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Old 12-12-2013, 08:59 PM   #3
Stephen Nichol
Dojo: Aikilife, Canberra
Location: Canberra, ACT
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 90
Australia
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Re: Belts sticking out

Quote:
Dave Gallagher wrote: View Post
I was watching a few videos and I have noticed that some people like to have their rank belt sticking out of the side of their kakama. I am the only person who thinks this looks silly?
Short answer. No you are not. I too find this not silly but more... pretentious.

But as Hugh said, the whole thing is kind of laughable really. 'Traditional' costumes and all. Why do we not just train in sweat pants and t-shirts?

My co-worker who is a 3rd dan in Karate asked me once about how the senior instructors wanted to buy him a new training uniform with his name and something else embroidered in Japanese on the front left fold at the chest level. He felt it smacked to much of 'wank factor'... and the whole elaborate Japanese embroidery of :stuff: on things got talked about in a similar fashion. I simply pointed out the fact that we play dress up in the first place by wearing Japanese under clothes because 'tradition' to train in could be considered 'wank factor' on it's own... it is only a question then of how much of a wanker you want to look like.

He had not considered it quite like that.

My thoughts then are simply this: At the point where we play dress up because 'tradition', then the only point is how much to you want to buy into that and take it as far as you like and or are comfortable with.

Belts with rank on them... well, mine are all bare.. blank.. not even a brand name badge. Sticking out of the Hakama... as I said, cheesy and pretentious. In an art that supposedly guides one to let go of their ego... well, that sure seems like one way of the ego just beaming on through to me.
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