Jussi Häkkinen

For bag: Bag gloves. For sparring in your gym: Biggest you are comfortable with (and wish that the others go by the same rule - more fun for everyone).

Go around, ask from the other schools about their fees and if they'd recognize your grade. If you've trained in a school that teaches taekwondo from the two largest international organizations - WTF and ITF - you should be able to keep your current grade and test somewhere else. However, if your school belongs to a small organization, you might have less luck. I'd still go around, though. That price is way too steep.

Too much. $200 should be a top price for that - and it should include a certification of an international, Korea based organization (Kukkiwon, if you train in WTF-taekwondo). $200 would still be a heavy price for that. $900 is highway robbery. Don't pay it. Personally, when I took my karate shodan grading, the test itself was free. I paid $70 for a certification (optional, but I wanted it - it's a certification of our international organization, signed by our style's Okinawan head, so it's nice to have). I bought the belt I wanted. "Grand total" was a lot less than $150, even though I got a really nice Shureido belt (and later a couple of more, so I would have a new, sharp looking one for the official seminars, instead of wearing a frayed "anchor rope").

Testing cost is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Kukkiwon's (head organization for so called "WTF"-taekwondo - WTF is actually just a competition organization of Kukki-taekwondo) certification fee is only about $70. I would definitely ask about the details of that payment - where does it go, what do you get etc. I don't know whether your dojang is a McDojang or not, but the price is ridiculous. I wouldn't pay that much. A price I might accept would be $150 - $70 for Kukkiwon registration fee, rest for the belt (item) and support of your club. Anything above $200 would need very good explanation (if the fee would be $200, I'd expect it to include a certification fee, a belt and a new black lapel dobok). Shortly: Don't pay $900. It just doesn't make any sense. You're being robbed.

No, it's a typical style from Kyan Chotoku lineage. No Pinan-kata, first kata Seisan, "highest" kata Kusanku.

...and it still costs less than half of the price of typical Japanese made custom tailored karatedo-gi. In fact, it's cheaper than basic models of Shureido, Tokaido or Hirota. I've been tempted to try Satori. I guess that I could get the blue hue (I like it) to the do-gi by dropping some dye to wash (i.e. dying the do-gi with a very small amount of dye). Does Satori make the custom embroidery (i.e. name to the lower lapel area, just above the manufacturer's label) also? If they do, it'll definitely be on my list to consider.

I believe that your teacher knows that best. However, Atama, Krugans, Gameness etc. have their supporters. From judo-gi side you probably can't go wrong with Mizuno and Toraki - they're probably the best there is. Still, any higher quality judo-gi or BJJ-gi will do fine.

If you need a grappling do-gi, get a judo-gi or a Brazilian jujutsu do-gi. Karate uniform isn't designed for cloth-based grappling (in karate, main principle is to grab a body, not the cloth) and won't last long, even if you'd buy a top model. While there are some canvas do-gi made with judo-gi construction (that take the grappling well), I recommend you to get a good judo-gi. Those are designed for grappling and will last well.

This scores pretty high on "tacky" -front. Patches, flags, stripes, multi-colour uniforms and belts... that underlines the tackiness...

...there is. Try Shureido's new NW-series. They don't shrink much (3% tops in the hot cycle), won't need conditioner (which should be avoided anyway - won't do good to the cloth in a long run) and can be ironed to be soft enough. Tokaido (NST) and Hirota (Pinack) also have similar materials. Shureido has three different weights, Tokaido and Hirota have the lightweight fabric only. Kamikaze has their Sovereign, which is also one of these new style karatedo-gi - lighter than cotton, still durable and staying off the skin (i.e. all the good sides of a heavyweight uniform in a lighter package).

NW-3 is approximately same weight as K-11. I own a couple of TK-10's and they're heavier than NW-3, although NW-3 is stiffer and has more "snap". So, NW-3 isn't a "heavyweight" do-gi in the old sense. It has a very tight weave fabric which is stiffer than any cotton canvas I've ever seen. I can't give any pointers about the cut of the NW-3, since I got mine made to my measures. However, the fabric practically doesn't shrink at all - expecting ~3% shrinkage (max!) in the repeated hot washing is more than enough.

Also Hirota, Isami and Mitsuboshi.

Shureido has their measurement chart online here. Tournament cuts are one size bigger, etc. size 6 of "traditional size" is similar to the size 5 "tournament size". Sleeve lengths etc. aren't so important - tournament cut is shorter, "traditional cut" is full length and can be shortened by a local tailor. Of course, you can let them know what measurements you want and get a tailor made one.

Ahh...tailored and tailored, two different things. However, shouldn't be much - 10-20 euros/dollars is pretty surely enough. Next time, get a tailor made do-gi?

I believe that there's a misunderstanding behind the whole idea. Since there is Hakutsuru, there has to be Kurotsuru, right? Wrong. There isn't a kata called "Kurotsuru" in traditional karate. If it exists somewhere, it's a modern creation - not a traditional kata. And no, Aotsuru, Kiirotsuru and Akatsuru do not exist as kata, either.

