The following is a press release from the Never-Tie Belt, which was featured by the Jiu-Jitsu Times before its release. The JJT has not personally reviewed the product featured, nor did we request or receive compensation for the publication of this post.
Judo champion-turned BJJ addict Kathy Hubble invented the Never-Tie Belt (NTB) out of instructor frustration with getting young students to tie their belts. After years of field testing with many countries around the world and many disciplines (judo, jiu-jitsu, karate, taekwondo, etc.), the NTB officially launched a couple weeks ago at its first exhibition at this past weekend’s Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (SJJIF) Worlds. The belt was a huge hit with parents buying them for their kids (One mom said that “The only reason she and her little girl wanted to quit was the silly belt problem, and this will now save that!”), but Hubble was pleasantly surprised when it was also being purchased by the Para athletes at the event and teens who “just want a training belt so they can roll uninterrupted.”
Hubble sold out of white belts and almost all the stripes and colors, too. It was the validation she needed to know that it would be accepted and parents would love it. Of course, she knew there would probably be some pushback from the martial arts community at first because of tradition, but once it was explained that it’s for younger kids’ classes, every instructor she talked to agreed that the NTB would solve “The Belt Problem” and save them a lot of instruction time. “We all bucked the change from cloth diapers to Huggies also for some years because of tradition, too. We also used to train on straw mats because it was tradition,” she says.
Hubble realizes it might take some time for people to understand the benefits of the Never-Tie Belt, and those that never quite warm up to it simply don’t have to use it. “I’d love for this to be a martial arts game-changer for young children’s classes throughout the world instantly, but it’s ok if it takes some time,” she says. “Honestly out of the people I talked to and who saw how the belt works, many of them said it was the greatest thing they’d seen in a long time! That’s what I needed to hear. My heart is full now.”
Hubble is now looking for a possible involved investor or partner to take the NTB to the next level. Check out her new website and this demo to see what it’s all about!
