Hair and clothing for martial artists

[girlbug2]

On another thread it was mentioned that the poster always wore comfortable clothes that he could fight/run in if necessary, because one never knows when that would be needed. In principle, I agree with that.

I also remember reading "somewhere" that short hair is preferred, as hair long enough to get a good hold on can be used against you in a fight. In principle, I agree with that.

Now in practice it's another story for a lot of us, as I have noticed a lot of people practicing martial arts with longer hair (both male and female). In our everyday lives we sometimes dress in a way that would be difficult to fight or run in (bad shoes, or worse, high heels, tight skirts that make running difficult if one is female). Personally, as a woman, I don't think I look good in hair that's shorter than chin length, and that's still long enough for somebody to grab ahold of. But in other ways I have begun to reject more traditional female dress that would put me at a serious disadvantage. It's a hard line to balance but I'd like to be both feminine and tough, so when I shop I ask myself what would I be able to do if I were attacked in this outfit? No more miniskirts for me, but longer and looser skirts are OK. Even so, I can still usually be found in jeans or shorts.

Has martial arts changed your hair and clothing to reflect your new awareness of your vulnerability? If so, in what way, and if not...why the heck not???

 

[Drac]

Some of the ladies I have trained have opted for shorter hair and skirts that are still short but not as tight..Many still wear heels but have no problem kicking them off if need be...I know, no much help..

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Well, I will admit that style is not the only reason for my hairstyle( Regulation "High and tight", very short,maybe 1/2 inch flat top on top, sides and back shaved almost to the skin).....But besides the fact there's no question as to whether this style is within military grooming standards( I'm in both the MA State Guard and the Civil Air Patrol), it's easier to maintain, plus there's basically no chance of it ever being grabbed in close combat( the very reason, in fact, that the military, and now, many law enforcement agencies, encourage hairstyles of this type).

I've taken to wearing BDU pants as regular pants just because after wearing them as part of my uniform, i find them more comfortable, useful, and more to the point, far longer lasting than jeans( the ones I wear in civvies, though, are never in a camouflage pattern, always a flat color( olive drab, black, khaki, blue and so on). Loose enough to run/kick, tight enough not to snag on any protrusions if running, pockets to hold all sorts of weaponey/ first-aidey goodness if need be

 

[MBuzzy]

I kind of look at it from the other perspective. I refuse to change my personal behavior out of fear of someone attacking me. I instead try to be sure that I am ready in whatever I happen to be wearing at the time. It may be harder to kick in jeans, but I still practice some of those lower kicks and can adjust my style to fit. I practice in civilian clothes often, shoes, no shoes, boots, work clothes, civies, etc. Never practiced in a suit....but that might be a good idea. I like sandles, because I can kick them off if I need to.

Now this only works for men....women, well they probably need to think in different terms.

 

[MBuzzy]

Oh yeah, and 1/8" hair on most of my head 1/2" on top helps too.

I've taken to wearing BDU pants as regular pants just because after wearing them as part of my uniform, i find them more comfortable, useful, and more to the point, far longer lasting than jeans( the ones I wear in civvies, though, are never in a camouflage pattern, always a flat color( olive drab, black, khaki, blue and so on). Loose enough to run/kick, tight enough not to snag on any protrusions if running, pockets to hold all sorts of weaponey/ first-aidey goodness if need be

AND, you can inflate them and use them as a life preserver if you need to!

I wear BDU (ABU now) pants every day....so I strictly avoid them off duty!

 

[Kacey]

I haven't changed what I wear... but given that I wear jeans, sneakers, and a cotton shirt most of the time, that's not saying much. I did cut my hair short at one point, but it looked so bad that I grew it back out; after all, I've never had to defend myself physically even after 21 years of training (avoidance is a key skills, AFAIC) - and I have to wear my hair every day!

 

[girlbug2]

Now that is a different way of looking at it! Love to see a guy practicing in a business suit, lol.

