A Uniform Should Be Just That?

Gnarlie

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Is it important that Kup grades and Poom/Dan grades wear a different kind of uniform where you train?

What are your views on the wearing of fancy custom doboks?

What are your views on belt embroidery and bars at various grades?

What are your views on the use of electrical tape to denote grade steps?

What about badges and printed logos /designs?

Is there a limit, and how does 'pimp my uniform' fit with the tenets of Taekwondo?

What makes a practical and popular club dobok?
 

Dirty Dog

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Is it important that Kup grades and Poom/Dan grades wear a different kind of uniform where you train?

No, it is not. It's not important that they wear any uniform. What;s important is that they train.

What are your views on the wearing of fancy custom doboks?

Our geup ranks wear plain white dobaks. I've always worn black pants, and of late, several of our Dan ranked students have adopted them as well. Mostly because they don't stain as easily. I like my Moo Sool Sa diamond pattern dobak tops.
But they're not important. I can train in jeans.

What are your views on belt embroidery and bars at various grades?

Our Dan ranks are given an embroidered belt, and there are bars on them to denote rank.
I've been known to grab the wrong belt on occasion, and it certainly doesn't make any difference.

What are your views on the use of electrical tape to denote grade steps?

It's an easy way to denote the halfway point between colored belts and doesn't really cost anything. We've used this method forever.

What about badges and printed logos /designs?

Our students get a Moo Duk Kwan badge to wear on the left side of the chest. One added a Korean flag to her arm. A couple have vertically embroidered Taekwondo patches (that they got from a tourney) centered on their backs.

Is there a limit, and how does 'pimp my uniform' fit with the tenets of Taekwondo?

I don't think patches really have anything whatsoever to do with the tenets.

What makes a practical and popular club dobok?

Whatever everybody else is wearing...
 

ks - learning to fly

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this is my uniform: White Adi-champ dobok with the black collar that is 'standard' for Black Belts at our dojang
left shirt front patch - school patch (standard), right shirt front patch - association patch (standard), left
shoulder patch - Korean flag (standard), right shoulder patch - USA flag (standard), below the USA flag -
3 500 lesson patches (earned for each 500 lessons), one embroidered Black Belt (earned at testing)
that's all, nothing else
 

TrueJim

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Some background: the school that my son and I train in is run by a 44-year old Korean man, a Kukkiwon 7th dan who started studying taekwondo in 1979. I think he does a nice job of mixing traditional practices with more modern practices that appeal to suburban kids taking taekwondo.

Is it important that Kup grades and Poom/Dan grades wear a different kind of uniform where you train?

Where we train, generally yes. Kup grades get solid-white uniforms; you're not allowed to wear those once you have a poom/dan grade; then you have to wear the black trim.

One exception though is the various "team" uniforms: Demo Team, and Leadership Team. For those special uniforms, the kup and poom/dan uniforms are identical. (We have a few kup in both teams, but they're mostly poom/dan in those teams.) You're allowed to wear those uniforms to any class. I tend to wear my Leadership Team uniform 99% of the time because it's red and black, meaning it doesn't show as much dirt -- I save my dress whites for the ceremonies, so they stay nice looking.

Another exception is tee-shirts. On hot days you're allowed to wear either a school-issued tee (with the school's logo on it) or a tee from a tournament that you competed in (it's a nice little perk that encourages people to compete in tournaments).

What are your views on the wearing of fancy custom doboks?

What an interesting question. I think at my school, if you had really good taekwondo, people would think it was cool. If you have really bad taekwondo, people would think you were a poser. Two of our instructors are former K-Tigers and they have a couple fancy uniforms in the closet, but nobody thinks it odd when they wear them -- they can do standing backflips and jump over the moon, so who's gonna say anything?

What are your views on belt embroidery and bars at various grades?

Personally, I would rather see a fancy belt than a fancy uniform. At our school, we tend to stitch a lot of things onto the belt to show various accomplishments. Personally, I find that kind of cool. It's like: your uniform is just your uniform, but your belt is your biography.

What are your views on the use of electrical tape to denote grade steps?

