# Excited to be getting a uniform



## Orion Nebula (Feb 22, 2019)

I decided to order a karate gi today, and I'm excited. I've been training a little over a month in my regular workout gear which is actually quite comfortable. However, I'm looking forward to being in uniform. My school actually provides the gi, but the largest size they have is a 6, which is too small. So my options were to buy my own or wait until I shrink enough to fit into the 6. 

While waiting it out is good motivation to work hard, the reality is that it will be many, many months until I can fit comfortably in a 6. So I ordered a size 10. I know it will be too long (because they are sized based on normal weight individuals, so wider means taller), but I'm hoping I will only need to do a simple hem on the legs and sleeves. Although I could handle more advanced alterations (like dropping the waist line, which is a real possibility), but I'm hoping I won't have to.


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## drop bear (Feb 22, 2019)

Getting training kit is always good.

Fitting the club gi can be your next goal.


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## Orion Nebula (Feb 23, 2019)

drop bear said:


> Getting training kit is always good.
> 
> Fitting the club gi can be your next goal.



Agreed!


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 23, 2019)

I do like having that uniform. Something feels more committed about it, for no reason I can really point to.

I don't know about the uniforms they use, but the ones I trained most of my time in were pretty forgiving, so things like dropping the waistline weren't necessary (and would have been far more complex than I'd have wanted to take on).


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## Orion Nebula (Feb 23, 2019)

gpseymour said:


> I do like having that uniform. Something feels more committed about it, for no reason I can really point to.
> 
> I don't know about the uniforms they use, but the ones I trained most of my time in were pretty forgiving, so things like dropping the waistline weren't necessary (and would have been far more complex than I'd have wanted to take on).



I agree about having a uniform. Without one, I feel like a temporary visitor or someone who isn't as serious about training.

I didn't catch the brand when I tried on the uniforms they had on hand, but I ordered a relatively cheap lightweight gi from Karate Mart. I didn't want to invest too much when ideally I won't fit into it anymore in a year or less. It might be fine with just hemming, but the distance between the crotch and waist increases as the sizes go up. Assuming the size chart is accurate, there's an extra 3 inches between the 10 and the 6. It will probably be fine, but I just don't want to end up with the crotch of the pants hanging between my knees. We'll see.


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## mrt2 (Feb 23, 2019)

Orion Nebula said:


> I decided to order a karate gi today, and I'm excited. I've been training a little over a month in my regular workout gear which is actually quite comfortable. However, I'm looking forward to being in uniform. My school actually provides the gi, but the largest size they have is a 6, which is too small. So my options were to buy my own or wait until I shrink enough to fit into the 6.
> 
> While waiting it out is good motivation to work hard, the reality is that it will be many, many months until I can fit comfortably in a 6. *So I ordered a size 10. I know it will be too long* (because they are sized based on normal weight individuals, so wider means taller), but I'm hoping I will only need to do a simple hem on the legs and sleeves. Although I could handle more advanced alterations (like dropping the waist line, which is a real possibility), but I'm hoping I won't have to.



You can probably get with with rolling up the jacket sleeves, but you will likely have to have the pants hemmed.  Not a big deal, but it does add to the cost.

I am fortunate that when I started, the largest size my school had, a 7, just fit me.


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## Orion Nebula (Feb 23, 2019)

mrt2 said:


> You can probably get with with rolling up the jacket sleeves, but you will likely have to have the pants hemmed.  Not a big deal, but it does add to the cost.
> 
> I am fortunate that when I started, the largest size my school had, a 7, just fit me.



I suspect I will need to hem both. I can't remember the size of the gi I wore back in high school when I trained, but it was probably a 5. The pants were the perfect length, but the arms were just a bit too long so I rolled them up as you suggested. It worked reasonably well, although I usually had a reroll at some point during class. I'm not sure how arms work as sizing goes up - is it just the back of the uniform that gets wider or do the arms get longer, too? Regardless, I can hem them myself. I have a sewing machine.

Also, does anyone know why so many uniforms have elastic waists? I really wanted a drawstring-only waist, but I can only find it on the heavyweight uniforms. Drawstrings make it so much easier to get pants to sit where you want them to. If I do end up needing to lower the waist, I'm tossing the elastic.


