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This
Tips and Tricks page is really about anything
and everything! Small things that can make
your life easier as a student, parent or
teacher within the martial arts.
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This
"how-to" page is not about a specific
art or (physical) martial art method. Rather,
we are talking about training
in general, taking care of your equipment,
using various martial arts equipment, getting
the best out of your arts, staying
focused and motivated, enjoying your art and so on.
Like I said - a little bit of everything
:-)
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everything else this will be an ongoing
project, so make sure you come back on a
regular basis! And by all means if there's
anything you wonder about, do get
in touch, and we'll try to help you
out.
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I'd
love to hear from you if you know about
any tips
and tricks
that you'd like to share with your fellow
martial artist and warriors (online or offline)!
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Anyone
who has ever tried to keep their
nice white uniform (dogi or
dobok) nice and white over a
period of time, knows that this
is not always easy.
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The
first thing to remember is to wash them
often. That means you will need
to have at least to sets of
uniforms!
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Then
do make sure that your uniform
can be washed at medium to high
temperature - 6o degrees Celsius
should do.
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Even with regular
and proper washing the uniforms
tend to be less that shiny white
after a period of time...
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So,
here's the "trick".
I use two things. One is a regular
sort of bleacher, and the other
is quite simply detergent for
dish-washing machines. This
detergent is the regular powder-variety.
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Both substances
can be used in a regular washing
machine, or added while
the uniforms are soaked overnight
- not both at the same time,
of course. You may also want
to try the detergent first,
as bleaching may harm the fabric
if you use it too often or for
too long a time.
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Naturally I cannot
guarantee you any miracles here,
but a few rounds of this, finished
off with regular washing and
fabric softener has saved many
uniforms for me. Good luck,
and remember - go easy on the
bleacher. And please - this
is for white uniforms only (badges,
stripes etc. may discolor).
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Here
are two pages showing you how
to do this:
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http://www.hybridhapkido.com/belt.html
http://www.stanford.edu/group/kenpo/belt-tie.shtml
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Being
observant I'm sure you notice
that there are two ways - both
providing the same knot. Confused?
In the latter example above
you will notice that you start
with the center of the belt
in front of you, so that it
crosses in your back. Kind of
unnecessary really.
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The
second way is the one I/we prefer.
Here you start with a shorter
end in front of you, and simply
wrap the belt two times around
your waist. This makes the belt
overlap, and NOT cross in you
back. Try both ways, till you
find the one that suites you
the best. Naturally, if your
teacher says one of the two is
the right way, then do go with
that :-)
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Finally,
remember that a proper belt shall
be worn kind of lose down on
your hips. It shall be a knot
like the one shown in these
two examples, and the two ends
must be of similar length!
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