Especially when you're working with kids, I think it's super-important to do this. Kids are energized by the sense of constant progress...it's the same trick video games use to keep kids coming back. It's very motivational.

What about badges and printed logos /designs?

I would say essentially all the schools in my area put the school logo on the back of the uniform. I was just at the HK Lee tournament this past Saturday, and there were over a thousand competitors. I was very glad that each school had their own logo, because it made it really easy to find my schoolmates. Our school also puts the school name on the pant leg, which again at tournaments is super useful.

If it weren't for tournaments, I might think that all these logos and such were silly, but given the fact that we try to attend a lot of tournaments, I find the logos super-practical from a tournament standpoint. I assume our coaches find it useful too, since it makes it easy to find our athletes during the tournament (we usually have a couple dozen in a tournament, so that logos really help).

Is there a limit, and how does 'pimp my uniform' fit with the tenets of Taekwondo?

Thankfully, I don't think I've ever seen an overly-pimped uniform in person, but I've seen photos of overly pimped uniforms. I don't like the way they look, but that may be because I'm just not used to them. Some people might consider our uniforms overly-pimped though:
  • National flags on the Kup uniforms
  • School logos on the back
  • School name on the pant leg
  • Embroidered belts
I'll reiterate though that I find those last three things to be practical, not pimpy. The school logos and names on the uniform are actually really really really useful if you're at a tournament. (Otherwise I could take 'em or leave em.) The embroidered belts let you know at a glance who's accomplished what, which is useful when you're breaking into groups to work on things.

What makes a practical and popular club dobok?

At our school, all the kids want the black uniforms, which means they either need to join the Demo Team (black with yellow trim) or the Leadership Team (black with red trim). Neither team requires extra fees, but both require extra classes. I think half the kids join the teams just to get the uniforms!

So...black uniforms. Everybody loves the black uniforms. That having been said, at our school you may not attend a promotion test or ceremony in anything but your dress-whites.
 

Steve

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We're you guys aware that it's disrespectful and a breach of flag etiquette to wear a USA flag patch on an athletic uniform? While most people don't know or care, for those of us who do, it looks bad.
 

Dirty Dog

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We're you guys aware that it's disrespectful and a breach of flag etiquette to wear a USA flag patch on an athletic uniform? While most people don't know or care, for those of us who do, it looks bad.

If it's worn to show respect, that makes the group a patriotic organization. Which makes it perfectly acceptable.



Sent from an old fashioned 300 baud acoustic modem by whistling into the handset. Really.
 

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RTKDCMB

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Especially when you're working with kids, I think it's super-important to do this. Kids are energized by the sense of constant progress...it's the same trick video games use to keep kids coming back. It's very motivational.
I think the OP meant whether or not electrical tape (being cheap and nasty) is appropriate over having a specific belt to denote in between ranks.
 

RTKDCMB

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Is it important that Kup grades and Poom/Dan grades wear a different kind of uniform where you train?

Everyone has the same basic uniform design however the instructor's uniform is embroidered instead of printed and is made of thicker material black belts who are not instructors have the option of purchasing one. They are more expensive but they last a lot longer and are tougher.

What are your views on the wearing of fancy custom doboks?

We don't have fancier versions of our uniforms. Personally I don't see much point in them other than wanting to stand out in a competition if you were in a competition style.

What are your views on belt embroidery and bars at various grades?

Only the black belts have embroidery on them and it is usually a 6 month wait for black belts to get their name on them.

What are your views on the use of electrical tape to denote grade steps?

Tried and true method used for ages.

What about badges and printed logos /designs?

Some regions have a badge on the uniform but that's about it.

Is there a limit, and how does 'pimp my uniform' fit with the tenets of Taekwondo?

A uniform is about advertising the school not the individual.

What makes a practical and popular club dobok?

Uniformity, allows unrestricted movement, shows school logo and name of school, nothing too fancy.
 

