Wearing your gi and belt in public

[David43515]

Here in Japan they have a thing for "wear". If you play tennis you have to own a set of whites, If you buy a motorcyle you may very well get a full set of custom racing leathers....even though you`ll never take that thing over 40 mph and there`s a stop light every two blocks. It`s not at all uncommon to see people out jogging in Judo or Karate Gi even though they aren`t doing any class work that day, just jogging.

The baseball team at my junior high wear thier full uniform every day to practice (and I mean every day. It doesn`t matter that its a blizzard outside, we practice in the gym every day `til spring) Myself, I think it`s pretty lame. Wearing the gi in public for extended periods is just asking for problems or being an attention whore.

 

[chaos1551]

Someone that juvenile would need to be taking a serious beating before I'd help them out. Even then, I don't know; it seems he wants the beating. Who am I to interfere?

 

[seninoniwashi]

related t-shirts or jackets or hats...wear with discretion and know that folks judge your school by your actions and you by the reputation of that school.

Very good point! I'm really curious what the guy's school is like and what they teach. On first impression by just driving by the guy I've already subconsciously got a bias toward the school.

 

[seninoniwashi]

+1.

I ++ your +1

(Just for all you programming nerds out there)

~crickets chirping in background

 

[seninoniwashi]

Certainly not my style. For starters, where do you put the money to pay the fare? In what orifice do you store the coin ... or do you just carry a handbag?

LOLOL! :lfao: Wish I had an answer for that one

 

[seninoniwashi]

Its foolish, and simply not needed. He can wear the gi pants with any casual shirt and change into gi top at the dojo.

The fact that he has the belt on also, LOL. Something odd going on there...

Imagine sitting on the bus as he swaggers to his seat, actually i wonder if he bows to the driver..

You know, I should take the day off and shadow him with a video camera and put it on youtube for laughs. It'd be mean but holy crap it'd be funny!

 

[SensibleManiac]

I think it's totally inappropriate.

Think about it, these are training clothes, meant to be worn while training.
If he gets his uniform dirty on the way to training, others will be subjected to his dirty gi he could even possibly spread ringworm and other infectious diseases.
The point being training gear is meant for training, if you told me they were in a park training outside OK I can accept that, but wearing it around just screams that this guy has no life and wants attention.
It looks bad for the school, not to mention the guy himself is showing no respect.

 

[IcemanSK]

I make it a rule in my school for students to not wear their belts or top outside of class. They can wear their pants to & from class. Like others have said, I just think it looks tacky. One wouldn't wear motocross clothing, or boxing handwraps outside of training.

 

[Blade96]

Friend and I did it once, in dec just before our tournament. I drove with him in his car and we just walked into A&W full gi and white belt and all, and bought 2 cups of tea and walked back out again.

Then we competed in our Kata tournament (heian shodan) and I beat him

I guess a cup of tea gets you a gold medal. LOL, naw, just kidding, peoples =] Only hard work does that.

Anyway thats the only time i wore full karate uniform in public.

 

[Xinglu]

Friend and I did it once, in dec just before our tournament. I drove with him in his car and we just walked into A&W full gi and white belt and all, and bought 2 cups of tea and walked back out again.

Then we competed in our Kata tournament (heian shodan) and I beat him

I guess a cup of tea gets you a gold medal. LOL, naw, just kidding, peoples =] Only hard work does that.

Anyway thats the only time i wore full karate uniform in public.

Even then I would opt to take the gi off, go get the tea, then put it back on at the place of competition. I believe in discretion regarding these sorts of things... you just never know what kind of idiot you're going to run into. Self defense encompasses having a low profile in public, wearing a gi attracts unnecessary attention. :asian:

 

[Big Don]

Certainly not my style. For starters, where do you put the money to pay the fare? In what orifice do you store the coin ... or do you just carry a handbag?

Oh no

Its not a purse! Its a satchel!

 

[dianhsuhe]

In Kara-Ho Kempo it is simply not allowed (at least to the point that we can control it). The idea is that it can draw attention and that is not the point of the MA.

We put on and take-off our belt(s) as part of the class so that is a non-issue with us. We also do not let our belts touch the ground when they are not being worn nor do we wash them as we feel that all of our hard work and knowledge are contained in our belts (symbolically)

I have seen this time and again but have and will never say anything. Every system is different and I do not believe it is my place to "counsel" folks from other arts, especially dan ranks.

Respectfully,
Jamey

 

[Blade96]

Even then I would opt to take the gi off, go get the tea, then put it back on at the place of competition. I believe in discretion regarding these sorts of things... you just never know what kind of idiot you're going to run into. Self defense encompasses having a low profile in public, wearing a gi attracts unnecessary attention. :asian:

we didnt have much time before the kata competition, and both of us were excited to compete and we werent thinking about that but, no, its something i wouldnt do again believe me walk around in public with full karate gi and belt on

 

[bwindussa]

Personally, I wear my gi pants and the plain t-shirt. I seem to be somewhat destructive to my gi tops because I have about 7 pairs of pants and only 2 tops. These are my most beloved and comfortable pants. They are plain, solid color and I'm too old to worry about fashion.

