Wearing your uniform outside of class

[IcemanSK]

I often see kids (& less often) adults wearing their full uniforms out & about at the grocery store, restaurants running errands etc. (not part of a demo at that location). I'm not a fan of it at all for a few reasons: Inviting unwanted comments, may stain the uniform permenantly, takes the uniqueness of the uniform for training away...just to name a few.

What do you think about wearing full MA uniform outside of class?

[pittbullJudoka]

I am for most part in agreement with you. I can see the kids wearing them due to the fact of trying to get kids to chanage out before and after their classes. As for the adult asspect I don't see why it would ever happen. They should be mature enough to get to class in enough time to change before hand. And shouldn't be to lazy to change afterwords.

[vantheman]

I know in some forms of Martial Arts, wearing your gi outside of the dojo at all was disrespectful. While that is not the case for my dojo, I do agree that the uniform (especially the jacket) should not be worn around public. At my MA school, they sell t-shirts with the schools name on it for that purpose (as well as wearing the t-shirts in class instead of the gi in the summer months). Technically, the gi is legally theirs and they can do what they want with it, but I think it is not a smart or humble thing to do.

-VTM

[Sainthood]

I have never seen an adult wear their gi outside the dojo before. I don't see a reason why an adult would do this when they can easily change before/after training.

As a kid my dojo was only two blocks away and I would change at home before walking over just so I wouldn't have to bring a bag but as I grew older I grew out of that habit

[JusticeZero]

Every time I see someone walking around town in a gi and belt, I want to step out and challenge them to a poorly dubbed duel.

....what? Don't tell me you haven't thought the same thing?

[Dobbersky]

Every time I see someone walking around town in a gi and belt, I want to step out and challenge them to a poorly dubbed duel.

....what? Don't tell me you haven't thought the same thing?

Yeah, Me too!

I allow the kids to wear their Gis but adults I tend to let them off with Gi pants but definately no jacket or Belt on

[pittbullJudoka]

Every time I see someone walking around town in a gi and belt, I want to step out and challenge them to a poorly dubbed duel.

....what? Don't tell me you haven't thought the same thing?

It's been years since I've seen an adult walking about in a full gi and belt in public but when I use to it strike me as funny. The reason being was I would see them at the local Wal-Mart and they would tend to gather up in a group and talk. It was almost like seeing a gang of karateka there would be so many of them in the group. I would often think of the group how many I could take out before they got me incopassitated.

[still kicking]

I often leave the dojo wearing my gi pants, but with a t-shirt or sweatshirt on top. I would never wear the jacket and belt in public, that would seem ridiculous.

[Wastelander]

Now, see, this is one of those things that seems totally odd to me, because I have ALWAYS worn my gi to and from the dojo, ever since I first got a gi--normally I go straight there and back, but every now and then I do have to stop and run errands and I usually take the gi top and belt off, but sometimes I don't if it's cold or I need to carry more than my keys. It was never mentioned to me when I started training and the habit stuck because I am one of those people that hates changing in locker rooms, or even bathrooms (I am ALWAYS early to class, so that isn't the issue). I can see where everyone is coming from, but I just don't feel like it's any more of a big deal than wearing a cyclists outfit--maybe a little weird to those outside the hobby, and not something you would normally wear, but there isn't anything terrible about not changing out of it to stop and pick up a gallon of milk.

[Shizentai]

I often wear my gi outside of the dojo, but usually just to commute to or from training, especially when training is outdoors as it was for half of the year in my college club. Ladies removing their shirts in the open unfortunately attracts a lot of attention on a large university campus. >_<

I don't usually go to the store in my gi unless I need some emergency mouth-guards for competitors at a tournament or something. Even then I would most likely wear a jacket that covered everything but my pants.

I don't think bending the 'rules' for a good reason bothers me too much though. My sensei once said "If you truly love something, it is impossible to be embarrassed by it." To be honest, I feel more at ease wearing my gi than I do wearing pretty much anything else I own.