Wearing your gi and belt in public

[Tames D]

Sorry if my earlier post offended anybody. Although it was a true story, I was just telling it for a bit of humor. I guess some of you didn't see it that way.

Geezer, I saw the humor in your post. I hope you didn't take my response as anything but friendly humor.

 

[Phobius]

People are being too touchy. My tshirt may say Wing Tsun, do I care about it? Not really.

If I need to go do some shopping on my way home I will do so in my training t-shirt. Reason being that I may not have time to do this later on and if I am to take a shower then the shop will close before I am done.

So now will I get jumped because of my clothes? To be honest this is a scenario that can happen because I changed to fresh looking clothes and some guy thinks me wearing a shirt is a bit too dressed up and wants to punch me for being a bit too clean and freshly showered when walking into a store.

Instead my thought on the matter is this, if someone wants to jump you because of your t-shirt or clothes in general. Better they jump you than some other guy/girl that may not be prepared. People that will fight in such a scenario will find any reason to fight someone else otherwise. It is a thrill they are looking for.

 

[Midnight-shadow]

People are being too touchy. My tshirt may say Wing Tsun, do I care about it? Not really.

If I need to go do some shopping on my way home I will do so in my training t-shirt. Reason being that I may not have time to do this later on and if I am to take a shower then the shop will close before I am done.

So now will I get jumped because of my clothes? To be honest this is a scenario that can happen because I changed to fresh looking clothes and some guy thinks me wearing a shirt is a bit too dressed up and wants to punch me for being a bit too clean and freshly showered when walking into a store.

Instead my thought on the matter is this, if someone wants to jump you because of your t-shirt or clothes in general. Better they jump you than some other guy/girl that may not be prepared. People that will fight in such a scenario will find any reason to fight someone else otherwise. It is a thrill they are looking for.

That's an interesting take on the situation.

 

[Tez3]

Instead my thought on the matter is this, if someone wants to jump you because of your t-shirt or clothes in general. Better they jump you than some other guy/girl that may not be prepared. People that will fight in such a scenario will find any reason to fight someone else otherwise. It is a thrill they are looking for.

You are more likely to be jumped on if your shirt was a Tap Out one

 

[Kickboxer101]

Damm so according to most on this thread I can't wear a belt in public? Damm that's going to suck when my trousers keep falling down in public

 

[geezer]

Damm so according to most on this thread I can't wear a belt in public? Damm that's going to suck when my trousers keep falling down in public

Braces my good man, wear braces.

 

[Buka]

I've never been fashionable. Never cared what I wore in public, as long as it was comfortable and warm. (I like warm) nobody else ever cared what I wore in public, either. I have a ratty hooded sweatshirt that's thirty years old, an old "snap, tap or nap" job. I wear it anywhere I want, always have. Nobody cares.

I wouldn't walk down the street wearing my gi, but I wouldn't wear it in the shower, either, or to bed. These days kids wear their gis to their dojos, usually getting out of mom's mini van. I find it tacky, but who really cares?

But if I was walking down the street and an adult was coming toward me in a gi, I'd either cross the street, or take out a cigar ask him for a light.

 

[WaterGal]

I think it's generally a little tacky to go around in your uniform and belt, but at the same time..... sometimes if I'm at the school working and need to run to the store real quick because we ran out of paper towels or whatever, I'll just go how I am. I also have an introductory course I teach at a some local daycares, and for that I'll just go in my uniform because it makes things easier, plus that way everyone there knows who I am and isn't like "why is there a strange woman in the daycare?".

What cracks me up is when I have someone see me in my uniform and ask if I do martial arts. No dude, I just wear this as a fashion statement.

 

[Flatfish]

I usually need to pick up groceries after class in the store right next to the dojang. We do not have changing facilities so I wear my Dobok for the 5 mins it takes to get the shopping done. Don't care if it bothers anyone.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Honestly, I have no philosophical objection. But I do find this dorky on an epic scale. Even just gi pants is pretty nerdy, but to wear the entire ensemble in public is cheesy to the nth degree.

I only object to it on two grounds (other than it seems needlessly showy). Firstly, it can invite bullies to challenge the wearer. Part of my approach to self-defense is not to advertise what you are capable of, so nobody feels the need to test it. Secondly, it's just part of the tradition I learned under. We ritually fold our gi at the end of a class, and it should come back to the next class folded the same way (hopefully, unfolded-washed-refolded).

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I usually roll up my gi and wrap it in the belt. Finding a dressing room/locker room isn't a big deal for me. I'll change clothes pretty much anywhere, as long as it's got room to breathe. In fact, because I'm claustrophobic, I'm more likely to change in public than in a bathroom stall or changing room, just because I get panicky within seconds if I don't have at least arms' length around me to move.

Of course, I'm sensitive to kids and won't drop trow just anywhere. I try to be aware of the females, too, but we share a changing room at my BJJ school, and while I try to look out for the women, it's not enough of a priority to get me to step into one of the windowless coffins my school calls changing stalls.

