# Where are your stripes?



## skribs (Feb 24, 2019)

Whether you're talking about a white/colored belt with tape stripes until the next solid color, or else a black belt with the dan rank marked with stripes on one side, where do your stripes hang?


Right Side
Left Side
Doesn't Matter
Don't Know
Don't Have Stripes


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## Christopher Adamchek (Feb 24, 2019)

Weve done both sides mirroring the same rank (we do karate fyi)


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 24, 2019)

Within NGA, many instructors are quite adamant about which side is "correct". Unfortunately, they don't agree with each other. Mine are on the left, I think. It's always the same side, I'm just really not sure (without tying my belt) which that is. Now that I think about it, it's probably the right - they start on the left before tying.

So, yeah, I have no idea.


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## drop bear (Feb 24, 2019)

Only on the left side, yeah that's the crip side.


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## dvcochran (Feb 24, 2019)

To the question, I do think traditionally they are on the left side. Hopefully someone else will chime in. As a BB do are you adamant about having the stripes on your belt? My belt is half the original belt I was given in 1984 and half a belt given to me from my GM about 10 years ago. It does have his name and Dan ranking on it but still no stripes. There is no mistaking me for him as he is Korean and I am a red-neck from the south.
 I think they are largely an ego stroke for the wearer when you get into the higher Dan levels. I get the advantages of organization and motivation at color belt but should not a BB be beyond this?


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 24, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> To the question, I do think traditionally they are on the left side. Hopefully someone else will chime in. As a BB do are you adamant about having the stripes on your belt? My belt is half the original belt I was given in 1984 and half a belt given to me from my GM about 10 years ago. It does have his name and Dan ranking on it but still no stripes. There is no mistaking me for him as he is Korean and I am a red-neck from the south.
> I think they are largely an ego stroke for the wearer when you get into the higher Dan levels. I get the advantages of organization and motivation at color belt but should not a BB be beyond this?


Within larger groups that actually have several levels in attendance, the stripes serve some of the same functions the colored belts do - helping people observe etiquette when bowing in, making it easy to use the right honorific/title (for groups that use different honorifics/titles at different ranks), indicating who is likely to be equipped to answer certain questions, etc.

In other organizations, it doesn't serve so usefully, and just becomes a matter of hierarchy. 

And sometimes it matters to those of us who are used to it, but for reasons we can't really explain. I like having stripes around, even when everyone else has more than me (as at the Karate dojo where I just started teaching classes).


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## Dirty Dog (Feb 25, 2019)

We don't really care which side the stripe is on for geup ranks.
For dan ranks, we don't care. Most have them on both ends.


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## Earl Weiss (Feb 25, 2019)

IMO this is like the Toilet paper roll question. (From the top or bottom)   My gray matter is occupied with matters of greater consequence. So you put it on and wherever it ends up is fine.   Of course, at the end of the day if you follow someone who sets a standard you follow what they say.


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## Dirty Dog (Feb 25, 2019)

Earl Weiss said:


> IMO this is like the Toilet paper roll question. (From the top or bottom)   My gray matter is occupied with matters of greater consequence. So you put it on and wherever it ends up is fine.   Of course, at the end of the day if you follow someone who sets a standard you follow what they say.



There is no question at all about how the toilet paper roll should be hung. From the bottom is the only acceptable answer. Especially if you have cats. If it's from the top, the cat smacks it once and it starts unrolling. Instant cat toy.
There are only a relative few absolutes in life. Amoung them are:
TP from the bottom.
Toothpaste should be squeezed from the end of the tube.
Pineapple does not belong on pizza.
If you order your steak well done, you should just order the chicken, you steak hating monster.


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 25, 2019)

Dirty Dog said:


> There is no question at all about how the toilet paper roll should be hung. From the bottom is the only acceptable answer. Especially if you have cats. If it's from the top, the cat smacks it once and it starts unrolling. Instant cat toy.
> There are only a relative few absolutes in life. Amoung them are:
> TP from the bottom.
> Toothpaste should be squeezed from the end of the tube.
> ...


Cats are the only excuse for bottom-loading TP. Otherwise, it's just wrong. 

Usually, you're so sensible.