That being said

Wearing a full gi outside your dojo, depending on the school, could be anything from a fashion blunder to a downright insult. But that depends on the school. Maybe he's advertising his school? (yes, it seems a funny way, but I'm trying to look at it positively )

Personally if I were to meet such a person in public I might come up and ask him respectfully about his style, his classes, and generally get to know the person. It's hard to know the reason why a person does something unless you ask. And I have found that if I ask with honest respect, most people are more than happy to share their passion even with a total stranger.

Dunno, go ask him and let us know what he says. I would be truly interested in his answer.

 

[seasoned]

I feel that the martial arts should teach a certain amount of common sense, and definitely humility. That being said, Gi pants and shirt or coat ok, Gi paints and Gi top pushing it a bit, but to each their own. But, a full Gi with belt, at a black belt level, ridicules. I felt a bit of embarrassment for him just reading the post. A black belt, or any belt for that matter is an earned achievement, and should not be flaunted around. The room for error is great, and this can do nothing but draw much undo attention to oneself, and cause unforeseen problems.

 

[dbell]

While I feel it is not good protocol to wear ones full gi out in public, especially with a black belt on, there may be reasons we are not aware of that he does so.

Wearing a black belt around your gi invites issues you are studying to get away from, why do so? Wearing the full gi, even the pants alone, in public at public places, such as buses, stores, etc, invites spreading of germs into or out of your training area. With that in mind, keep in mind, that the original "gi" was the undergarments of the clothing of the day....

I get just as cranky with people wearing scrubs out and about. Scrubs were initially "invented" as a clean clothing to be put on AFTER you got to the hospital, when going into the operating room. If you left the operating room, you took them off, when you came back you put new on. After a while, and somewhat recently, people became lazy and wore them home and, hopefully, cleaned them at home, and wore them back to work the next day. Shortly after that, other departments starting wearing them. Now everyone does, and they go to and from work in them. I STILL think this is wrong. The purpose of them was to not transfer germs back and forth. Now they are just comfortable cloths...

 

[Maiden_Ante]

I change clothes before I go to "class" and change back and shower when I'm home. This is because my parents drive me, so it feels kinda pointless to drag clothes to the dojo and change there.
I wear my jacket over it though... and if I must take the bus, I change at the dojo. To stand around in town with your gi on is silly.

Silly silly silly!

 

[rlobrecht]

I train with my 9 year old son. Our dojang is a five minute drive from the house. We put our full uniform on at home, drive to class, park the car right outside the dojang, and go on. After class, I always take my top and belt off, leaving a t-shirt on. He stays in his uniform. We then go home. Upon occasion we will stop at the store, or to pick up take out, or something like that.

We have gotten the occasional question about what we take, what school, if we like it etc. Of course a middle aged man and a school aged child is pretty different from a 20-something standing on a street corner.

Rick

 

[Dirty Dog]

While I feel it is not good protocol to wear ones full gi out in public, especially with a black belt on, there may be reasons we are not aware of that he does so.

Wearing a black belt around your gi invites issues you are studying to get away from, why do so? Wearing the full gi, even the pants alone, in public at public places, such as buses, stores, etc, invites spreading of germs into or out of your training area. With that in mind, keep in mind, that the original "gi" was the undergarments of the clothing of the day....

I get just as cranky with people wearing scrubs out and about. Scrubs were initially "invented" as a clean clothing to be put on AFTER you got to the hospital, when going into the operating room. If you left the operating room, you took them off, when you came back you put new on. After a while, and somewhat recently, people became lazy and wore them home and, hopefully, cleaned them at home, and wore them back to work the next day. Shortly after that, other departments starting wearing them. Now everyone does, and they go to and from work in them. I STILL think this is wrong. The purpose of them was to not transfer germs back and forth. Now they are just comfortable cloths...

Speaking as one of those who wears scrubs all the time...

The ED is not a sterile environment. And scrubs were never removed every time you left the OR. Or at least, not in the 30 years I've been wearing them. A scrub jacket might be worn when outside the OR, but even that practice has pretty much ended. Why? Because it doesn't make any difference in infection rates, that's why.

Scrubs are worn because they're cheap, comfortable, easy to clean, and easy to throw away if they can't be cleaned. I have, on more than one occassion, gone to the break room, cut my scrubs off, and dove into the shower. I make it a policy not to wear anything to work that I would feel badly about destroying and tossing in the trash.

During sterile procedures, a sterile, disposable gown is worn.

That being said, I'll return to the original topic.

I normally carry my dobak and sparring gear and change at the dojang. Saturday classes, however, are a bit different. I get up Friday, work all night, come home Saturday morning and have an hour or so to kill. When I go to Saturday class, I often wear my dobak to and from the dojang. Why? Because by the time class gets out, I've been up waaayyyy too long, and my interest is getting home, taking a quick shower and falling in bed for the 4 hours of sleep I'll get before heading back to the ED.

I don't wear my belt though, and I'm not standing on a corner waiting for a bus. I'm walking from the door to my car.

 

[Stac3y]

It's against the rules of my club, even for kids. It contravenes the ideal of staying out of trouble by using one's brain, as it can attract unwelcome attention and challenges. It's okay to wear gi pants on the way to and from class or workouts, though; most of the facilities we use don't have dressing rooms. I don't wear a shirt under my gi, so I try to change into my top out of view of non-participants and kids, but after the adult class I generally change out of my gi top and into my t-shirt right there in the room--sports bras are pretty modest, IMO.