Old Worn Belts

I have a facination when ever I see pics of worn out Brazillian Jiu Jitsu belts. The rolling, drilling, blood, sweat, and tears that go into shaping these "works of art" (or smelly, salty, strips of shredded cotton..depending how you see it) amazes me.

As I find them on the internet, I will post them here to archive them.

Oh... and no traditional martial art belts.. I'm sure roundhouse kicking the air wears them out fast, but you won't find them here.

Enjoy...

Handmade Custom BJJ Belt: Update

Since my post "Handmade BJJ Belt: Reviewing My Eosin Panther" has been so popular, I decided to do a follow up.

I got this belt in July of 2012 (11 months ago at the time of this writing) and have thoroughly enjoyed it. It "feels" like a proper belt, worthy of being around my waist. Each time I reach down and collect it after a hard roll, I can feel how it was handcrafted with care. Time and effort went into this belt.

I have come to love the "waxy" feel of the quality cotton it is made from. Even though the stitching has been put through numerous machine washes, none of the stitches have let go. It is wearing nicely around the edges, and the inner core is beginning to peak through. It is showing wear that only hard fought battles can produce.

It is a source of pride, and is immensely satisfying...

Awesome belt, enough that I ordered a purple belt.. review coming soon :)

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Like this Review?? Please Comment Below, And Click Here For My Other BJJ Product Reviews
 This review represents my own opinions. I am not an expert by any means in cotton, garment construction, or fabric stress. I am just a regular BJJ student who loves Jiu Jitsu. I consider myself as independent and impartial as one can get. I am not sponsored by Eosin, and I paid for this belt out of my own hard earned money If you have any questions about this review, please comment below or email me at lifevsjiujitsu@gmail(dot)com.  I hope you enjoyed the large detailed photos I included; it is something I think many reviews are lacking. Thanks for reading. 

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/Mike

Operation:Assertiveness...The First Day

ASSERTIVENESS

Last night, I went for it...

I started in a neutral position, I fought for the submission. It was an interesting change of pace and felt "right" for lack of a better word.

Old habits die hard, and I must remain conscious of staying offensive.. but last night was a good start..

CUPS

I took one to the groin last night from someone trying to recover guard... I instantly felt nauseous, and was doubled over in pain

I have not been bagged like that in my adult life. Perhaps I should try wearing an athletic cup again...

Fuck that sucked

/Mike

New Road...Diet...Exercise...Flexibility...And BJJ

Since I have changed direction in my BJJ journey, I want to outline a new set of goals and strategies. I should start with Diet

DIET

I have always thought of slipping into laziness as one big slide. Something that has large clear signs to watch out for. In reality, I find that my fitness progress slides to a standstill much more deceptively. Laziness becomes a warm blanket I wrap myself in. It becomes easily acceptable to take the easy way out and NOT do any kettlebell swings, or run, or sweat. It is only after realizing that it has been a few weeks since I wrapped my hand around a bell, or did a decent push-up that I recoil in horror..

Did....did I...just completely fall off the wagon (or "on"... I can never remember which one it is)?

What happened? When did I accept my old diet back into my life?.. Gooey, cheesy, pizza three times this month? WTF?

No more......... NO MORE.... I WILL get back to my diet "winning ways".. this has only been a small hiccup in an otherwise great weight loss process.

Salads for lunch, portion control, Home cooked food, controlled fasting, all easily obtainable and repeatable goals... I feel better emotionally, spiritually, and mentally when I control my diet.

EXERCISE

Exercise has definitely been lacking in my life. When I have a hard rolling session, I wake up the next day weak and tired... definitely not where I was 6 months ago. To fix that, I will do:

• 10 min Kettlebells after class Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
• 20 min Kettlebells at home Monday, Wednesday and Friday
• Sunday is rest day.
• I will take the stairs at every opportunity 
• I will walk around the block after lunch each workday
• Protein shake each night 30 mins before bed

STRETCHING

I have also not met my flexability goals.. I heard somewhere that being flexible takes just as much effort as building large muscles..