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 25, 2019)

Earl Weiss said:


> IMO this is like the Toilet paper roll question. (From the top or bottom)   My gray matter is occupied with matters of greater consequence. So you put it on and wherever it ends up is fine.   Of course, at the end of the day if you follow someone who sets a standard you follow what they say.


I agree, except where it's being done for its own reason. I think some places only care about where the stripes end up, so folks have a detail to pay attention to. Does the location of stripes really matter? No. But learning to pay attention to a detail does.

I'm not naturally detail-oriented, and have often wondered how much of my ability to pay attention to small stuff was developed in the dojo with small steps like that.


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## Tony Dismukes (Feb 25, 2019)

In BJJ it doesn’t matter. I don’t pay attention to the stripes when I start tying the belt and so it ends up randomly one way or another.



Dirty Dog said:


> Pineapple does not belong on pizza.



You are so wrong that it makes me question everything else you’ve ever written.


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## JR 137 (Feb 25, 2019)

My former organization had a strict dress code, for lack of a better phrase. Black belts wore their belt with the organization’s kanji on the left side, and the person’s name in kanji and stripes on the right side. The head of that organization is a Vietnam vet and spent quite some time in the Marine Corps, so uniform actually meant uniform. Kyu ranks got electrical tape stripes and they were supposed to be worn on the right, but that wasn’t enforced, surprisingly even by the head guy. He’d make a comment every now and then, but he wouldn’t go crazy with it like other things. 

My current organization doesn’t care which side stripes are on. My teacher gets asked this one occasionally, and he says he’s asked several times with no definitive answer. He looks at our founder and his son who is his official successor, and both wear them opposite of each other. He watches when Kaicho ties a black belt on people after they’ve been promoted, and it’s whatever side it ends up on. The only universal thing is have the embroidered side out instead of the underside.


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## skribs (Feb 25, 2019)

JR 137 said:


> My former organization had a strict dress code, for lack of a better phrase. Black belts wore their belt with the organization’s kanji on the left side, and the person’s name in kanji and stripes on the right side. The head of that organization is a Vietnam vet and spent quite some time in the Marine Corps, so uniform actually meant uniform. Kyu ranks got electrical tape stripes and they were supposed to be worn on the right, but that wasn’t enforced, surprisingly even by the head guy. He’d make a comment every now and then, but he wouldn’t go crazy with it like other things.
> 
> My current organization doesn’t care which side stripes are on. My teacher gets asked this one occasionally, and he says he’s asked several times with no definitive answer. He looks at our founder and his son who is his official successor, and both wear them opposite of each other. He watches when Kaicho ties a black belt on people after they’ve been promoted, and it’s whatever side it ends up on. The only universal thing is have the embroidered side out instead of the underside.



This is how it is at my school.  There is a dress code, but some of the details aren't enforced.  For example, students are allowed to wear a white t-shirt under their uniform.  The color is generally not enforced, but if they show up with a collared shirt or long-sleeve shirt they get told they're not allowed to do that.

The same applies to belts.  School name on left side, your name and rank on right side.  Most of the black belts, when pointed out, will apologize and fix it.  But there's one girl who's attitude is "this is how I do it".  I think she thinks I'm either joking, or that it doesn't matter and I'm just being a stickler.  She just tested into my rank, although at the time we had this discussion I was a higher rank than her.  I was just curious if other schools had a loose code on this, or if there was a definite way of doing things.

And to see if it was a similar rule or if the rule was different at every school.


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## skribs (Feb 25, 2019)

Edit: double post


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## wanderingstudent (Feb 25, 2019)

gpseymour said:


> Cats are the only excuse for bottom-loading TP. Otherwise, it's just wrong.
> 
> Usually, you're so sensible.



Not necessarily.  At my house it is over the top, except for the Winter; when the heater blows and unrolls it.  Although, I've been experimenting with crushing the roll slightly; this seems to work.  It also helps limit over-rolling when unrolling.


