# Which side of the belt to print name



## Callandor (May 5, 2007)

Just curious; Is there a standard or accepted way of printing the name of the  dan holder and the word "Taekwondo" with respect to the side of the belt the words are printed on?


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## Chizikunbo (May 5, 2007)

Callandor said:


> Just curious; Is there a standard or accepted way of printing the name of the  dan holder and the word "Taekwondo" with respect to the side of the belt the words are printed on?


No, there is not. However I have always favored the Name/Art on the left side, and hangul etc. on the right side, I have seen that done alot. 
Hope that helps,
--Josh


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## Callandor (May 5, 2007)

Josh, when you said that you favor the Name/Art on the left side, did you mean that both the name and the art are printed on the left side or just either the name or the art? Also, what is hangul?


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## tshadowchaser (May 5, 2007)

The top of it    

it may depend on what school yu go to or what system you are in. I have seen names on both left and right sides


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## Chizikunbo (May 5, 2007)

Callandor said:


> Josh, when you said that you favor the Name/Art on the left side, did you mean that both the name and the art are printed on the left side or just either the name or the art? Also, what is hangul?


 
I would say the left like "Joshua Paszkiewicz" then under that "NKMAA" on the right side the hangul.
Hangul is the native korean languae/script...versus hanja which is the equal of kanji (chinese characters)...
--josh


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## Kacey (May 5, 2007)

It's not where it's embroidered - it's how you tie the belt.  Once it's embroidered, you can switch which side the words are on by tying your belt the other way.

Words can be embroidered two ways - as you look at the belt, they are running the length of the belt (horizontal), or they are stacked on top of each other (vertical).  If your class/association/organization has a standard, use that; if not, I wouldn't worry about it.


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## Callandor (May 5, 2007)

Kacey said:


> It's not where it's embroidered - it's how you tie the belt.  Once it's embroidered, you can switch which side the words are on by tying your belt the other way.


Yes. But when I asked the question, I not only wanted to know whether the name was on the left or right and the org on the other side; I also wanted to know other combinations like both name and org on one side and empty on the other or dan stripes on the other or, like what josh said - hangul on the other side. In short, I want to know the different configurations of markings on the left and right sides of the belt.

By the way, this question came to my mind when I was scourging the net in search for the proper belt length. I returned to practicing TKD after years of inactivity and found that my old belt was a little too short. :uhoh: In my browsing adventure, I came across different configurations in belt markings. My mind just couldn't rest without knowing the correct or, if there is no such thing, the most common or accepted way. :wink:


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## IcemanSK (May 5, 2007)

I've had belts that had my name in English & Hangul on one end & the name of the school in both languages on the other. I don't believe there is a norm for what gets put on a belt or in what language. 

This thread: http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22482&highlight=Rank+stripes    has a reasoned arguement (see LastFearner's post) for why rank stripes go on the right side.

If you look at video: 



  of Grandmaster Lee, Kyu Hyung (9th Dan), his belt has simple embroidery on it. But, as I said, I don't believe there is a standard, or even a norm in what goes on a belt in terms of name or organization.


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## Last Fearner (May 6, 2007)

Callandor said:


> Just curious; Is there a standard or accepted way of printing the name of the dan holder and the word "Taekwondo" with respect to the side of the belt the words are printed on?


 


Callandor said:


> I also wanted to know other combinations like both name and org on one side and empty on the other or dan stripes on the other...


 


Callandor said:


> I returned to practicing TKD after years of inactivity and found that my old belt was a little too short.


 
Hi Callandor!

Here's a curious question. Why are you wanting to know about embroidery on belts; particularly dan stripes? Your profile says that you are yellow belt in Taekwondo. Typically (although not forbidden that I am aware of), color belts don't put embroidery of name, rank, school, etc. on their belts. Temporary grade striping might be done with black or colored electrical tape.

You said you just returned to TKD after years of inactivity, and your belt does not fit (not an uncommon occurrence!  ). If you need a new yellow belt, why not have your instructor order you one? (or am I assuming facts not already in evidence?) Are you studying at a Taekwondo Dojang?

Here is a little background on the embroidery issue. Many, many years ago, when I first started Martial Art training and dinosaurs roamed the earth, they didn't embroider belts. Black Belts were plain. For degrees, most would wrap white tape around the tip of the belt (most schools that I experienced put the tape on the right side - which is the "senior" side of everything in the Martial Art).

Once they began to use fancy sewing machined to embroider stripes, they often switched to gold, or red colored thread (personal preferences of each instructor or organization). Now they manufacture stock belts with half and half colors, solid stripes or broken lines running down the middle (even for color belts), and all kinds of combinations, including a camouflage belt!  I'm waiting for the checkered belt, and the purple with pink polka-dots! :lol: .

Anyhow, much of the first embroidery began by writing the person's rank on the right side (either above the stripes, or instead of stripes), and their name on the left side. Often times, their name would be written in the native script of the Art (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc), so the Asian Masters could read it and call the Black Belt by name. Later, many Westerners thought it was "cool" to have Asian script on their belt, so they had their rank and/or names of their art written vertically that way. Many times, Black Belts don't even know what is written on their own belt.

Many organizations wanted recognition on the Belt, so they started having the org's name written in either English or Asian script or both (often times on the left end, and the person's name being written above the rank stripes). Now days, there are so many variations, that it becomes up to the individual, or (in most cases) whatever the standard practice is in your organization. It is best to ask your instructor.



Kacey said:


> It's not where it's embroidered - it's how you tie the belt. Once it's embroidered, you can switch which side the words are on by tying your belt the other way.