 

[Omar B]

My everyday uniform is pretty much jeans, band t-shirt and combat boots, yeah, damn metal right. I just find that aside from comfort it's the easiest for me to move in aside from my gi. Besides, kicking someone with boots can end a fight really quick. On, and on my jeans I usually cut the legs on the inside seam about 4 inches at the bottom. Not really noticeable but it makes them never hang up on the boots while kicking and it doesn't ruin the jeans if you place the cut in the right spot ... though my mom used to hate when I did this as a id.

Maybe it's because my dad ran a men's clothing store for years but I was always acutely aware of movement in clothes and what helps or hurts it. Like I got accosted by these 2 guys dressed like thugs in the huge baggy pants down by their bums and the big t-shirts. They tried to mess with he in the park while I was working out, no problem because they could not throw a good punch (both technique and getting caught up in huge shirts) and their movement was severely hampered by the huge pants that they had to constantly adjust while just standing.

I never wear flip-flops or sandals out because they really restrict movement ... getting chased, you are outta luck.

As for the hair thing, that's the one thing I won't mess with, I've got fairly long hair and I'm not changing that for anything. I was once forced to cut it for private school and I looked like a stranger to myself for a long time.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Oh yeah, and 1/8" hair on most of my head 1/2" on top helps too.



AND, you can inflate them and use them as a life preserver if you need to!

Well not the ones I use as civvies (I cut out the cuff drawstrings so as not to have to wear them bloused into boots).

 

[Andy Moynihan]

My everyday uniform is pretty much jeans, band t-shirt and combat boots, yeah, damn metal right. I just find that aside from comfort it's the easiest for me to move in aside from my gi. Besides, kicking someone with boots can end a fight really quick. On, and on my jeans I usually cut the legs on the inside seam about 4 inches at the bottom. Not really noticeable but it makes them never hang up on the boots while kicking and it doesn't ruin the jeans if you place the cut in the right spot ... though my mom used to hate when I did this as a id.

Maybe it's because my dad ran a men's clothing store for years but I was always acutely aware of movement in clothes and what helps or hurts it. Like I got accosted by these 2 guys dressed like thugs in the huge baggy pants down by their bums and the big t-shirts. They tried to mess with he in the park while I was working out, no problem because they could not throw a good punch (both technique and getting caught up in huge shirts) and their movement was severely hampered by the huge pants that they had to constantly adjust while just standing.

I never wear flip-flops or sandals out because they really restrict movement ... getting chased, you are outta luck.

As for the hair thing, that's the one thing I won't mess with, I've got fairly long hair and I'm not changing that for anything. I was once forced to cut it for private school and I looked like a stranger to myself for a long time.

Just keep it tied back, that way if the tail is grabbed you can, in extremes, cut it loose with your folder much easier than if he has a fistful of loose hair.

Once he sees that, there'd have to be something wrong with him to keep rushing you, folder in hand.


(That may sound extreme, but remember--somebody has your hair, they have your head and a direct line to your neck.)

 

[ktaylor75]

I have not changed my hair length for martial arts, but I am more conscious of what I wear. I love to wear skirts, however, I have found that in my long denim skirts, I could not kick someone above ankle height unless I hiked it up! Thankfully, I have lost quite a bit of weight since beginning in martial arts in October, so I needed to buy new clothes anyway...now I make sure I can kick in a skirt before I buy it....silly I know, but what is the point of learning a martial art and then not being able to use it should the need arise? Just my opinion.

 

[hapkenkido]

when my wife and i first got together she would make fun of me when we went shopping for clothes. i would try on some pants and come out to show her and then do a few kicks to make sure they wernt to binding.

 

[KenpoTex]

My hair is pretty short, ranging from a buzz-cut to a quasi flat-top depending on the time of year (I let it grow out a little in the winter). My wardrobe typically consists of either jeans or cargo-pants (cargo shorts in the summer) and t-shirts, polo-shirts, or hawaiian/guyaberra/camp shirts. I do have to take care when selecting shirts but that's only because of all the crap I carry on my belt both on duty and off.