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 25, 2019)

skribs said:


> This is how it is at my school.  There is a dress code, but some of the details aren't enforced.  For example, students are allowed to wear a white t-shirt under their uniform.  The color is generally not enforced, but if they show up with a collared shirt or long-sleeve shirt they get told they're not allowed to do that.
> 
> The same applies to belts.  School name on left side, your name and rank on right side.  Most of the black belts, when pointed out, will apologize and fix it.  But there's one girl who's attitude is "this is how I do it".  I think she thinks I'm either joking, or that it doesn't matter and I'm just being a stickler.  She just tested into my rank, although at the time we had this discussion I was a higher rank than her.  I was just curious if other schools had a loose code on this, or if there was a definite way of doing things.
> 
> And to see if it was a similar rule or if the rule was different at every school.


For a situation like that student, my view is that if it's not enforced, it's not important. But if it's enforced (even gently) for others, then it matters. More importantly, I have an issue with people who decide that the rules don't matter just because they don't want to bother with them (or think their way is special) and decide to simply ignore them, even when reminded. This is one of those things these details can be used for. And some would say that doesn't matter, but there are many places in life where we can get along better and communally accomplish more if we accept some rules and standards that don't really matter at an individual level.


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 25, 2019)

wanderingstudent said:


> Not necessarily.  At my house it is over the top, except for the Winter; when the heater blows and unrolls it.  Although, I've been experimenting with crushing the roll slightly; this seems to work.  It also helps limit over-rolling when unrolling.


Hmm...I see you're trying to find a loophole here. I'll just close that loophole by saying you clearly have a ghost cat.


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## JR 137 (Feb 25, 2019)

skribs said:


> This is how it is at my school.  There is a dress code, but some of the details aren't enforced.  For example, students are allowed to wear a white t-shirt under their uniform.  The color is generally not enforced, but if they show up with a collared shirt or long-sleeve shirt they get told they're not allowed to do that.
> 
> The same applies to belts.  School name on left side, your name and rank on right side.  Most of the black belts, when pointed out, will apologize and fix it.  But there's one girl who's attitude is "this is how I do it".  I think she thinks I'm either joking, or that it doesn't matter and I'm just being a stickler.  She just tested into my rank, although at the time we had this discussion I was a higher rank than her.  I was just curious if other schools had a loose code on this, or if there was a definite way of doing things.
> 
> And to see if it was a similar rule or if the rule was different at every school.


That girl seems like an interesting case. With protocol and the like (this could be considered part of protocol) black belts usually only need to be told once. That whole rebel thing should be gone. And how hard is it to remember which side is which?

The “this is how I do it” mentality should be gone. Furthermore, if it’s not a big deal, then it shouldn’t be a big deal for her to do it right without being reminded either. IMO it seems like a passive aggressive power thing, to put it nicely.


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## skribs (Feb 25, 2019)

@gpseymour @JR 137 

I agree with you.  It's one of those things that because it's not too strictly enforced (except when it is) it feels kind of petty to bring up higher.  It was more the attitude than anything else.  Like Gerry said, it's more the attitude than the rule.

This girl is basically right behind me in rank and seniority.  We're the same rank now, but I've been the rank 4 months longer than her.  There's only one student above us, out of about 150.  So we're pretty close to being equals, and it's kinda hard to pull rank.


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## JR 137 (Feb 25, 2019)

skribs said:


> @gpseymour @JR 137
> 
> I agree with you.  It's one of those things that because it's not too strictly enforced (except when it is) it feels kind of petty to bring up higher.  It was more the attitude than anything else.  Like Gerry said, it's more the attitude than the rule.
> 
> This girl is basically right behind me in rank and seniority.  We're the same rank now, but I've been the rank 4 months longer than her.  There's only one student above us, out of about 150.  So we're pretty close to being equals, and it's kinda hard to pull rank.


It shouldn’t be about “pulling rank.” If she’s in your class, then it’s your rules. If someone else is teaching, then it’s on them to address it or ignore it. 

If it’s really bothering you, I’d either talk to her privately or talk to the CI privately.


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## Gwai Lo Dan (Feb 25, 2019)

Dirty Dog said:


> Pineapple does not belong on pizza.


How do you feel about CORN on pizza? I saw it everywhere when I visited Vienna.


