THE KNOT IN YOUR OBI

 by Phillip Starr

The next time you don your karategi, take note of where the knot is set; is it as high as your navel? Higher? Is it below your navel? Most martial artists don't know what the belt/sash was originally intended for (and still should be). It wasn't a delineation of rank, per se. It's actually a tool that is meant to promote correct breathing!

Eons ago, the ancients (in China) developed a form of breathing, which we call “reverse breathing. This special technique has the lower abdomen (as well as the flanks and lower back) expand outward upon exhalation, which is the opposite of what we know as “normal breathing.” If the sash (yaodai) was wrapped firmly around the lower belly, one could readily feel it when the abdomen pushed out against it when exhaling. Then one knew if the breathing was correct. Moreover, it fostered the development of very strong breathing and that helped develop increased power in one's technique (as well as promoting other side benefits).

For a long time, this technique was regarded as secret but with the passage of time, the secret eventually became fairly well-known and was practiced by a great many martial artists. But breathing isn't particularly exciting to practice and it was eventually forgotten.

In modern China you can see large numbers of people practicing a variety of forms of gong-fu in the parks every morning (they're especially fond of taijiquan). Many of them still wear a form of sash although it may well be worn underneath their upper garments. It's not unusual to see some of them wearing common Western-style leather belts! Cinched firmly around their lower bellies and hence, the dantien (“tanden” in Japanese), the tradition of wearing a sash during practice is carried on although I suspect that many of them don't know exactly why this is to be done; they do it because their teacher told them to do it...

Old pictures of karate teachers in Okinawa show them wearing a sash. When Gichin Funakoshi introduced karate to Japan, he became a close friend of the founder of judo, Dr. Jigaro Kano. Kano had developed a standardized practice uniform (judogi) and his students wore a cotton belt (obi around their middles. The knot was pulled down so that it rested on the area of the dantien. Thus, if his students were breathing properly they could readily feel it.

Gichin adopted the judogi, making a lighter version of it (the modern karategi) and he began using the cotton obi as well. Early karateists wore their belts down low and I recall seeing the old-timers constantly pulling their obi's down as they would ride up a little higher during training.

Nowadays it's not unusual to see martial arts devotees wearing their belts rather high- some worn as high as old men wear their trousers!! This is incorrect and it's clear that these students (and probably their teachers) don't know what the belt is really all about; it's not to keep your jacket shut or simply a symbol of rank. It's a training tool and should be used – and worn – as such.