I don't feel that you have to alter your wardrobe or hairstyle. However, you do need to be aware of any potential liabilities (long hair, high-heels, flip-flops, etc.). The only thing I bug my students about is their choice in footwear. I NEVER wear flip-flops because I prefer to protect my feet and to be able to take advantage of the increased damage potential of a shod foot.

 

[MJS]

My hair is always short, even during winter months, so grabbing that is not an option. I do feel that its important to do some training in clothing that you wear on a daily basis. If you wear a suit and tie to work everyday, if you're a female and wear a skirt or dress and heels, it may be worth doing some training in that to see exactly what you can/cant do. Aside from a special occassion, ie: wedding, I wear jeans. Yes, I wear them to work as well. They're not tight and they're not so loose that 5 other people can fit into them with me, so I feel comfortable moving in them. I've done kata and techs, as well as informal workouts in street clothes, so I feel that I'm aware of my capability.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Has martial arts changed your hair and clothing to reflect your new awareness of your vulnerability? If so, in what way, and if not...why the heck not???

Girlbug,

Used to I wore the pajamas, excuse me, gi or dobok, barefooted all the time. Now if in class, I wear the uniform and shoes (yes martial arts shoes but they still feel alot like regular tennis shoes.) I also, when training outside class, wear regular tennis shoes and some workout cloths (not karate and with no karate logos.)

Since I've been a square person pretty much all my life, the hair is sort, and always has been.

I'm not worred about jeans, cuase I'm pretty good with my hands and kicking to the middle or lower is easy, even with jeans.

So really, I've done more to modify my training to match my 'real' life than to match my life to the dojo.

Deaf

 

[championmarius]

I wouldn't necessarily say that martial arts has affected my fashion. It just kinda meshes. I feel most comfortable wearing cargo pants/BDUs, a tee shirt or polo and steel toe, steel shank boots.
I carry a lot of crap on my belt and in my pants, I couldn't do it without those handy pockets. My weirdness for pants has even crept into the kitchen. I made my boss order me cargo checks, cuz the dinky ones the other guys wear have like two pockets...
I used to wear tennis shoes, but the ankle support and long life of boots makes them a hands down winner every time. especially in the kitchen, hot grease proof, slip proof and water proof. And besides, if I have to judiciously apply them to some gits nether bits, then the steel toe is a bonus.
I shave my head, mainly because I look silly with my "fall-back-to-the-back-hair" receding hairline, and its SOOOO much more comfortable in the kitchen, not to mention sanitary. And, with no hair on the head, I am immune to hair grabs, yanks etc.

 

[chinto]

I have preferred short hair always, and as a matter of fact gotten even a bit shorter since training. I always wear either good work boots or running shoes. so no change there... but then I have always dressed for comfort and such mostly. as a male I do not have the problems of heels or long hair i guess.

 

[Nolerama]

I'll take the risk, and tie my own tie when I have to.

 

[Grenadier]

Being a Korean, a generic Korean haircut is what I've been using for the last couple of decades. #2 guard on the sides and back of head, scissors on the top and front, very little to grab, even if someone tries to grab the bangs.

As for clothes, well, this is one of the reasons why I enjoy academic research... I can come to work in a pair of cargo shorts or jeans, and a t-shirt, along with athletic shoes. My typical "dressup" day is swapping the t-shirt for a collared, polo shirt.

This way, I get maximum comfort and have no hinderances. If I were to work for the industrial sector, I'd probably still get comfortable khaki's, that were "relaxed fit," again for comfort and lack of hinderances.

 

[tshadowchaser]

In response to the original posted question:

My instructor always told me I could keep my hair as long as I wanted as long as I could defend it. It was mid back length at that time and I never cut it till it reached below my waist and I decided to shorten it a little. Long hair dose create some problems when sparing or fighting but diligent practice and an awareness of the dangers can help aviate some or most of them. Remember also that long hair can be used offensively also