The first step in any difficult endeavor is usually the hardest. In jiu-jitsu, that step is literally the step you take when you walk through the door to try what to you is a new martial art. The decision to challenge yourself mentally and physically and commit to a long and often arduous journey is never an easy one.
Among the next few steps that will come early in your jiu-jitsu journey are the ones you’ll need to take to tie your belt. These should be much easier than many of the other steps you’ll take in the grappling art. The following are five steps that will make your belt-tying experience as easy as possible.
Step No. 1
Hold the belt in front of your body with both hands, ensuring that the length of the ends is equal. The first step in submitting an opponent in jiu-jitsu is the setup, and the same is true when tying your belt. It’s important to get both ends even so you don’t have one that is much longer than the other.
Step No. 2
Wrap the belt around your waist starting in the front. Intuitively, many first-time jiu-jitsu practitioners start to tie their belt by wrapping it around the back of their waist. However, the correct way is to start from the front. You should end up with one end of the belt in each hand. Give a little slack to the end with the black bar. This will help you with the next step.
Step No. 3
Take the end of the belt with the black bar and place it over the other end. The final position will resemble an “X.” The belt should be snug around your waist at this point.
Step No. 4
Take the end that you put over the top in step No. 3 and put it under the center of the belt. You should now be able to pull both ends to make it tight. If you were to let go of your belt with both hands, it should stay snug around your waist.
Step No. 5
Cross the end with the black bar over the other end and loop it through, pulling it tight to ensure that your gi top stays closed.
Once you follow these five steps, you’ll be ready to step on the mat and focus on your jiu-jitsu training.