Generally, those claims have little or no truth behind them. Shorin-ryu fits pretty well for everyone - the basics are appliable to both small and large people and the applications also work well. Usually, people who claim that style is "for small people" are small themselves or then large ones who just can't concentrate on technique enough and then imagine that it's about their frame, not their concentration. I'm 6'2", 202lbs and I've trained in Sukunaihayashi (Kyan Chotoku's lineage) for a while (~16 years now). I never have had problems from my size - I used to think so for a while, but after seeing a person that is taller than me performing perfectly, I realized that I had used my size as an excuse - and actually prevented myself from becoming better. Flexibility will increase to the amount you need it, don't worry. I'm not very flexible myself, but enough flexible to do karate - that doesn't actually require all that much. A word of advice, though: Don't be ashamed of your height and don't try to do "small man's technique" - be tall, do big dude's technique (that doesn't mean sloppiness, but power and slam that a big, strong and heavy person can put to his technique) and view your size as a tool, not as a limit. Welcome to karate!

Shureido is currently back to its original quality (i.e. similar - quality-wise - to Hirota, Tokaido and probably Shobu). While the quality dropped for a while (NidaninNJ probably saw an uniform from that time - those were not impressive, I agree), it's back up now. However, re: Tokaido or Shureido...one really can't go wrong with either. On stock uniforms Shureido has a bit more relaxed cut. This is a matter of preference, of course. Also, they're not sized similarly - Shureido is bigger, when compared size to size. It's also worthy to remind the difference between tournament cut and regular cut sizes. Generally, tournament cut is made larger - size 7 regular cut is size 6 tournament cut. And please notice: "Kata master", "Kumite master", "Arashi", "Kumo", "Tsunami" etc. aren't real Tokaido uniforms. They are not made in Japan. Original Tokaido models are SAW, AW, BW, SAB, NST, TSA, TAW and KTW. See the last comment here to find more information about it. Those copies can be good uniforms, too - still, they're not real Japanese made Tokaido.

OK, about the fabric. It's something else. Weight and thickness is closer to "medium weight" do-gi, K-11 is pretty close to it. However, how the fabric settles is very different - it looks like a very heavyweight do-gi, staying away from skin and looking really thick. Feel of the fabric is "surface soft", feeling silky to touch but weirdly paperlike, although not in a negative sense. It also is very much cooler than K-10 canvas, partly due to its stiffness and partly due to its evaporation qualities (that baby dries fast). So, the do-gi really is different to any 100% cotton do-gi. I like the feel, but if one has got used to the warmth of cotton, this might be too cool for him. And for all those kata competitors there: NW-3 is loud. Almost too loud for me - I have a tendency to make a simple T-shirt to go "BANG" when doing a technique, so NW-3 is almost too much (I don't compete in kata nor do I need audial feedback from my do-gi). So, shortly: Yes, NW-3 does feel different, is light-ish but looks very heavy. Warmly recommended.

Yes, it is. Although the current quality is up again. I have one Shureido TK-10 bought in 1998. It's still going strong, looking good and fitting well. The quality in seams, fabric etc. is top notch. All in all, it's pretty close to being as good as a cotton uniform can be. I got another TK-10 in 2002. Fabric had more little "knots" than the earlier do-gi, thus the canvas was lower quality. Seams were not as good as before (although still light years ahead of Kwon etc. cheap do-gi) and the overall quality - and feel - had dropped. My friends got some of the similar quality uniforms during that period as well. I seriously considered about switching a brand, but some of my friends showed me their new Shureido uniforms. Quality was back - or even higher - to the "older" Shureido I had and fabric etc. were certainly better. So, I decided to give them a try - since I train Okinawan karate, an Okinawan brand is a nice extra. However, I don't settle to anything but absolute best there is. I decided to try Shureido's new fabric and cut - NW-3 - which was supposedly the peak of karate uniforms there is, being heavy, absorbent and quickly drying. Now, the NW-3 is great, simply great. Only problem with it is that it's a bit too large - not too much, but it has some extra room. That is my fault only - I calculated the shrinking with the canvas cotton scale (8-10%) and since the fabric isn't cotton based, it only shrunk around 2-3%. This calculation was mine, so Shureido can't be blamed for it. I had my uniform made to my measures, so the cut (sleeve length and pantleg length wise, as well as room of the pants etc.) can't be commented much here. However, they have a new kind of gusset in the pants (going all the way to the ankles) that works very well. Fabric is incredible - quality is as good as it ever can be and the facts that the do-gi doesn't shrink even in hot wash and that it will be dry within 2 hours from washing (!) are certainly something great. So, Shureido is back among the greats. It competes with Tokaido and Hirota from the title of "best karate uniform" and winner really cannot be declared easily. I'd say that if one finds something they like from any of these brands (and perhaps from Shobu, too), they really cannot go wrong.

No need to be reluctant. It's just a piece of clothing. Keeping it clean and odor free is respectful. To quote your quote: "A great martial artist is one who is humble and respectful of others." That pretty much settles the belt washing issue.

If you're training Bujinkan, I suggest you to get a normal, heavyweight black karate uniform. Tokaido and Shureido make very good ones.

I use Shureido, but Tokaido and Hirota - and maybe Shobu - are also on my "will accept" -list. Perhaps even Satori, I've heard good things about them. Shureido is back from their drop in quality (whatever caused that, I don't know - however, they're great again) and rolling well. I want to get my do-gi made to my measures, as well as my obi.

It's a bokken/bokuto. Kodachi (wakizashi) by its length.

Why? There never was anything "hidden in kata".

Depends. Seisan, for example, teaches the basic principles of fighting - very boxing-like. Actually, the stuff seen in Seisan is very similar to the "pugilism" of old days, if we leave out the couple of kicks in it. Appliable in self-defense and in fighting. Some kata stress some aspects more than others.