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## dvcochran (Feb 25, 2019)

Dirty Dog said:


> There is no question at all about how the toilet paper roll should be hung. From the bottom is the only acceptable answer. Especially if you have cats. If it's from the top, the cat smacks it once and it starts unrolling. Instant cat toy.
> There are only a relative few absolutes in life. Amoung them are:
> TP from the bottom.
> Toothpaste should be squeezed from the end of the tube.
> ...



Totally with you on 2-4. I just discovered another reason why we have no cats in the house. We have several at the barns for functional reasons. Otherwise, damn I hate cats. Hate the look, the mannerisms, and really really hate the smell. They do keep the mice under control but you cannot leave anything setting on the ground or it will get pissed on.


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## kitkatninja (Feb 26, 2019)

I had to look at a couple of photos...  Our stripes/bars are on the left side


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## andyjeffries (Feb 26, 2019)

My stripes tend to go on the left side, but that's out of habit (and the way my belt is worn around the knot) than any requirement that they go that side. My black belt students, honestly can't tell you which side they go - it's not something I've ever considered important.

When I attended the Master Instructor Course the first time at Kukkiwon, South Korea they said that we shouldn't need badges and bars and things on our uniforms/belts - they are for children and not adults. However, in South Korea they use "noonchi" to determine seniority, this is described as being a kind of "reading" of someone's behaviour/attitude to determine if they're senior/junior to you and they line up accordingly. At most seminars outside of Korea, we're more hung up on rank, so knowing where you line up and for others to know too helps. Also with new students joining the dojang, it's helpful for them to be able to easily know who has seniority and what grade people are. So we have them on our standard embroidered belts.

I knew about this Korean aversion to those kinds of things before I went to Korea, so I also took a plain belt with just my name on one end in Korean and my country on the other. On the second trip, I again took that belt, but they didn't even mention it on the second trip and didn't mention anyone's dobok that had loads of embroidery. So I guess they've softened up and know that international black belts and masters tend to do it anyway.


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## Gwai Lo Dan (Mar 2, 2019)

andyjeffries said:


> When I attended the Master Instructor Course the first time at Kukkiwon, South Korea they said that we shouldn't need badges and bars and things on our uniforms/belts - they are for children and not adults.



I remember a visiting TKD instructor from Korea had no stripes on his belt.  He was a recent university graduate of TKD and very good.  Students would ask him "what dan are you??" because of no stripes.  He commented that people in Korea don't tend to wear stripes.



andyjeffries said:


> However, in South Korea they use "noonchi" to determine seniority, this is described as being a kind of "reading" of someone's behaviour/attitude to determine if they're senior/junior to you and they line up accordingly.



I wholeheartedly agree with that.  Where I train, it goes by rank//test date/age in that order.  There was a young athletic adult who would have been after me, but realistically, he was better at demonstrating kicks than me, so I would tell him to line up before me. It just made sense; he was better than me.

Conversely, there was an older lady who would take her higher place without question, then when it came to kicking she would tell the better people to go before her.  It seemed inconsistent to me.


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## dvcochran (Mar 2, 2019)

Gwai Lo Dan said:


> I remember a visiting TKD instructor from Korea had no stripes on his belt.  He was a recent university graduate of TKD and very good.  Students would ask him "what dan are you??" because of no stripes.  He commented that people in Korea don't tend to wear stripes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


In regards, to you and the older lady, can each of you do and/or teach forms/kicks/sparring/SD/etc... better than the young adults? She may be wise enough to put the class before herself. A sign of experience. I don't get too hung up on where I line up in class all the time either. It comes with age. I cannot do some kicks as well as I used to, but I can teach you how to do the kicks better than I ever did.


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## Gwai Lo Dan (Mar 3, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> In regards, to you and the older lady, can each of you do and/or teach forms/kicks/sparring/SD/etc... better than the young adults? She may be wise enough to put the class before herself. A sign of experience. I don't get too hung up on where I line up in class all the time either. It comes with age. I cannot do some kicks as well as I used to, but I can teach you how to do the kicks better than I ever did.


I would say the young adult had thought about techniques less then me and was therefore a little less able to answer questions then me.  For example, the master asked about which leg moves first when moving forward, and the young adult said "back leg. Always the back leg." Having taken some boxing, I disagreed with the "always" part.   He was good at teaching forms and kicks for sure. He was a natural. The older lady was less knowledgable IMO.


