Beltmaster Display Case

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Dana Sheets
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Beltmaster Display Case

Post by Dana Sheets »

Image

hmmm..I have no idea where my first white belt is and I think my green and brown belts are in a box with my old judo gi.

That being said I do have my shodan certificate framed and my shidoin hangs in my office at work...while the others are still sitting in mailing tubes.

What does it mean to have memoriabilia related to your training that you display?

Ego?
Honoring the journey?
Pride?
Sentimental Value?

I have my shidoin at work to remind me of my work ethic on days when I don't wish to work and my hope that the gifts that have been given to me are ones I'll be able to share with others.

back to the photo...
In particular I have to say that the palme d'or or the circle of golden fig leaves is a particularly unique touch. I believe that icon is supposed to connote the idea of victor or champion.

Is the goal of training to be a victor or champion?
I think yes, at many levels...and no at one in particular.
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f.Channell
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Post by f.Channell »

I made 2 belt racks after my wife bought one for both my kids.

I carved the Uechi symbol in one and the Judo symbol on the other.

Never really thought much about it but I have an awesome Uechi mancave. 8)

I got rid of my judo mat but still have my heavy bags down here and all my expensive oriental placemats. Looking at my kids trophies does more for me than my stuff at this point, and all the fun we have together training.

F.
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2Green
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Post by 2Green »

Dana:

I have my white/green-striped belt, and my green/brown-striped belts neatly folded on a shelf along with a small collection of MA books.
However, they are obscured by framed pictures of my deceased cat-friends whom I treasure more dearly, and would gladly have back in exchange, if only I could.

I do respect and appreciate my past belts, and I have many great memories of the times I spent wearing and "earning" them.

However, I think you have touched on the "tenor of the times" by pointing out the blatant emphasis and false importance of the DISPLAY of these milestones.

The real milestones in our training paths are locked away inside us in invisible yet indelible "stripes" too numerous to ever mention, let alone display.

~N~
The music spoke to me. I felt compelled to answer.
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CANDANeh
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Well said

Post by CANDANeh »

The real milestones in our training paths are locked away inside us in invisible yet indelible "stripes" too numerous to ever mention, let alone display.
Differences in opinions at times we had but this was wonderfully said
"2 green"
obscured by framed pictures of my deceased cat-friends
Understood...I have one whom sits and watches me as I type. Nacho thinks he is a dog but can`t blame him for that as he was adopted by one. Hope to see you play in near future before your too old :wink: Hey the Stones are still rockin so no worries!
Léo
MikeK
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Post by MikeK »

I use my old belts to help with stretching.
I was dreaming of the past...
Valkenar
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Post by Valkenar »

I've used my first white belt (ca. 11 years olds) for various tasks including bathrobe tie (I'm always losing those things), door restrainer (I've got a door that doesn't always stay closed) and general-purpose fastener (bike to rack, for example). I'm not sure where my Uechi white, green and brown are, though I know they're around. If I were generally more sentimental about objects, I'd probably hang my belts under my black belt certificate.
2Green
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Post by 2Green »

I think the older you get, the more your memories (and the artifacts that embody them) mean to you, and so these artifacts become more valuable.

I don't worship my belts but a lot of great memories are embodied in them, and also, I was taught along the way to treat them with respect, and I guess that just stuck.
The people who taught me this weren't exactly lightweights in the Uechi world. They include Jim Maloney, Louis Hopper, Darryl Smith and my Sensei Gary Geddes, and most importantly, the many Uechi-Ka I've met and trained with/under, along the way.

My past belts represent over eight years of my life so far, and I feel they have a significant place in my memorabilia.
So, OK, they have their own little shelf, and have earned their place there.

Behind my cats of course.

~N~
The music spoke to me. I felt compelled to answer.
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Dana Sheets
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Post by Dana Sheets »

Fred, your daughters are very lucky.

My cats generally ignore the karate stuff in our home, but they do like to sit on my palm-training bean bags when I leave them in the living room. I'm sure that cat-dander and mung-bean dust go well together. :)

I have one other item that has deep sentimental value even though it sits in a brown paper bag in a drawer in my office. In the bag is the 16mm film and mag reel for a student film project made the night before my green belt test. So there I am, a four-striper, doing kanshiwa kata in the film. The exercise was to explore different exposure rates, in particular - slow motion.

I haven't seen the footage (which is set to Zydeco music) in about 10 years (next Wednesday is my 10-year anniversary in Uechi.) So I really need to dig it out, pay to get it transferred to DVD, and then share it with folks so they can watch, laugh, and enjoy. I think there is a particularly dramatic moment of the ends of my white belt swinging back and forth after a turn....oh jeez.... :roll:

Anyway - I love that film because it was taken in our old dojo before we moved into a health club, my brother was there that night watching the filming, and we just had so much fun making it.

Seizan-san sent me a little note about another use for memorabilia that hadn't occured to me...function.
In the Nagahama Dojo...there is a long shelf with small statuettes and other items. These are not decorations however. Each piece holds a lesson that relates directly to our training. If I want to explain a concept or technique in other than words, I can use one of those items - a teaching technique that usually works like a charm. If I want to teach "mushin" I actually have a statue of a Chinese goddess that teaches the concept quite nicely. If I want to teach continuous and circular motion, I have a little magnetic toy that shows the swing action to convey this concept well too. If I want to teach proper use of hands, eyes, posture, balance, and flexibility, I have an iron statue from Thailand that shows it well. And several others. That's only if my words do not get through quite as well as I wish.

....

The nafuda (name-plates) are hung in order of rank to honor the hard work of the students. All names are in Kanji and romaji (or kana and romaji for foreign students). When I recently replaced several nafuda with better wood, I gave the old name-plates to those studnets, too. This was very special to those students, especially the children.

I have only one belt hung in the dojo. It is my Rokkudan belt, which is retired now but shown because it was a gift from Sensei and the Zakimi Dojo. The lesson it teaches is one of loyalty and sharing.

So, there are no decorations in the dojo at all. Everything is functional or pragmatically placed, and has a meaning that directly relates to the training or the history of the dojo and system.
Did you show compassion today?
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Dana Sheets
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Post by Dana Sheets »

In the same vein - when is it time to retire your black belt or gi?

I think we've all heard the story of the person that dragged their belt behind the car so it would look more worn. (I love modern-karate myth).

Keep a black belt for 20 years? Until you can't tie it? Until the black wears through and it is mostly white? Maybe you've never even thought about it.

I've seen folks with perfectly pressed and tailored gi, rolled up and wrinkled, pressed with holes worn in the elbows, shoulders, and elsewhere....
Did you show compassion today?
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f.Channell
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Post by f.Channell »

I had trouble giving up my old shureido which was broken in nice.

Too much money for one these days. Just can't justify it and I have an account with them.

I've been wearing $12.00 Rheemax lately and their easy to get used to.

I break out the old stiff ones for test boards.

F.
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