Non-traditional gi's

[Hart]

What are everybody's thoughts on Karateka's who wear non-traditional Gis? I once saw a brown belt wearing a Gi patterned on the Stars and Stripes--he was a little flamboyant but could fight. Is it simply self-expression or is it just style over substance?

[Grenadier]

Depends from one person to another.

In my current dojo, only plain white cotton gi's are allowed. The only decorations that are allowed on the gi are the school's patch, and the small instructor's patch.

In my previous dojos / dojang, only white or black gi's were allowed. Again, only the school patch was allowed as an extra.

If a dojo wants only plain colored gis for the sake of simplicity and uniformity (a good reason as any), then a non-traditional gi shouldn't be used.

If a dojo doesn't care about such a dress code (in which case, they might not be a traditional school), then that's their choice.

Personally, I think it draws too much unwanted attention. A karate-ka is there to train, not to be bedazzled, disgusted, or impressed by someone else's uniform, and keeping things simple (plain white or black, traditional gi) prevents such a distraction.

[TangSooGuy]

I prefer white, and I consider keeping the uniform clean as much a part of the student's training as teh physical training itself.

I also prefer traditional white because of uniformity and lack of distraction, as has been stated already.

I don't mind people who use other colors, it's just not for me.

[mindsedgeblade]

I saw an upper black belt at a tournament with "Jesus" in huge letters on the back of his gi. That was a little odd, but it matched his personality- he was constantly offering his opinion to the other judges and competitors. And very few were looking for it.

I don't agree with it, and I certainly wouldn't do it, but it's his choice. I like my white gi top and black pants. We wear the korean and american flags on the sleeves, and the mu duk kwan on the chest.

[CloudDragon]

I don't really care for the non tradtional uniforms myself, but the stars and stripes and the black and white checkered uniforms of the 60's and 70's did look cool, I just can't see me wearing one.

As far as patches go, 2 or 3 is plenty. You don't need to wear your MA resume on yourself. It shows lack of humility IMHO.

[karatekid1975]

I perfer a plain white dobok (gi). I have to where the school patch, but if I had a choice, I wouldn't where that either (the school logo on the back is enough).

[KnifeHand]

I'm not a fan of crazy printed gis. They remind me of "Rex Kwon Do" in Napoleon Dynamite. I prefer plain black or white, and I hate dumb patches. This minimalism may come from my Zen-like beliefs in intricate simplicity. Uniforms don't make the fighter, though, so I guess it doesn't matter what you wear if you can kick butt in it.

[ninjanurse]

I wear whatever I am told to wear to class....makes no difference to me. If left to myself though I would wear plain white.

[greenbelt_girl15]

We wear plain white gi's in my dojo.The only patch allowed is the school patch on the left side and your name on the right.IMO I'd keep it at white or black for simplicities sake.

[aefibird]

My karate dojo wears plain white gi.

I think that plain white, black or blue gi look the best, but that's just my own personal preferance.

I know of one local karate instructor who allows his students to wear whatever colour gi they want because he doesn't care. He says that if wearing a yellow gi keeps them happy then that's OK. He's more bothered about the quality of his students training than what they wear. I can see his point but I'd feel like I needed to wear shades if I trained in a dojo like that!