Posing a question...

Anyone train in gym clothes when during kata or basics on your own... or use regular clothes a few times just to 'get the feel'?

Or do you HAVE to be in a Gi to really get into your presonal training or to even yell a kai!?

I train pretty often without my gi. I usually just wear a shirt and shorts or loose pants when I'm not wearing my gi. As the wearing of the gi is a relatively new innovation in karate, one should not let it gain too much significance in the mind. Otherwise, you run the risk of needing the gi to get in the mood.

As the great Gurney Halleck in Dune said, "You fight when the necessity arises - no matter the mood! Mood's a thing for cattle or making love or playing the baliset. It's not for fighting."

I put on the gi only for the regular training in the gym. While at home I sometimes use my gi pants, I never do so outside.

Gi doesn't get me in the "mood", it's just sooo comfortable to train in...

I never train in my gi except at class. Usually just gym shorts and a t-shirt

When I do formal Karate technique at home I wear my gi.

When I do either weight training, plyometrics, or running, in other words anything apart from Karate technique I usually wear shorts and a T-Shirt and of course running shoes.

I never where my gi when practising at home - just whatever clothes are handy at the time. Sometimes just underwear or pyjama trousers (very comfortable).

As for me i only wear gi during official trainings in the dojo. As training at home, i'll wear lose pants and t-shirts. Unless im conducting extra class at home, then i'll wear my gi. It's comfortable but wearing it meaning that discipline is important.

good feeback...

i too wear my pants when i work kata or basics personally at home or at our university's rec center.

for anything else.. its all smelly tshirts and shorts

I like to wear my gi even at home. I like the way the gi pops and I can hear my arms brushing against my ribs when strike.

Our group is very small and informal. We use to not wear gi top just tee shirts and we felt like something was missing. So we went back to full GIs and some of the other formalities and our intensity level went way up. It just feels right.

I like the way the gi pops

Be careful you aren't doing techniques just for the sake of your gi popping. You'll start doing them incorrectly, or you'll sacrifice power just for the sake of the cool sound.

I swear there's 2 other threads on this or a related topic. My responses to those including what I wear when I train:

http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=250425&highlight=#250425

http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=252985&highlight=#252985