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Old 11-11-2003, 08:09 AM   #16
ian
 
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Dojo: University of Ulster, Coleriane
Location: Northern Ireland
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,654
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I've seen some high grades wear clean white belts, probably for the same reason as people try to get worn out black belts (this notion of returning to the source). I've also known people to wash their black belts in the machine with rocks, or to bleach them, to speed the process up. I've not had a black belt long myself, but I was actually quite embarrassed when I realised it had been bleached in parts by something whilst I was washing it!?

I think it very much depends on how you think about it. Just as some people like to wear hakama because they look cool, or to weild real swords, so will people like to wear tattered black belts. Personally my gi is functional - I wear a black belt because I was presented with it and it keeps my gi together (and my organisation expects it of me). When it wears out I'll get another one.

Ian

---understanding aikido is understanding the training method---
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