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## mrt2 (Feb 23, 2019)

Orion Nebula said:


> I suspect I will need to hem both. I can't remember the size of the gi I wore back in high school when I trained, but it was probably a 5. The pants were the perfect length, but the arms were just a bit too long so I rolled them up as you suggested. It worked reasonably well, although I usually had a reroll at some point during class. I'm not sure how arms work as sizing goes up - is it just the back of the uniform that gets wider or do the arms get longer, too? Regardless, I can hem them myself. I have a sewing machine.
> 
> *Also, does anyone know why so many uniforms have elastic waists? I really wanted a drawstring-only waist, but I can only find it on the heavyweight uniforms. Drawstrings make it so much easier to get pants to sit where you want them to. If I do end up needing to lower the waist,* I'm tossing the elastic.



Go on the internet and search for the kind of pants you are looking for.  In my case, I did it because for some reason, the pants that came with my second uniform were mis sized and didn't fit.  (I checked and the top was a 7, the pants a 6)  One of the assistant instructors looked around and couldn't find the right sized pants in the back room so either the pants that came with the uniform were mis sized or someone switched the pants. So I just ordered a pair of Tiger Claw brand Karate/TKD pants from Amazon and they actually feel better than the ones that came with my first uniform.  I did check and the Tiger Claw are also elastic and draw string, but have a roomier waist and crotch gusset than the the Vision brand pants  that come my my school's uniforms.  Since it isn't a bad idea to have an extra pair of pants, I would suggest you buy some more pants, hopefully one without the elastic.


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## JR 137 (Feb 23, 2019)

Orion Nebula said:


> I suspect I will need to hem both. I can't remember the size of the gi I wore back in high school when I trained, but it was probably a 5. The pants were the perfect length, but the arms were just a bit too long so I rolled them up as you suggested. It worked reasonably well, although I usually had a reroll at some point during class. I'm not sure how arms work as sizing goes up - is it just the back of the uniform that gets wider or do the arms get longer, too? Regardless, I can hem them myself. I have a sewing machine.
> 
> Also, does anyone know why so many uniforms have elastic waists? I really wanted a drawstring-only waist, but I can only find it on the heavyweight uniforms. Drawstrings make it so much easier to get pants to sit where you want them to. If I do end up needing to lower the waist, I'm tossing the elastic.


Every medium to heavyweight gi I’ve seen has a drawstring instead of elastic. The free with signup lightweight gis are typically elastic.

Heavier gis don’t use elastic because the thickness of the material would make an elastic waistband very uncomfortable.

For relatively inexpensive and decent quality, look into Century. Their medium and heavyweight gis are pretty popular. They last a while too. Most people I train with wear Century and KI. Century medium weight and KI heavyweight. I got a heavyweight KI gi from my teacher (for a few bucks more) when I signed up at my dojo. It’s pretty heavy and doesn’t fit me right. People love them though. 

Be prepared to go through the whole shipping several brands and sizes back and forth merry-go-round until you find what you like. A lot of people do, and that’s not limited to bigger people. Everyone’ shaped differently and no one fits into every piece of clothing they try on. Gis aren’t any different. It sucks there’s no local stores that have racks of different brands and sizes like a Men’s Warehouse for gis.


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## Orion Nebula (Feb 23, 2019)

mrt2 said:


> Go on the internet and search for the kind of pants you are looking for.  In my case, I did it because for some reason, the pants that came with my second uniform were mis sized and didn't fit.  (I checked and the top was a 7, the pants a 6)  One of the assistant instructors looked around and couldn't find the right sized pants in the back room so either the pants that came with the uniform were mis sized or someone switched the pants. So I just ordered a pair of Tiger Claw brand Karate/TKD pants from Amazon and they actually feel better than the ones that came with my first uniform.  I did check and the Tiger Claw are also elastic and draw string, but have a roomier waist and crotch gusset than the the Vision brand pants  that come my my school's uniforms.  Since it isn't a bad idea to have an extra pair of pants, I would suggest you buy some more pants, hopefully one without the elastic.



Good idea. Almost everyone sells the tops and pants separately. Hopefully I can find a cheap pair with a drawstring.



