Traditional or Style

[Shinzu]

how does everyone here feel about traditional uniforms vs. fancy multi colored ones?

the same question could be applied to forms. your feelings about traditional forms vs. competition forms?

i myself am into wearing the traditional uniform but i do like to experiment with competition forms also.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Please discribe what you mean by traditional:
The pants or shorts and t-shirt worn in China and the islands or the all white or solid color (depending on ryu) worn in Japan
As for the fancy ones most of them look good for flash or ina circus( strickly my opion)
Shadow

 

[Blindside]

I'm a pretty big believer in a utilitarian practice garmet, as a result I wear a heavyweight black gi. Black so you don't have to worry about grass and blood stains as much. I still have grass stains on my white gi pants from Morio Higoanna driving me into the ground with a wristlock.

Our school doesn't have a uniform policy, most students wear a full gi in the winter, and a gi pant and t-shirt top in the summer. I try to wear a full gi all the time because 1) it looks more professional now that I am an instructor and 2) if you can break lapel grip off of a gi, well you can break it off of anything else.

Regarding alot of the tournament uniforms, well I don't like most of them. As patriotic as I am I hate the red, white, and blue outfits, and well, sequined hakamas are just riduculous. While I don't really like the silk (mostly polyester) uniforms the wushu and some of the other chinese systems use, at least it is more traditional.

Of course my wife says I don't dress stylishly enough in everyday wear either..... oooh, brown shoes and a green shirt!!!!

Lamont

 

[Rob_Broad]

I love my my Black heavyweight uniforms, occaisonally I will throw on a white top with it if I am work with a dark weapon so it doesn't get lost in the darkness. But I prefer the traditioanl uniforms. Todays flashy team uniforms have a purpose and it is to attract attention, they are great for demonstartions or tournaments in the open divisions but not in the traditional areas.

 

[Klondike93]

For going to Tournaments, I like the colorful flashy uniforms.
For working out, I'm old school and like the full karate uniform
(black). The kenpo school I go to, they let you wear pants and T-shirt (belt optional) until they get to review week. Then you have to wear the full karate uniform.

As for forms, traditional ones are good for the class, but creative ones are good for the mind.

:asian:

 

[Kirk]

Any of you have that American Flag style one, with the stars, and
stripes? Never been a fan of those myself. Too 70's or somethin

 

[Rob_Broad]

Originally posted by Klondike93

For going to Tournaments, I like the colorful flashy uniforms.
For working out, I'm old school and like the full karate uniform
(black). The kenpo school I go to, they let you wear pants and T-shirt (belt optional) until they get to review week. Then you have to wear the full karate uniform.

As for forms, traditional ones are good for the class, but creative ones are good for the mind.

:asian:

I love the idea of creating a form as long it follows the laws of motion. I used to like some of the flashier stuff when I started training in the early 80's but as time went on and I matured so did my tastes. No uniform feels better to me than one I bought in April of 1991 at Asian World in PA. I still love the way it feels, sort of like the comfy shirt thing, it may not look the best but you feel good when wearing it.

 

[Dan Anderson]

Back in the ancient days of American Karate competition, I was one of the first ones to wear a T-shirt...with a Superman symbol. To a degree I helped start this whole flash uniform business. Now, in my school, we wear something close to what you might wear in the street, a t-shirt and loose pants. the pants are karate pants and we wear colored belts. I love traditional kata over the athletic flash but mean nothing forms of today. Guess I'm getting old but that's how they way I feel. I think if you are going to do kata, it should mean something.
Dan (use to be Superdan) Anderson :soapbox:

 

[Klondike93]

Originally posted by Kirk

Any of you have that American Flag style one, with the stars, and
stripes? Never been a fan of those myself. Too 70's or somethin

Those were real popular in the late 80's. I liked those but never bought one. There was a school here that used them as their school uniform.

I liked those uniforms

:asian:

 

[Kirk]

Sorry ... didn't mean to offend. They just weren't my "thang"

 

[Cthulhu]

Please understand that this is personal opinion, so take no offense

Gi: I like simple gi. Multi-colored gi that look like a patchwork quilt I don't dig. The BJJ gi that have so many logos and emblems they look like NASCAR racers, I don't like. 'Gi' that look like tuxedos or anything other than a gi, I don't like.

Forms: Traditional forms, good. Competition forms done with the same principles as a traditional form, good. Musical forms make me want to ram pencils in my eyes.

