So tonight i was premoted to 1st Dan in Haidong Gumdo, and proudly at that

The first steps are taken and now the journey begins....

But what i didn't realize, is how unbelievably comfortable the blackbelt uniform is compared to the color belt uniform... The different is so uncany that i can hardly put it into words. My colorbelt uniform took months before it was even bearable to wear and even now in its tattered, faded and thinned state it is still far from comfortable.

After putting on the black belt uniform i felt almost invincible and just straight up Better because i could move soo easily and without restriction. You guys have definately been holding out with those, lol... I was kinda scarred for a little while that my new uniform would be as hard and restricting as my old one was when i first got it... Wow am i happy that is not the case.

W00t W00t !!!!!!

Congrats!! Hip Hip Hooraaaahhhh!!

George is buying the beer (or orange juice!)

Congratulations, George!


On a side note, I found the opposite to be the case. My original dobok is now and always was far more comfortable than any of my subsequent ones.

i congratulated you as you were promoted, but i'll do it again. so Congratulations!

i agree with Anthony, though. my first dobok was much more comfy. perhaps that was because the top was the kind with the thin cloth material below the ribs instead of the kind made entirely from the same material (if you can follow the convoluted description).

But don't worry, George, when it shrinks to 5 times smaller than its original size, you'll be right back to the uncomfortable feeling of your colorbelt dobok.

Thank you very much to everyone!!!!

Unfortunately it is going to have to be orange juice and only orange juice for about 4 1/2 more months


Well my color belt uniform is made of the same uniformly distributed heavy starchy cloth... But thank you for putting my fears to rest Sir, i would hate to be stuck with this terrible comfortable new uniform for too long

Congrats! I remember when I had my first black belt. I thought I was going to become something else as soon as the belt touched my waist. Instead of gaining any mystical powers, I was actually quite humbled. After looking around the room, I realised I was now a little fish in a shark pool. While comparing myself with other colored belts, I had built up a false image of my own abilities. It was only when I started comparing myself to the best that I was truly humbled.

I never even wore my black belt jacket. I put it on once or twice when my regular black one was covered in sweat stains. It was way too big for me. I wore the indigo pants though, they fit very well. Now I always wear the first jacket I ever got, and the indigo pants. The black on blue look is all the rage this year. I never recieved my black belt, once I sent it back to HQ due to a spelling mistake made on my belt. My teacher gave me his old tattered belt and I wore that one for awhile, until I just got fed up with HQ and bought a new one from martial arts store that does embroidery.

But seriously, if you think the black belt uniform is comfortable, you've obviously never sported the checkered instructors' uniform. Those feel great, especially if you sweat a lot. While teaching sparring, I wore these and they felt really comfortable. It think they were cotton blend.

The biggest secret of the black belt uniform is......


If you tape them with a camcorder with night vision on, they are green.....-_-

Congrats George, and welcome to the club

I remember when my testing group received our dan doboks, we all looked like little kids swimming in their parents clothes they were so big. Luckily they shrink (and unfortunately...they shrink). I'll give you the advice Anthony gave to me when I received my new dobok: Always wash it in cold water because the blue runs like crazy and if you let it air dry, it will be less likely to shrink. Who knew our webmaster was such a domestic (j/k)

Charles, I feel your pain about the mispelling. I had the same thing happen and I'm still waiting as well (since June 2003). I kept my belt and uniform, but gave my dan certificate back and was told I would receive a new belt and certificate. And yet I wait and remain Michael Kreihes

I thought the parachute was the biggest secret... surely the laser is a bigger secret than the whole green in night-vision thing...?

haha, Yea, i've got some mispellings in my belt actually... The part i can't understand is that they spelled my name right... but they mispelled "Haidong Gumdo"... But i'm not complaining, besides, in a few years i'll get a new belt and hopefully everything on that one will be spelled right

But even if it's not, its not the embroidery that gives the belt its power. Its the cold fusion cell under the white little tag thats near the tip.

And yes, i found out about that little secret after only 2 days of examination!

Heh heh... nothing funnier than when Casey looked at his belt, and for the first time since he got it, realised his name had been misspelt.

But then where do they put the flux capacitor?

I'd been wearing it for weeks when someone else pointed out that my name was misspelled. On top of that, I like the way it's spelled on my belt more than how it is actually spelled - Caesy. At least they were consistent in that it was misspelled the same way on my certificate and doboke as well.

Congratulations. Well deserved, I'm sure.

Well. congrats on your promotion to first dan. I promoted to first dan in Virginia on Nov. 12th. I have not received my black belt uniform yet. You seem to confirm the general overall feeling that it has a better fit than the colored belt one.

It should be interesting to see how the pants will fit considering I am the same height as the average 10 year old child......*shrugs* At least I won't have to worry about the whole comfort thing - lol.