JR 137 said:


> Every medium to heavyweight gi I’ve seen has a drawstring instead of elastic. The free with signup lightweight gis are typically elastic.
> 
> Heavier gis don’t use elastic because the thickness of the material would make an elastic waistband very uncomfortable.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the info! I believe my old gi was a Century since the school bought pretty much only Century gear. It was good quality and had a drawstring waist. I skipped Century this time, though, because 1) the sizes only go up to 8 (and only a 7 for the lightweight), and 2) the middle and heavyweight uniforms are a bit more than I wanted to pay for what I'm expecting to be a temporary uniform.


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## Orion Nebula (Feb 27, 2019)

It has arrived! I definitely thought I would have issues with the pants, but aside from being a little baggy and a little too long, they actually aren't bad at all. A quick hem job will make them perfect.

The jacket on the other hand... oh cripes. It goes to my knees! The sleeves are only a touch long, but man are they wide. I'll have to cut off the bottom and raise the ties. But it shouldn't be too hard to fix!


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## Gerry Seymour (Feb 28, 2019)

Orion Nebula said:


> It has arrived! I definitely thought I would have issues with the pants, but aside from being a little baggy and a little too long, they actually aren't bad at all. A quick hem job will make them perfect.
> 
> The jacket on the other hand... oh cripes. It goes to my knees! The sleeves are only a touch long, but man are they wide. I'll have to cut off the bottom and raise the ties. But it shouldn't be too hard to fix!


You're much more industrious with the fully automated high-speed benchtop thread injector than I am. Make that sucker fit the way you want, man!


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## Orion Nebula (Mar 1, 2019)

gpseymour said:


> You're much more industrious with the fully automated high-speed benchtop thread injector than I am. Make that sucker fit the way you want, man!



Anything that's sewing in a straight line along an edge I can do. I also made what are essentially giant fleece pillowcases for the dogs to sleep in. Anything more complicated has probably a 50/50 chance of ending in disaster.



JR 137 said:


> I’m not anti buying stuff online. In fact I buy just about everything that way except groceries and the like. And clothes.
> 
> But I also know what I’m getting the majority of the time. That’s because I’ve seen it or owned it or similar before. Can’t do that with gis. Like clothes, they all fit differently and have variations that you don’t pick up in pictures (like the padding in the lapel you were discussing). There’s too much back and forth with ordering this stuff. And when you find something you like, you stick with it because you’re tired of getting stuff that you thought would work but didn’t.
> 
> ...



There's actually a shop up in the Portland area very similar to what you're describing - Bridge City Fight Shop. They unfortunately don't have a huge selection of uniforms for karate, but they do carry uniforms for a variety of martial arts and actually have some really nice ones for BJJ. Lots of gear, too.


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## Gerry Seymour (Mar 1, 2019)

I split the discussion, as @Jr137 intended to do. You can find the discussion of a MA gear store at http://www.martialtalk.com/threads/...on-split-from-excited-to-be-getting-a-uniform.


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## JR 137 (Mar 1, 2019)

gpseymour said:


> I split the discussion, as @Jr137 intended to do. You can find the discussion of a MA gear store at http://www.martialtalk.com/threads/...on-split-from-excited-to-be-getting-a-uniform.


Thanks. I was going to start it but I’m doing some research and am waiting on some answers.


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## dvcochran (Mar 2, 2019)

gpseymour said:


> I split the discussion, as @Jr137 intended to do. You can find the discussion of a MA gear store at http://www.martialtalk.com/threads/...on-split-from-excited-to-be-getting-a-uniform.


I get an error when trying to use the link. What forum is it under?


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## Gerry Seymour (Mar 2, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> I get an error when trying to use the link. What forum is it under?


Odd, I do too, now. Try this one: MA Gear Store Discussion (Split from "Excited to be getting a uniform")

EDIT: It looks like I somehow clipped the end off the URL the first time.


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## KenpoMaster805 (Mar 3, 2019)

I oder my karate gi and gear at same time im small dude im sized 4


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## Tez3 (Mar 3, 2019)

Just bought a new Gi, can't wait until it comes. Infant Uniform ( Baby Karate Suit ) - £14.99 : Playwell Martial Arts, The UK’s Largest Online Martial Arts Superstore | Est 1995

Hope she likes it. 


 

Well you didn't think I wasn't going to boast about my brand new grandchild did you!!! ( I did knit the hat)


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## wanderingstudent (Mar 3, 2019)

What a cutie...


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## Tez3 (Mar 4, 2019)

wanderingstudent said:


> What a cutie...



Thank you, we think so too! You can see why I have to boast lol.


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