Cthulhu

 

[Shinzu]

wow!! the responses have all been excellent. thanx for your input

i agree that the flashy uniforms tend to take away from the art itself, but some of them do look pretty cool. especially for team demos, but i like the simple gi.

im not big into uniforms looking like bulletin boards with patches and designs everywhere. too commercial for my taste.

i like the traditioan forms also but some competition forms are nice to learn.

i feel that when you are out on the floor you represent your art, your style, your school, and yourself so do it with the most respect you know how.

T-shirts are good during hot summer months for some students but i always wear my full gear. as stated earlier it does look more professional and to me that is the dress code and proper attire.

i always take my training serious so why shouldn't i dress that way too.

 

[Klondike93]

Originally posted by Kirk

Sorry ... didn't mean to offend. They just weren't my "thang"

No, you didn't offend at all. You just gave your oppinion that you didn't like them, and I did. I've worn worse, believe me.

:asian:

 

[Shinzu]

it's great that everyone has their own opinion. what might work for one may not work for another. that is why there are so many different styles of martial arts to choose from.

it all depends on the practitioners choice.

 

[TangSooGuy]

personally I prefer traditional, generally solid color uniforms, mostly because I just think they look better, and in a class setting, th lessdistraction from actual learning and training, the better.

There are other philosophical reasons begind wearing certain colors, or maintaining standards that i could get into, but in general, I tend to think that what you wear is not asimportant as what you do.

Flashy uniforms have their place, but to me, I'd prefer to see them in team competition, and that's about it. I prefer to see the form when I'm judging individual competition, not the uniform.

About as adventurous as I get with uniforms is wearing a black top with white pants or black pants with a white top. Our official uniform however is all white with appropriate rank trim.

In my opinion, there will always be something classy about a white uniform when it is kept clean and pressed, and this can be incorporated into students' trainingas well.


As for competition forms, I have no problem with them if they are done in the spirit of traditional forms, and are well executed, well balanced, and seem to make some sort of sense. i don't however like to see traditional forms mixed with non-traditional forms in competition.

It's gotten tooeasy to impress some judges by incorporating fancy acrobactics into competition, while some more traditional forms may not include these, but were executed just as well or better.

On a personal level, I stick to traditional most of the time. My competition days are pretty well behind me, and I'm now searching for that elusive "deeper meaning" in everything :asian:

 

[Shinzu]

good points TSG! its not about what you wear outside, but what you know inside that counts.

i like to mix and match a black top with white bottoms and vice versa. it's a little different but still traditional without getting too crazy.

other than that i go with the white dobak with traditional trim also.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Ok some very good views on the plain vs.the fancy, and the solid vs. multicolored. Now how do you feel about the walking advertisement?
You know the Gi's that have more space covered with the school name, different organizational patches, just plain patches,etc. The ones with less uniform uncovered then covered with whatever.
Shadow

 

[hapkido_mgd]

My dobok is all black with the school name on the back. I do wear a couple of patches: American & Korean flags, and one for Hapkido and another for the school in Korea where my Master went.

Does that seem like too much? I've never felt anything but pride for all of them. I'm not into the flashy uniforms that I see out there, but then mine may seem flashy to some people. Oh well. I guess it all really is a matter of personal taste.

OK, the mike is now off.

:asian:

 

[tshadowchaser]

The flags are great
If your school logo is on the back instead of a small one on the front thats your schools decission.
I was seriuos when I said I had seen uniforms with more advertiseing on them then some billboards.
The fact a person has PRIDE in their school and uniform is terrific.
I guess the question should have been How much is to much, when it comes to emblems patches and logos.
Shadow:asian:

 

[Shinzu]

when i started shotokan karate my gi was always white with a patch on the left side.

it seems as times change people use their students as advertising instead on their skills.

when i switched to TSD my school had the federation logo on the back. 2 patches on sides and 2 on the front. i am not a big fan of patches everywhere but i wore them because those were the rules.

when i earned my black belt there was a new uniform to get which consisted of black trim, which i like very much. the patches all remained the same but the back had the grandmasters name stitched across the back.

how many more times could i have his name on my dobak??? i felt like a walking billboard. i did not think it portrayed what the arts were about to me. it was way too commercial.

i have left that school since then for other reasons and train in the same style somewhere else.

here we wear midnight blue so i decided to purchase a new heavyweight uniform trimmed with midnight blue.

i have since added their patch to the left side and that's all. i feel the uniform represents myself, and if i am not comfortable wearing it how can i be comfortable with what i am doing in it.

but this is just my opinion.