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## andyjeffries (Mar 4, 2019)

Gwai Lo Dan said:


> I remember a visiting TKD instructor from Korea had no stripes on his belt.  He was a recent university graduate of TKD and very good.  Students would ask him "what dan are you??" because of no stripes.  He commented that people in Korea don't tend to wear stripes.



I've just had my friend Master Jeong, In-choul from Korea over to the UK for a couple of seminars and he wore a completely blank black belt - not even his name embroidered on it.


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## Gerry Seymour (Mar 4, 2019)

As a follow-up, I paid attention when I tied my belt on Saturday, and my stripes always end up on the right (when I start wrapping the belt, I'm holding the stripe end in my left hand). I like it to be consistent, but for no reason other than it's something to pay attention to.


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## skribs (Mar 4, 2019)

gpseymour said:


> As a follow-up, I paid attention when I tied my belt on Saturday, and my stripes always end up on the right (when I start wrapping the belt, I'm holding the stripe end in my left hand). I like it to be consistent, but for no reason other than it's something to pay attention to.



That's what we do.  Stripes start on the left, end up on the right.


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## Gerry Seymour (Mar 4, 2019)

skribs said:


> That's what we do.  Stripes start on the left, end up on the right.


Then, apparently, you do it right.


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## wab25 (Mar 4, 2019)

skribs said:


> This girl is basically right behind me in rank and seniority. We're the same rank now, but I've been the rank 4 months longer than her. There's only one student above us, out of about 150. So we're pretty close to being equals, and it's kinda hard to pull rank.


I guess I missed the part about why you should care where she puts her stripes. She is another student, just like you. You are a 3rd degree BB if I remember right. That means she was a 2nd degree BB who just successfully passed here 3rd degree test. Apparently, her master is ok with how she wears her belt, stripes and all. If her master is ok with how she wears her stripes, why should you, her fellow student, be concerned?


skribs said:


> But there's one girl who's attitude is "this is how I do it". I think she thinks I'm either joking, or that it doesn't matter and I'm just being a stickler.


I can totally understand her attitude. She is doing things in a way that her master is ok with, at a level where she was just promoted to 3rd degree BB and her co-student is correcting her on where her stripes are. If she was a new white belt trying to figure out how to put on her uniform for the first time, thats one thing. But after that, let her master correct her on where her stripes go. If her master is ok with how she wears her uniform, I certainly wouldn't correct her on it. It could be coming off as trying to pull 4 months of rank on her, just because you can... which might explain her attitude.


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## skribs (Mar 4, 2019)

wab25 said:


> I guess I missed the part about why you should care where she puts her stripes. She is another student, just like you. You are a 3rd degree BB if I remember right. That means she was a 2nd degree BB who just successfully passed here 3rd degree test. Apparently, her master is ok with how she wears her belt, stripes and all. If her master is ok with how she wears her stripes, why should you, her fellow student, be concerned?



I've heard the master correct other students.  It's one of those rules that's not strictly enforced, but when it's pointed out, compliance with the rule is expected.  The issue is that when the violation was pointed out, her attitude was not "I will fix it", but rather "I am above that rule."

I am one of the staff members and official instructors at the school.  So even though we are similar belt, and in that particular class I'm usually a fellow student with her, I am ingrained in the school.  At the Master and the other instructor's request, I often am charged with explaining the rules to students, including the dress code.

What you're suggesting would be the equivalent of being at work, and having your shift supervisor tell you to do something, and you ignoring it because it didn't come from your department manager.


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## wab25 (Mar 4, 2019)

skribs said:


> I am one of the staff members and official instructors at the school.


Fair enough, you have been designated by the master to correct students. I was unaware of your status as official instructor. In that case, I would talk to your master about the attitude when you corrected her and allow him to fix it. He may fix it by having you do things, or by him doing things or by some other way. At least you would be able get alignment on uniform correctness... when it is and when it is not strictly enforced, and by what means that rule is enforced.


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## JR 137 (Mar 4, 2019)

drop bear said:


> Only on the left side, yeah that's the crip side.


