The Complete Handbook of Martial Arts Belts
A Practical Reference for Buyers, Sellers, and Serious Practitioners
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
From cotton twill to silk, sizing to stitching, supplier to stranglehold: the complete practical reference for martial arts belts.
About this book
Most martial arts belts are bought on instinct: a one-size-fits-all size chart, a quick fabric feel, and a hope that the color won't bleed into the gi. This handbook replaces that guesswork with the kind of knowledge that professional buyers and serious practitioners actually use.
Inside, you will find detailed breakdowns of belt construction: how cotton and polyester blends behave differently under repeated washing and tying, what the difference is between a 400-thread-count satin and a 6-oz twill, and how to read a spec sheet from a Taiwanese or Pakistani manufacturer without being misled. The chapters walk through sizing conventions (Japanese vs. Western length grading), tying methods for different belt widths, and step-by-step troubleshooting for fraying, fading, and stitching failures.
The second half of the book treats belts as a business: which supplier tiers exist (from budget bulk to premium hand-stitched), how to structure a private-label program with your school's logo, what margins are realistic at retail and wholesale, and how to handle the inevitable seasonal demand spikes around grading ceremonies. This is not a marketing pamphlet; it is a reference manual that belongs on the desk of anyone who handles martial arts belts professionally.
Reader Reviews
Joshua Jones
★★★★★I run a small BJJ school and was buying belts blind for years. The chapter on supplier tiers alone saved me from a bad bulk order - I was seconds away from committing to a Pakistani wholesaler who claimed 400 thread count but the spec sheet contradicted it. The maintenance chapter also fixed my fraying problem: I was washing on hot. This is the only martial arts reference book I've found that treats belts like the engineered product they are.
Barbara Hall
★★★★★I'm a martial arts retail buyer for a regional chain, and I've never seen this level of detail outside of private manufacturer briefings. The section on sizing conventions (Japanese vs. Western) is worth the price alone, and the comparison of cotton twill vs. satin silk vs. polyester blends in Chapter 1 is written with actual material science knowledge, not marketing fluff. It's a reference book, so you won't read it cover to cover, but when a customer asks why their kid's belt bleeds blue, you'll have the answer.
Betty Moore
★★★★★A very solid, comprehensive reference. I really appreciate the neutral, practical tone and the concrete examples - the table in Chapter 3 that maps belt type to art form and washing frequency was extremely useful. My only gripe is that the business chapter felt a little thin on actual wholesale price ranges and the section on custom embroidery could have gone deeper on digitizing logos. Still, I keep it on my desk next to the catalog and I'd buy it again.
Matthew Martin
★★★★★I was hoping for more on how to actually evaluate a belt's craftsmanship by feel and touch, since I buy a lot at tournaments. The book is heavy on material specs (thread count, ozone weight) but lighter on the hands-on experience. The maintenance and troubleshooting were well done, and I learned that my judo belts were fraying because I was tying them wrong. Decent book, but it reads more like an engineering manual than a practitioner's guide.
Ronald Williams
★★★★★As a long-time karate instructor, I found the book educational, but a bit dry in places. The first chapter on understanding belts was actually the best part - the history of how belts became a rank marker was interesting. The sizing guide was practical, but I think it over-emphasized the commercial and reseller angle. It's a good reference to have, but it's not something you'll read for pleasure. Three stars because it kept promising 'business opportunities' and then only delivered a few generic paragraphs on private-labeling.