Tez3

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So...black uniforms. Everybody loves the black uniforms

All females love the black uniforms, or at least the black bottoms. No female loves white, to the point where it may mean a female can't train when she has her period. White is definitely impractical, not so good for children either.
 

clfsean

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We always wore plain white back in the day. No patches, no advertising, no "feel good accomplishments". Just plain white that slowly faded too a miasma of bleached stain colors over time. It was about training, not trying to make any kind of statement.
 

Earl Weiss

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1. If your school / group/ org specifies a uniform, then that is what you should wear. Uniform = "uniform"

2. At the end of the day, like grandma used to say, "It ain't the crust that makes the pie, it's the filling."
 

TrueJim

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We're you guys aware that it's disrespectful and a breach of flag etiquette to wear a USA flag patch on an athletic uniform? While most people don't know or care, for those of us who do, it looks bad.

On the other hand...the Olympics...
ss-131028-2013-Team-USA-Sochi-tease.blocks_desktop_medium.jpg
 

TrueJim

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I think the OP meant whether or not electrical tape (being cheap and nasty) is appropriate over having a specific belt to denote in between ranks.

Ahhh....that's a different question.

Actually, I think it does look kind of cheap. I can't think of any better way to do it though. Like you said, tried and true.
 

TrueJim

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White is definitely impractical, not so good for children either.

Ditto on white. That's the standard uniform color at our school, and it's not great. The children's uniforms get dirty often, which means they get washed often, which means they turn dingy grey quickly... I understand the symbolism and the tradition, but having kids exercise in white isn't ideal.

Aside: one of our former-K-Tiger instructors just returned from Korea with some white Y-neck (black trimmed) tops with black bottoms. Sharp sharp sharp!
 

RTKDCMB

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During the summer time students can wear RTKD T-shirts instead of the jackets but instructors and black belts always wear the full uniform. Well except for that one time I had to wear shorts because I packed a white curtain instead of my pants (they looked the same folder up when I was in a hurry).
 

Steve

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On the other hand...the Olympics...
ss-131028-2013-Team-USA-Sochi-tease.blocks_desktop_medium.jpg
Makes it no less tacky. I cringe when they drape themselves in the flag when they win an event. If you're not a first responder or in the military, it's really a breach of flag etiquette. But as I said, most people don't know or don't care. Some do.
 

dancingalone

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Is it important that Kup grades and Poom/Dan grades wear a different kind of uniform where you train?

No. I do require that people complete an instructor program before teaching class unsupervised however. These graduates can wear black uniforms if they want to stand out and make it easy for other students to seek help from them. This is a recent change for my school.

What are your views on the wearing of fancy custom doboks?

Not for me, but I won't judge others if they want to.

What are your views on belt embroidery and bars at various grades?

We do award embroidered black belts. That said I recognize that it's a vanity of sorts, though useful to an extent at schools with large numbers of students where it is handy to identify the more senior dans from the more junior ones (as if their skill shouldn't already differentiate themselves). I like names on belts and am considering asking every student, student grades also, to have their name stenciled or embroidered onto their uniforms. Again, it's handy when you have a large school.

Then again, since I hold dan ranks in three different martial arts and still practice all of them regularly, I just go with the unadorned black belt most of the time. Saves me a bit of extra hassle figuring out which belt to pack.

What are your views on the use of electrical tape to denote grade steps?

Fine and customary locally here unless you want to have a new color belt for all 9 colored belt levels. I think the kids like getting ranked up and are inspired by the idea even if it's just a piece of tape.

What about badges and printed logos /designs?

I have a school patch. I don't do the logo printing because I want students that leave my school to still have a uniform that may be useful elsewhere.

Is there a limit, and how does 'pimp my uniform' fit with the tenets of Taekwondo?

In general, I believe a uniform should be uniform. Meaning the dojo/dojang should not be a place where social and financial status matter, where those with more resources than the others can out-peacock their classmates. Keep the personal bling to a minimum. I feel the same way about brand logos and such on uniforms but that's a losing battle unless you want to force everyone to wear the generic stuff that often aren't as good fits for them bodywise.

What makes a practical and popular club dobok?

A plain judo uniform. Really. They're cheap, durable, and great for training grabs and such.
 

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