DECORATIONS

 by Phillip Starr

Decades ago there was a considerable difference between the practice uniforms (particularly those used in karate and taekwondo) and many of those worn today. Back in the day, a karate or taekwondo uniform (they were virtually identical) bore no emblems or anyone's name; a school/style insignia might be worn on the left breast, but that was it.

Nowadays, I see martial artists wearing uniforms that bear a striking resemblance to a map of downtown Los Angeles... There are numerous colorful patches and so forth, They seem to have mistaken a martial arts uniform for a set of military dress uniforms, complete with service and campaign ribbons and the rest of it. The practice uniform was intended for just one thing; practice! It wasn't ever meant to be used as a display of one's achievements or anything else.

Sometimes, uniforms bear the name of the wearer's school on the back (kind of like a cheap imitation of a sandwich board used for advertising)...or the wearer's name or even his “title.” I've seen more than one with the word, “Grandmaster” emblazoned on the back (maybe it's there so the fellow doesn't forget what he's supposed to be or what he thinks he is). And I guess those that bear the wearer's name are there so he/she doesn't forget who he/she is!

Hash stripes can sometimes be seen on the sleeves of some uniforms. I guess they're there to indicate years in training, much like a military uniform's hash marks denote years of service.

The same holds true for belts...many of them bear the wearer's name and/or the name of the school that issued it. In the past, most belts were just that...belts, without any markings to indicate what degree of black belt the wearer had earned, or anything else. Some few organizations would award belts with Japanese characters on them, indicating the grade (of black belt).

As for me, I prefer the old, simple Japanese style of wearing a plain uniform and belt without any decorations. I remember that we used to favor our uniforms that had become a bit frayed. Many washings had made them very soft and comfortable and the fraying (which was never allowed to become very severe) was an indication of how much we had trained in that uniform. The focus was on training rather than ranks, titles, advertising, or tournament victories.

The same held true of our black belts which, if worn through rigorous training for a long period of time, began to fray and slowly turn back to white (beneath the outer covering of a black belt is a white cotton belt). The more they began to slowly turn white, the more they were to be valued.

The first time I saw a young lady of about 16 wearing what appeared to be such a belt, I was stunned. I turned to my friend, Andy Ching, and asked him about it. He worked for one of the nation's largest martial arts equipment and uniform suppliers. “They're made that way”, he said. “They fray in a very short time so they look really old and worn.” I figured that wearing such a belt was a very cheap way to increase one's status. I still do.

The Chinese “practice uniform” is much simpler. To this day, there is no standard kung-fu uniform but many practitioners wear what the Chinese call “Tang clothes”...a reference to the Tang Dynasty. This is what I wear nowadays. I still favor the old ways... There's more to it than simple cosmetics.