• Morning stretches before getting in the shower to loosen tight areas.
• Use the back roller to stretch out my back
• Occasional Bikram yoga
• Use the stability ball

BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU

My game is lacking in several area's and I have allowed the dexterity in my legs to become my sole focus on skill improvement. This needs to change, as it is providing diminishing returns

• I will focus on a more offensive game and stop "flopping" on my back. This is my ego in disguise. If I start in that position and I get tapped,  I can mentally say "Well you started in a bad position so it doesn't really count.
• Flopping on my back, also sets the tone of "I am going to defend instead of attack".
• I will write down the lessons and key points I like... too often I think I will remember and do not..
• I will be a better student. I will listen better, and stop being "defensive" in my learning. I will follow "Learning to Learn's" advice.
• I will loosen up... Jiu jitsu is fun. 

War Blue BJJ Belt Review

While I was getting closer and closer to getting my blue belt, I decided that rather than take a generic belt from my Instructor, I would purchase what I want, and give it to him to present when he felt it was time. When I handed it over, it felt sort of like I now had a clear goal - Get him to give it back to me!

When surfing the Interwebs for what belt to get, I was looking for something a little different. I had a few criteria:

• It had to be durable
• It had to be longer than the belt before it (which only had little "nubs" sticking out after I tied it)
• IT HAD TO STAY TIED FOR LONGER THAN 6 SECONDS    *cough*gameness*cough*cough*
• It had to have a certain amount of "bad ass-ery" to it.

I settled finally on a War belt. I had seen and heard glowing reviews about this fabled belt from Brazil that cost a zillion dollars to import (if you could find one) and was the softest, toughest, magic filled belt ever! Luckily, BudoVideos started to carry them, so getting one was fairly easy..

When the belt arrived (a month later...with no tracking number...yikes) I eagerly tore into the package, and pulled out....a disappointment. The stitching was coming undone, and the "black bar" for promotions was 3"  long, and 3" from the end. It looked nothing like the quality everyone had described. and certainly felt like a rip off.

The finished result of having a seamstress fix the promotion bar

I decided to make the best of a bad situation and get it fixed by a local seamstress. I had them remove the promotion bar and sew on a proper one (side note: the cotton twill remains that most seamstresses have after hemming black dress pants works amazing for this task. No need to buy fabric) I had them shorten the belt as War's A5  is sized like an A7 (if there is such a thing). Finally, I had them fix up the loose stitching and reenforce the ends and seems. What I ended up with is a beautiful belt, that fits all of my criteria. I also ordered a couple of small embroidered Brazilian flags to sew onto the belt as well. They are only 3/4 of an inch long so I think they will add a nice little accent.

I like the nice accents the little flags give the belt..

The tag on the right came with the belt. the flag on the left is the sew-on one..

After all was said and done, I think I could have paid for an Eosin Panther... and got a really nice Jiu Jitsu Belt



UPDATE New Pictures.... I decided to stop being lazy and take some quality shots of the belt. Keep in mind there is some wear now as it has been 7 months since I got it.

I had this small flag added by a seamstress, I thought it added a nice touch. I got them here

Close up to showcase the texture of the belt

The seamstress did an excellent job.

Ohhhh..how "artsy"

*THIS IS NOT MY BELT* I included this pic to highlight the wonky stitching of the promotional bar. I had the black bar on my belt ripped off and fixed by a seamstress. I expect that a freshly ordered belt would look very similar to this belt. (Original Photo Source)

UPDATE 2:  I did end up getting an Eosin panther and love every minute of it. The War belt is a good belt for most...it's just in my opinion, the Eosin is better.


UPDATE 3 There are other War belt review out there for further reading. Check these out

http://www.bjjgearjunkie.com/gear-reviews/post/war-kimonos-belt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iqfvTwT4b0

And a new Updated War Website


Mike.

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Like this Review?? Please Comment Below, And Click Here For My Other BJJ Product Reviews
 This review represents my own opinions. I am not an expert by any means in cotton, garment construction, or fabric stress. I am just a regular BJJ student who loves Jiu Jitsu. I consider myself as independent and impartial as one can get. I am not sponsored by WAR, and I paid for this belt out of my own hard earned money. If you have any questions about this review, please comment below or email me at lifevsjiujitsu@gmail(dot)com.  I hope you enjoyed the large detailed photos I included; it is something I think many reviews are lacking. Thanks for reading. 

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