All of this simply to say, I'll change clothes pretty much anywhere rather than wear my gi around town, although we all get caught unprepared from time to time. I had to wear my Gameness gi pants into a grocery store once and was very self conscious.

I'm also prone to changing pretty much anywhere. In my case, I think it goes back to my experience in theatre in childhood and college; we often changed costumes quickly just off-stage, if there wasn't time to go to a dressing room.

 

[pgsmith]

It was an interesting thread, but I've noticed a number of people getting in a snit saying they will wear their training t-shirt wherever they please. Well, the thread topic specifically states wearing your gi and belt in public. It doesn't say anything about t-shirts. The original post was about a person wearing their full karate uniform in public. My personal take (by way of my senior Japanese instructors) on such a thing is that it shouldn't be done. Not for self-defense reasons, and not for fear of getting your uniform dirty, but because the uniform is for a specific purpose not shared by most of today's society, therefore you will stand out like a flashing neon sign. This is the antithesis of traditional Japanese martial arts training, where a person is supposed to avoid drawing undue attention to themselves through anything other than the beauty and effectiveness of their movements.

This outlook is why the traditional Japanese martial arts tend to disassociate themselves from the more modern "karate" and XMA schools with their flashy weapon katas and bright sparkly uniforms. As one of my instructors put it many years ago when asked this very question ... "we are not a circus, so don't make yourself look like a clown!"

Just my opinions, worth what you paid for them.

 

[Rough Rider]

What I find most surprising about this thread is the number of dojos that don't have a locker room. I guess I'm spoiled.

 

[Ironbear24]

When I was a teen I sometimes had to walk to my kenpo dojo. I had my gi in a backpack and just changed into it when I got to the dojo since we had a dressing room.

There was one occasion though where I made the mistake of walking there in my gi, I will never do that again. Every other person I passed by would tease me calling me "Daniel San" and making akward Bruce lee noises.

I'm never doing that again lol.

 

[Steve]

I wore a t-shirt yesterday with an upside down panda bear and the word, "bearimbolo."

It's a jiu jitsu shirt, but I'm pretty sure most people don't know it.

 

[SenseiHitman]

Martial arts is a jewel that needs to be hidden from sight, and in my method we swear to keep the fist a secret. I'm know that is the same for many other methods as well, I bet this guy studies at a McDojo and since he spent money to be able to brag that he is a black belt hes making sure he gets his moneys worth. All the real black belts I have met regardless of method would never wear a gi in public and they avoid conversations about martial arts with outsiders. This guy is a poser for sure.

 

[Tez3]

Martial arts is a jewel that needs to be hidden from sight, and in my method we swear to keep the fist a secret. I'm know that is the same for many other methods as well, I bet this guy studies at a McDojo and since he spent money to be able to brag that he is a black belt hes making sure he gets his moneys worth. All the real black belts I have met regardless of method would never wear a gi in public and they avoid conversations about martial arts with outsiders. This guy is a poser for sure.

The first rule of fight club.........................

 

[Gerry Seymour]

It was an interesting thread, but I've noticed a number of people getting in a snit saying they will wear their training t-shirt wherever they please. Well, the thread topic specifically states wearing your gi and belt in public. It doesn't say anything about t-shirts. The original post was about a person wearing their full karate uniform in public. My personal take (by way of my senior Japanese instructors) on such a thing is that it shouldn't be done. Not for self-defense reasons, and not for fear of getting your uniform dirty, but because the uniform is for a specific purpose not shared by most of today's society, therefore you will stand out like a flashing neon sign. This is the antithesis of traditional Japanese martial arts training, where a person is supposed to avoid drawing undue attention to themselves through anything other than the beauty and effectiveness of their movements.

This outlook is why the traditional Japanese martial arts tend to disassociate themselves from the more modern "karate" and XMA schools with their flashy weapon katas and bright sparkly uniforms. As one of my instructors put it many years ago when asked this very question ... "we are not a circus, so don't make yourself look like a clown!"

Just my opinions, worth what you paid for them.

And I share that aesthetic. When I played soccer, I didn't like wearing my full soccer uniform to the store, either. When my motorcycle was my primary transportation, I didn't like wearing my leathers into the mall - I'd rather just lock the coat in my saddlebags. I'd do both out of convenience at times, but it always felt a bit odd to me. Soccer clothes were for playing soccer, and riding leathers were for riding.

 

[diynevala]

We ritually fold our gi at the end of a class, and it should come back to the next class folded the same way (hopefully, unfolded-washed-refolded).

Deepest bow to this. My son just stuffs his judogi in the training bag, whereas I fold mine quickly - folded gi takes much less space. I wash my gi right after every class, and after drying I fold it neatly back to the training bag, along with my son's.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Deepest bow to this. My son just stuffs his judogi in the training bag, whereas I fold mine quickly - folded gi takes much less space. I wash my gi right after every class, and after drying I fold it neatly back to the training bag, along with my son's.

When I started training NGA, I wouldn't have made it out of the dojo intact if that instructor had caught me NOT folding my gi. Nobody wanted a dressing-down by Mr. Weber, so gi's were folded, and folded well.