When I get to 1st dan, I’m going to wear it on the left this time for this reason. There’s no rule to which side, except this rule. I just wish the belt or at least the stripes were blue.


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## dvcochran (Mar 4, 2019)

andyjeffries said:


> I've just had my friend Master Jeong, In-choul from Korea over to the UK for a couple of seminars and he wore a completely blank black belt - not even his name embroidered on it.


Interesting, Our GM Shin, Seoung Eui has worn a totally black belt Saturday and today (Monday). Significant Korean meaning for the period I wonder?


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## andyjeffries (Mar 5, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> Interesting, Our GM Shin, Seoung Eui has worn a totally black belt Saturday and today (Monday). Significant Korean meaning for the period I wonder?



I don't believe so, I did mention it to him and he just said "it's a comfortable belt". We're very close friends so if there was some cultural meaning to it he would have said so and explained (we've talked about LOTS of other Korean cultural differences over the past few days).


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## andyjeffries (Mar 5, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> Interesting, Our GM Shin, Seoung Eui has worn a totally black belt Saturday and today (Monday). Significant Korean meaning for the period I wonder?



Don't suppose you happened to ask your GM or will have the opportunity soon, I'm interested in the coincidence now?


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## andyjeffries (Mar 5, 2019)

andyjeffries said:


> I don't believe so, I did mention it to him and he just said "it's a comfortable belt". We're very close friends so if there was some cultural meaning to it he would have said so and explained (we've talked about LOTS of other Korean cultural differences over the past few days).



I was just chatting to him so I asked. He said his reason was "I want to be more humble". I specifically asked if there was any significance to the timing (as @dvcochran's GM also did it this weekend) and he said no, it's just a coincidence and he just prefers it these days.


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## Earl Weiss (Mar 5, 2019)

When it comes to stuff like what is on your belt, like Grandma used to say: "It ain't the crust that makes the pie, it's the fillin' . "   Of course there is this thing called "Uniform"


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## Gerry Seymour (Mar 5, 2019)

JR 137 said:


> When I get to 1st dan, I’m going to wear it on the left this time for this reason. There’s no rule to which side, except this rule. I just wish the belt or at least the stripes were blue.


Get the back-side done in blue. Nobody will know but you until it flips.


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## Gerry Seymour (Mar 5, 2019)

Earl Weiss said:


> When it comes to stuff like what is on your belt, like Grandma used to say: "It ain't the crust that makes the pie, it's the fillin' . "   Of course there is this thing called "Uniform"


I don't know, Earl. Soggy crust can ruin an otherwise great pie. I have no idea what that has to do with belt stripes, but now I want some pie.


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## dvcochran (Mar 5, 2019)

andyjeffries said:


> Don't suppose you happened to ask your GM or will have the opportunity soon, I'm interested in the coincidence now?


I will tomorrow. 
At last months testing he did talk about how he has given many belts of his old belts to BB's for various reasons. He used this example; of one of his highest ranking BB's has struggled with alcoholism his entire life. Our GM laments things like this and has went much farther in supporting and helping than the everyday person would. So much so people looking at from the outside have gotten offended. It is a Korean culture thing that is hard for most others to understand. I am not going to wax religion but it much like the lost sheep story.


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## andyjeffries (Mar 6, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> I will tomorrow.
> At last months testing he did talk about how he has given many belts of his old belts to BB's for various reasons. He used this example; of one of his highest ranking BB's has struggled with alcoholism his entire life. Our GM laments things like this and has went much farther in supporting and helping than the everyday person would. So much so people looking at from the outside have gotten offended. It is a Korean culture thing that is hard for most others to understand. I am not going to wax religion but it much like the lost sheep story.



Yeah, I agree.

We have a few people that used to train with us, then left suddenly and opened up their own dojang a few miles down the road. They also said a lot of bad things about me and my club. However, one of my students was shocked last night when I said that if they came back to our club I'd still teach them. She thought they'd burned their bridges.

I said as a senior, it's my job to teach people that the right way is inclusion and forgiveness not exclusion and holding on to grudges. It's like a parent disowning a child for wrongs they may have done. The child may need to "make up" for the wrongs done, but the parent shouldn't write them off.

