Check out how to tie your karate belt — and how to correctly fold your karate uniform! Step by step instructions below (and a follow-along video above) makes learning how to tie your karate belt easy! Remember to practice at home!
Tying Your Obi (Belt)
Step 1: Fold your belt neatly in half. Then unfold it, keeping ahold of the center, and place the center just below your belly button.
The tips of your belt should touch when you fold the belt in half. After you’ve unfolded it, the belt should sit on, or just above, your hips. This should also place the belt on top of your gi pants.
Step 2: Wrap both ends of the belt behind your back, and then neatly back in front.
The belt should still be an even length on both sides. Be careful the belt isn’t twisted, but lying flat all the way around.
Step 3: Place the right side of the belt over the left (making an X)
“Left over right” if you’re tying someone else’s belt.
Step 4: Loop the right tip of the belt underneath the entire belt, and pull it through the top.
The tip of the belt should go under the part of the belt touching the body.
Step 5: Place the left side of the belt over the right (making an X)
“Right over left” if you’re tying someone else’s belt.
Step 6: Loop the left tip of the belt through the center hole, like tying a shoe.
This time, the tip of the belt does not go inside the part of the belt touching the body.
Step 7: To finish the knot of the belt, pull both tips down and out in a sharp motion.
Both tips of the belt should be even, and hang down toward the legs. If one end of the belt is pointing up or to the side, the tips were not pulled down correctly in this final step.
Folding Your Gi (Uniform)
Step 1: Lay the jacket out flat, and remove any wrinkles or creases.
Line the lapels up so that the skirt of the jacket is even at the bottom, and make sure the sleeves are straight to the side. Spread out any wrinkles.
Step 2: Fold the pants in half vertically, so the pant legs are neatly one over the other. Place the pants down the center of the jacket.
Tuck the gusset/crotch of the pants inside the fold of the pant legs. Spread out any wrinkles.
Step 3: Fold from the right shoulder to the left edge of the collar.
Use the seam of the sleeve at the shoulder and line it up with the far edge of the collar, and make sure the jacket fold is straight all the way down to the bottom. Spread out any wrinkles.
Step 4: Fold the sleeve back in on itself, and then forward again.
Fold the sleeve neatly like an accordion, until it sits uniformly over the fold of the shoulder. Spread out any wrinkles.
Step 5: Fold from the left shoulder to the right edge of the collar.
Use the seam of the sleeve at the shoulder and line it up with the far edge of the collar, and make sure the jacket fold is straight all the way down to the bottom. Spread out any wrinkles.
Step 6: Fold the sleeve back in on itself, and then forward again.
Fold the sleeve neatly like an accordion, until it sits uniformly over the fold of the shoulder. Spread out any wrinkles.
Step 7: Fold the bottom third of the gi jacket upward.
Make sure the skirt stays neat and doesn’t splay out once you’ve folded it. Spread out any wrinkles.
Step 8: Fold the top third of the gi jacket downward, creating a square fold.
The back of the gi should be facing up. Spread out any wrinkles.