 
There is a problem with this, though. If the letters are written vertically (usually with Asian script), then you can switch the belt ends around with no problem. However, with English text written horizontally, the letters would be read facing in, or facing out depending on how you tie it. That's no real big deal, but some prefer it to be read from a certain viewpoint (like letters standing on your leg, rather than on their tops - if that makes sense).  This means that the letters will start high on the belt, and end at the stripes as opposed to starting the horizontal writing at the stripes, and ending somewhere up the belt.

Anyhow, the more important difference is when there are dan rank stripes on a particular side. In this case, you must indicate to the embroidery company which end you want the words or name, because if you switch the name to the opposite side when you tie it, the rank stripes will switch also, which only matters if the words are written horizontally. It gets a little confusing because the words are on the opposite end when the belt is laid out straight as opposed to when it is tied around your waist (be careful when ordering).

A company might show a diagram of a belt stretched out straight, and you indicate you want your name and Rank stripes on the right end, but when you put the belt on, the letters will be facing out rather than in. If you want to have your stripes hang on your right side, those should be embroidered on the left end whenever horizontal words are written on either end. Again, for some people, this is no big issue, but if an organization is trying to be consistent, then everyone should be aware of how to order the embroidery. For many Black Belt promotions, the instructor orders the belt anyhow, and presents it to you. So, when you get to that point, perhaps you will find out.

CM D.J. Eisenhart


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## Callandor (May 6, 2007)

Hello, Last Fearner. The background you provided on the embroidery issue is certainly enlightening and your analysis on the problem of switching belt ends when the text is written horizontally is logical and reasonable. I'm not sure, though,  if a purple belt with pink polka dots is an exercise of good taste. 
:lol:



Last Fearner said:


> Here's a curious question. Why are you wanting to know about embroidery on belts; particularly dan stripes?





Callandor said:


> By the way, this question came to my mind when I was scourging the net in search for the proper belt length. I returned to practicing TKD after years of inactivity and found that my old belt was a little too short. *In my browsing adventure, I came across different configurations in belt markings*. My mind just couldn't rest without knowing the correct or, if there is no such thing, the most common or accepted way.


I was looking for the proper belt length because I was planning to elongate or extend my belt by sewing a piece of yellow cloth in the end to make it usable until the next promotion test. Nothing fancy. While surfing for that info, I was teleported to sites selling belts and some of the black belts in their inventory have different configurations in belt markings. That made me curious.



Last Fearner said:


> Your profile says that you are yellow belt in Taekwondo. Typically (although not forbidden that I am aware of), color belts don't put embroidery of name, rank, school, etc. on their belts. Temporary grade striping might be done with black or colored electrical tape.


Yes, I am a yellow belt - that's what the yellow extension cloth is for. :wink: You are right - color belts don't put embroidery on their belts because they will be changing colors within eight months anyway. We don't even put grade striping on our belts. We just "remember" whether we are high or low yellow.



Last Fearner said:


> You said you just returned to TKD after years of inactivity, and your belt does not fit (not an uncommon occurrence!  ). If you need a new yellow belt, why not have your instructor order you one? (or am I assuming facts not already in evidence?)


No, I don't need a new yellow belt. Like I said, I will just sew it an extension. There are two reasons for this: First, it was my white belt with a yellow cotton cloth wrapped around it. It means a lot to me to be just summarily replaced. It will also be my black belt after three more layers of colored cloth are wrapped around it. Second, it is expensive to shell out money for a belt I will only use for a short period of time. And finally, I sincerely hope that you really do not believe that you are assuming facts not already in evidence. :angel:



Last Fearner said:


> Are you studying at a Taekwondo Dojang?


Yes, I still am. While I did plan to quit more than once because my dojang was more kyorugi oriented rather than self-defense oriented, I have no choice. There are no other TKD schools in my area which are any different. Since I was told that I cannot test if I didn't belong to a school and since I don't want to self-promote without proper testing by a certified instructor, then I should stay.


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## Kacey (May 6, 2007)

If it's the proper length you're looking for, then both ends of your belt, when tied, should come to the bottom of your dobok top.

I can understand the symbolic meaning of your belt; however, if you choose, plain white belts (which you could then wrap with the cloth you currently have) are included with most new doboks - and if not, they range (depending on the source) from $4-8.


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## cali_tkdbruin (May 6, 2007)

Last Fearner said:


> Here is a little background on the embroidery issue. Many, many years ago, when I first started Martial Art training and dinosaurs roamed the earth, they didn't embroider belts. Black Belts were plain...
> 
> CM D.J. Eisenhart


Thanks for the insight, that was informative.:asian:


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## Last Fearner (May 6, 2007)

Callandor said:


> No, I don't need a new yellow belt. Like I said, I will just sew it an extension. There are two reasons for this: First, it was my white belt with a yellow cotton cloth wrapped around it. It means a lot to me to be just summarily replaced. It will also be my black belt after three more layers of colored cloth are wrapped around it.


 
Well, you learn something new every day!  In all my years in the Martial Art, and all of the various opinions I a have encountered about whether to use belts or not, what colors to use in what order, and the value and personal meaning of a belt given to a person by their instructor, this is the first time I have ever heard of the concept of wrapping layers of cloth around the student's original white belt and keeping the same belt through Black Belt.

This is a very interesting, and enlightening point of view.  Thanks for sharing this.

CM D.J. Eisenhart


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## hong kong fooey (May 13, 2007)

im pretty sure they print ours on the left side. if thats any help


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