To tie a judo belt, center it on your stomach, wrap it twice around your waist, tuck one end up under both layers and finish with a square knot. Done right, it holds through a whole randori and leaves two equal ends pointing out to the sides. Done wrong, it comes loose at the first grip fight.
How to tie a judo belt, step by step
Take your time the first time, in front of a mirror if you can. After a week you will do it without looking.
- Find the middle. Fold the belt in half with the ends lined up. The fold marks the center.
- Place the middle on your stomach, a little below the navel, level with your hip bones. Not on your stomach muscles: a belt worn too high rides up when you move.
- Take both ends around your back. Cross them at the lower back without twisting the belt, and bring them round to the front.
- Check that it lies flat. The two wraps should sit on top of each other with no twist or overlap. The ends coming back to the front should be the same length. If one is ten centimeters longer, go back to step 2 and shift the center.
- Cross the ends in front. The right end goes over the left.
- Tuck that end under both layers, from the bottom up. Pull it upward: it comes out above the belt, and the other end hangs below.
- Tie the square knot. Bring the top end over the bottom end, pass it behind, then pull it out through the loop you just made.
- Tighten sideways. Pull both ends at the same time, out to the left and right, not downward.
What you want: a compact knot with two equal ends that go out to the sides and hang slightly. A clean cross shape on the front of the knot is a good sign.
Why a square knot and not another one
The square knot (reef knot) has a useful property: the harder you pull on the ends, the tighter it gets. It does not slip under tension. That is exactly what you need from a belt that takes grips, falls and rolls for an hour.
In competition, IJF rules also ask for a square knot, tight enough to keep the jacket closed, with ends of about 20 to 30 cm. Nobody measures in training, but it is a good reference.
The most common mistakes
The granny knot
This is the number one mistake for kids and beginners. You cross the same way twice (right over left, then right over left again), and the knot ends up crooked with the ends hanging straight down. It looks solid but falls apart in the first randori.
The fix is one rule: the second cross goes the opposite way from the first. Right over left, then left over right. If the ends point down once the knot is tight, untie it and start again.
Tucking under one layer only
At step 6, a lot of people slide the end under the outer wrap only. The belt holds for a few minutes, then the two wraps separate and the knot gapes. Check with a finger that the end really goes under both layers.
A twisted belt
A belt twisted at the back makes a lump and loosens. It is also uncomfortable on the ground, especially in ne-waza on your back. Take two seconds to flatten it before you tie the knot.
Uneven ends
They come from a badly placed center at step 2. Not a big deal in itself, but a very long end gets grabbed by your opponent and a very short one slips out of the knot. Re-centering takes ten seconds.
Coaching tips
With young kids, demonstrating from the front and then standing behind the child to guide their hands works far better than explaining. Verbal instructions do little before age 7 or 8. Repetition does everything. A parent can help at home for the first few weeks, but the goal is for the child to manage alone at the dojo.
A new belt is often stiff and slippery. It softens with time and use. To keep it in place early on, pull the knot tighter and retie it during breaks if needed. Avoid washing it hot: belts shrink and lose their shape. Care tips for the whole judogi, belt included, are in our guide on how to wash a judo gi.
If your belt is too short to wrap twice with decent ends, do not improvise a single wrap. Get a longer one. The judo gi size chart gives belt sizing pointers too.
Retying your belt during class
When the belt comes undone in randori, the custom is to stop, turn away from the front of the dojo and retie it calmly. In competition, the referee tells you when to fix your judogi. Retying it quickly is part of dojo etiquette, just like the bow.
The same knot works for every belt, from the white belt to black. The day you tie on a new color, the movement will be the same. For the full order of those colors, see our guide to judo belt colors in order.
In Brazilian jiu-jitsu you often see the same knot, plus a few tighter variations some people prefer for groundwork. The rank system is different there, as our guide to BJJ belts explains.
Last tip: learn the knot in your first week and do not let anyone tie it for you. A judoka who can tie their own belt saves five minutes every class, and gains a bit of independence along the way.