Wearing Gi outside of Dojo?

[tdiedwards]

Well when I was a kyu rank my dad would pick us up and we might go to the dinner inside the mall where the school was located at the time. There was also occasions when we would go get Chinese food afterward. I would normally wear my gi pants and a tshirt to these places, occasionally I would leave the gi top on if I had nothing else.

The rule there, and my rule no, is NEVER wear your belt outside of the dojo. I have always put a heavy emphasis on "I practice karate" and nothing more, to wear your gi says that, to wear you belt tells people you are an instructor etc.

I equate it to how officer hide their rank when there are reports of snipers. It is REALLY hard to hide that you do karate when you walk into a dojo, but you shouldn't let the whole world know your status because many people (more so on the teenage level) will pick fights because "o he doesn't know karate he just wears that black belt".

Just my 2 cents

i would never wear a Gi in a chinese restaurant. the risks of looking like a kung-fu movie are just TOO high!!!

[BKHowell]

I tend to wear my gi and belt from the house to the car, from the car to the dojo, and back again. If I have to stop at the store or something on my way home, I remove the belt.

[SnakeStrike77]

To me, that is just asking for trouble. That's my opinion - others might not think so.

Wearing your uniform on the street and then suppose you pass a group of people that want to antagonize or in their view "challenge" you.

I have to agree with you Tiger. It may very well asking for a fight. You stand out pretty easily and if someone is in the mood, or you have these "punks" that like to laugh just to see what you would do, you're paiting a target on yourself.

[Rateh]

Just because you wear it from the dojo/dojang to your house and back...doesn't mean you will pass anyone on the street though.

I don't know about everyone else, but I've never trained at a place where I had to walk along a street to get to the car. Every place I have trained at it's get out of the car and you're there.

If for some reason you have to walk along the street either to get to your car from the dojang/dojo, or to get to it from your house/apartment, then that would be different I would think.

[Traymond]

Well since this seems to still be going on, i think I have changed my views a bit.

If you want to wear it, and your worried about 'punks' dont wear it, if you want to wear it and you dont care, then why not. If your paying tuition to a school to learn martial arts, in this economy they are not going to ban you from the school if you wear it when your not suppose to.

[Otto]

I've been teaching Martial Arts since 1972.

It IS okay to wear your gei outside of the dojo.....if your mom is driving you to class.

[JusticeZero]

Heh. When I see one of our school shirts, it's an open invitation to slip up and toss a kick at them without warning.

[sperki]

I used to have a short, three house stroll to the dojo and would typically wear my karate pants to class and put on the top and belt after I got to the dojo. This didn't seem to offend anybody and it was so close it seemed sort of silly to change; I wasn't likely to run errands on my way home!

[TheArtofDave]

It's a respect factor for me. I bring a spare shirt with me because I'll usually wear my pants, and I realize it would look dippy with my work boots on too but I'm not too concerned with that. As I've had shoes in the past. When your at your dojo, its a respect factor between the instructor and the students. Where you can practice, anything, and strengthen your weaker areas. You're learning the fundamentals of self discipline, respect for other art's, and a greater respect for people over all. I agree that outside of class its probably better to bring a change of clothes, or just wear bottoms with a shirt.

In my training, and I'm about to revisit, and hit it hard, you were always reminded once, and then it was your responsibility to honor the fundamentals of the dojo. I usually bring a change of clothes unless I'm getting off work, and changing into the gi is the only thing I have at the time.[/b]

[Nobodysaidbella]

Heh. When I see one of our school shirts, it's an open invitation to slip up and toss a kick at them without warning.

So true. I'm not even sure I like wearing any of our tshirts around for that reason.

Bsides the parking lot and dojo, I'd never wear my gi top. I'll wear my gi pants to run or workout because they're so well made, and it's not like there's anything about them that says 'I do martial arts'. They might as well be yoga or dance pants.