Having a properly tied martial arts belt indicates that you, quite literally, have it all together. You're showing respect to yourself, the uniform, the school and those you train with; you're also keeping yourself and other students from getting an undignified bop in the face from your loose, flying belt ends. Some belt systems may also display bars on the belt to indicate rank (in addition to belt color), and black belts usually have their name and the school or instructor's name embroidered on the belt ends--all of which will only be visible if you have your belt tied correctly.
Step 1
Fold the belt in half to locate the middle. Hold the middle of the belt against your belly button, with an end trailing down to each side.
Step 2
Wrap one end of the belt all the way around behind your back. Tuck it underneath the middle of the belt, in front of your belly button. This will be referred to as the inside end of the belt, even if it changes position with the other end.
Step 3
Wrap the other end of the belt around your back in the other direction. Leave it in front of the middle-point of the belt, still in front of your belly button. This will be referred to as the outside end of the belt. The midpoint of the belt should now be sandwiched between both ends of the belt. Check to make sure the belt isn't crossed behind your back; adjust as necessary so that it lays flat.
Step 4
Fold the outside end of the belt underneath the other two belt layers so that it comes up, against your body, pointing toward your shoulder.
Step 5
Hold the other (inside) end of the belt out in front of you. Cross the outside end over the inside end, forming a loop between the two ends. Wrap the outside end around the inside end so that it comes out through the loop. Pull both ends tight to form a knot.
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