Teaching children to tie belts

fkflores · White Belt

I recently started teaching at two private schools and got way more kids than I expected.

They range in age from 3-8 years old and there are 38 of them.

While these 38 kids are divided into four classes, our time is extremely limited and I don't want to waste half of it putting belts on. Is there some type of way that I can teach these kids to put their belts on? Or maybe some way that I can put them on faster? I don't really mind helping out 3 or 4 of them-- but putting on 3 belts while 9 other kids are running around is grounds for chaos.

Thanks.

marmaduke · Yellow Belt

I'm a parent. If I could offer my 2 cents. I see how it goes at my sons Dojo 4 days a week. Same problem. Why don't you have the parents become involved in belt tieing? Spend 15 min. and have the parents come on the mat and train them to tie their kids belt. Then hopefully they can show their kids how to do it at home. (Give them advance warning that they will be required to participate in class. This way, they won't drop off their kids and leave.)

My own opinion? I'd like to see belt tieing as part of belt promotions. Then they'll learn quick enough.

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

NewEnglands_KyoSa · Pre-Black Belt

i also have a diagram, i put in the back of my schools training manual...let me know if youre interested, i'll send it to you somehow.
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Rateh · Green Belt

When I taught the beginners kids class, ages 5-12, I would teach them how to tie their belts by following me tie mine with verbal directions. I would tie mine backwards (in front of me, with the knot ending up facing the same way as theirs). I would walk around and help the kids having trouble. After 3 times (in a row in class) they would tie their belt on themselves as best they can. If I were you I would do this a few times till some of them start to get it. Then I would teach them how to tie there belt one time per class (this will take less then 5 minutes) I would have those that get it walk around and help the others learn. I would still require all to tie it on the final time themselves (so they follow you and get help tieing it on once every class, then take it off and tie it themselves). If it's wrong, so be it, they are the ones training, and thus they should be the ones tieing their belts imho, even if they tie it wrong. After a few more times of teaching them, then stop teaching it, have the parents continue to help them before class, but not put it on for them. If it falls off in class, have them put it aside and keep training. Use permenant marker to write the names on the belts so they don't get mixed up.

My verbal directions go like this "fold the belt in half, put the half part on your belly button, wrap the other part around you and hold both ends at your waist (young ones will hold the very ends of the belt out far and this will inhibit them from tieing it), put the right side on your belly button, put the left side on your belly button and hold it there with your hand, take the one on top, the right side, and put it up under both parts of the belt, put the one comming out the top on top of the other end, tie a knot" (or for young ones, "stick your hand through the hole and grab the end, pull it through" they may pull the wrong end but they can try again)

Make sure the parents see and hear your demonstrations so that they can help there kids, the directions are fairly easy to remember, just remind them that you always do the right side first, unless of course your style ties it a different way.

This is just my suggestion. Good luck!
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ninjanurse · KF Sensei

I give the student and parent a belt tying lesson when they first start but I also encourage the student to take responsibility to tie their own belt and/or ask for help. I will re-tie as needed to save time in the beginner classes but I don't get too picky until they reach orange belt when I start having them re-tie themselves before lining up for class. I have been known to spend half a class lining up and bowing in (while students fix belts and seniors do quality control) to make a point about self-discipline and team work...

....but it is all done in a positive, not punitive, manner.

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Heidi-A student of the arts
Tae Kwon Do,Shotokan,JuJitsu,TaiJi

tori · Orange Belt

Once a month, we take 5 minutes from our workout to go over tying the obi properly. We give only a handful of students to several black belt members and have them do it together. We have a rule that anyone under the age of 14 must come to the dojo with there uniform on and obi already tied.
There are times during a workout, if I see that a student is not participating because they are too worried about their belt, I send them with a black belt to correct the problem, and then I expect them to catch up in the work out off to the side.
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bat in a birdless village · Yellow Belt

The one thing I will say you shouldn't do is use those belts Century sells that have velcro behind the permanent knot or in the back. Those make me sick.

bat
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ying&yang · Purple Belt

Maybe for one whole session , you should teach them the right technique untill they understand it fully.
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Symphony-x · Orange Belt

Children? I still find it hard to get my belt tied

However, it could be useful to spend 20mins of a class showing students and parents how to tie their belts?
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