Does anyone's club insist on a specific gi design?

[Lupin1]

My school just requires all white karate gis for kyu students. We recommend light weight for kids and middle weight for adult beginners, but as long as it's all white, anything goes.

As for patches, we don't wear any. There is the option to wear an Isshinryu patch upon reaching yellow belt and starting the first Isshinryu kata, but not a single person takes advantage of it and thus most people don't even realize it's an option.

Black belts can wear "anything they're brave enough to pull off" as my instructor puts it. Most stick to some combination of white and black, but apparently a guy once wore blue and one black belt cuts off his sleeves.

[muttley]

My school just requires all white karate gis for kyu students. We recommend light weight for kids and middle weight for adult beginners, but as long as it's all white, anything goes.

As for patches, we don't wear any. There is the option to wear an Isshinryu patch upon reaching yellow belt and starting the first Isshinryu kata, but not a single person takes advantage of it and thus most people don't even realize it's an option.

Black belts can wear "anything they're brave enough to pull off" as my instructor puts it. Most stick to some combination of white and black, but apparently a guy once wore blue and one black belt cuts off his sleeves.

Master Ken stylee?

[sensei8]

My school just requires all white karate gis for kyu students. We recommend light weight for kids and middle weight for adult beginners, but as long as it's all white, anything goes.

As for patches, we don't wear any. There is the option to wear an Isshinryu patch upon reaching yellow belt and starting the first Isshinryu kata, but not a single person takes advantage of it and thus most people don't even realize it's an option.

Black belts can wear "anything they're brave enough to pull off" as my instructor puts it. Most stick to some combination of white and black, but apparently a guy once wore blue and one black belt cuts off his sleeves.

To the bold type above...

I like that, and at times, I wasn't even that brave when Dai-Soke was alive because to him, "white is right", and that's all you better wear on HIS floor. Even on someone else's floor, he'd not like it, and wouldn't be afraid to let you know it, but he'd be polite.

I'd test the waters whenever I could, but he'd test HIS waters and down right drown me. If you get my point!

[Lupin1]

To the bold type above...

I like that, and at times, I wasn't even that brave when Dai-Soke was alive because to him, "white is right", and that's all you better wear on HIS floor. Even on someone else's floor, he'd not like it, and wouldn't be afraid to let you know it, but he'd be polite.

I'd test the waters whenever I could, but he'd test HIS waters and down right drown me. If you get my point!

His rationale is that black belts have earned the privilege of wearing what they want. Once they reach dan ranking, their training is their own and they can decide what to wear for it. We've got everything from the very proper, traditional Korean guy who wears a starched and pressed immaculately white gi every single class to the guy with the dingy faded black gi with the sleeves chopped off.

It helps that it's a small, non-commercial program so we don't have to worry much about looking good for potential customers.

[Bulltahr]

All white gis here, you would not be allowed to wear other colours in our dojo. Badges and flags, i.e. patches are not allowed. Only the official patches indicating the style, one on shoulder and one on left breast.

Just the way it's done in our style I guess, Other MAs like TKD seem to embrace that sort of thing.

[JR 137]

In Seido we wear a white gi, full length pants, sleeves near the wrists. Sleeves can and are usually rolled half way up the arm. Sleeves are supposed to go past the elbow (on the forearm), but some people ignore that one.

Personally, I like everyone wearing the same thing. It doesn't turn into a fashion show. Nothing wrong with dojos having other policies either. My former school also had the policy that everyone wears the same sparring gear. Everyone looks the same, and there's no question about safety.

[The Pred]

No specific gi design. I understand white because it's traditional, I don't think little kids should wear white. As for me, I only wear all white during a promotion cermony. I usually wear black.

[Lupin1]

No specific gi design. I understand white because it's traditional, I don't think little kids should wear white. As for me, I only wear all white during a promotion cermony. I usually wear black.

Definitely agree with this. We require white for kyu ranks because it's traditional, but if I ever have my own program, we'll wear black. One thing male instructors (which all mine are) don't take into account is that when a female student reaches a certain age, having to wear white pants can cause severe anxiety which can lead to attendance dropping or a girl dropping out altogether.

[Spartacus Maximus]

The only kind of restriction about dogi I have ever come across was on the colour. No specific brand or design. It just had to be white and fitting as to not hamper or restrict movement. Shodan level and above were expected to wear 100% cotton canvas.

Not surprisingly, most dojo practising an Okinawan style seem to favour Shureido brand as it is made locally on Okinawa. I personally swear by it as does every sensei I ever met who trained in Okinawa or was from there.

[Wado Heretic]

I did not even think of colour when I originally posted. It became an unspoken rule to wear a black Gi, or at least black trousers, when I taught out of my garden simply because white Gi would get incredibly dirty in minutes. We used to do a lot of Ukemi and Kumite on grass with tarpaulin over it; the tarpaulin did not work perfectly. I wore white though because I am stubborn, and hand-washing a stained Gi really works the arms

Philosophically speaking; I did make black the official colour for Kyu grades, because of the symbolic meaning of white and black. I felt black better suited the beginners mind, and the training of beginners.