How seniors treat juniors though is much less forgivable for me (because they should know better and be setting the example).

Just my viewpoint, but it has changed over the years and probably matches Korean feelings quite well at this point.


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## dvcochran (Mar 6, 2019)

andyjeffries said:


> Yeah, I agree.
> 
> We have a few people that used to train with us, then left suddenly and opened up their own dojang a few miles down the road. They also said a lot of bad things about me and my club. However, one of my students was shocked last night when I said that if they came back to our club I'd still teach them. She thought they'd burned their bridges.
> 
> ...


Well said.


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## CKB (Apr 17, 2019)

In Taekwondo and when practicing Hapkido with my own students, I wear a belt that has nothing on it except my name embroidered in roman and korean letters. When practicing Hapkido with my grand master, I tend to wear the belt I got from him, which has 3 gold stripes.

As to what side I wear them, looking trough my pictures, it seems I mostly wear them on the right side, but I also see pictures with them on the left side. The same seems to be the case with my masters, as their stripes also seem to "wander" a bit between left and right in various pictures, and there are even pictures where they have it on different sides on the same picture, so my conclusion is that it is not something we worry about.


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## drop bear (Apr 17, 2019)

Earl Weiss said:


> When it comes to stuff like what is on your belt, like Grandma used to say: "It ain't the crust that makes the pie, it's the fillin' . "   Of course there is this thing called "Uniform"



It is so much the crust that makes the pie by the way.


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## Buka (Apr 19, 2019)

I had to go look at my belt. I have stripes on both ends.

I may look at all my socks next.


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## skribs (Apr 19, 2019)

drop bear said:


> It is so much the crust that makes the pie by the way.



I don't know.  I had key lime pie for the first time on Wednesday.  It was definitely the key lime that made that pie.


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## drop bear (Apr 19, 2019)

skribs said:


> I don't know.  I had key lime pie for the first time on Wednesday.  It was definitely the key lime that made that pie.



Without the crust it is key lime soup.


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## dvcochran (Apr 19, 2019)

Buka said:


> I had to go look at my belt. I have stripes on both ends.
> 
> I may look at all my socks next.


You wear socks on the islands?


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## Buka (Apr 19, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> You wear socks on the islands?



Well, yeah. How else would I converse with puppets?


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## dvcochran (Apr 19, 2019)

Buka said:


> Well, yeah. How else would I converse with puppets?
> 
> View attachment 22190


Big thick socks too!


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## Buka (Apr 19, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> Big thick socks too!



They be winter socks for up the mountain. Cold up the mountain in the winter. Snow up there sometimes.


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## Gerry Seymour (Apr 20, 2019)

Buka said:


> I had to go look at my belt. I have stripes on both ends.
> 
> I may look at all my socks next.


In your case, which side the stripes are on is less important than which pocket the bullet is in.


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## Gerry Seymour (Apr 20, 2019)

drop bear said:


> Without the crust it is key lime soup.


Or custard, or something. It still works, but it's not a pie. I did that recently with a pumpkin pie filling - makes a lovely custard.


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## dvcochran (Apr 20, 2019)

gpseymour said:


> Or custard, or something. It still works, but it's not a pie. I did that recently with a pumpkin pie filling - makes a lovely custard.


I was about to say pudding but custard is more fitting. True key lime is my favorite pie. Has to be tart.


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## Gerry Seymour (Apr 20, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> I was about to say pudding but custard is more fitting. True key lime is my favorite pie. Has to be tart.


I'd normally say pudding, but that's confusing to our friends from across the pond.


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## skribs (Apr 20, 2019)

drop bear said:


> Without the crust it is key lime soup.



That's a very thick soup.

I probably wouldn't mind, though.  I've had key-lime pie flavored yogurt and it's good.


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## Balrog (May 12, 2019)

skribs said:


> Whether you're talking about a white/colored belt with tape stripes until the next solid color, or else a black belt with the dan rank marked with stripes on one side, where do your stripes hang?


For colored belts, knowledge stripes go on the left.  Rank stripe used to go on the right, but we switched to colored belts with a black stripe in the middle.

For Black Belts, name and rank insignia go on the left, and a phrase in Korean (usually Pil Sung) on the right.


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