things a little easier for you.
Practice will make perfect, so if you are still struggling just give yourself a few practice runs and you’ll pick it up in no time.
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