Hi folks I'm new

[ninjanurse]

Welcome to the forums! Sorry I have no opinions about gi's as I think everyone is looking for something different in fashion and comfort. I am partial to a heavy weight though...more sweat!

 

[monkeygirl]

Welcome to the forums!

 

A lighter weight gi is good for a beginner, when you're more concerned about mental training and trying to learn the basics. A heavyweight gi is good for an advanced student who is looking to have good, sharp form. A heavyweight gi will "pop" if you punch/kick with some snap.

 

As far as fighting goes: You want a gi that won't get in your way as you fight. It's pretty trial-and-error to find the gi that best suits you and your style, so good luck!

 

Once again, welcome!

[Kirves]

Yeah, you may have to buy several gis during your budo career. I myself have a good durable gi, but it sorta get's in the way all the time. It is for my height allright, but apparently for a bit chubbier person. It moves quite a lot compared to other gis I've had and in some occations it gets so twisted that it limits my range of motion so I have to "reset" the gi which annoys my instructor...

 

BTW: Welcome!

[Ti]

I guess I'm going to go with a medium weight Gi to train in.

 

Is the canvas in any way better then the cotton?

 

When I last talk to my instructor he said he hems his heavy weigth gi to shorten the sleeves and legs.

 

How do I hem it?

 

I would ask him, but he is currently out of town.

[mArTiAl_GiRl]

Hi, welcome.

[monkeygirl]

Personally, I roll up sleeves and pantlegs. It gives them a little more weight, which will make for a louder 'pop'.

 

If you don't know how to hem something, you probably shouldn't do it yourself, since it's kinda easy to mess up if you don't know what you're doing.

 

If you can't find anyone else to do it, and your only option is to do it yourself, here's what you do:

 

1. Put on the pants/top

 

2. Roll the pantleg/sleeve to the length you want, and pin it in place.

 

3. Stand up and move around a bit, to make sure this is the length you want (bending over to pin will cause the pants to ride up, which means the pants will end up too long if you don't adjust them).

 

4. Cut the pantleg/sleeve, leaving 1/2 inch more fabric than you need. For example: say you have 3 feet (36 inches) of fabric on the pants, and you want to cut it back to 2.5 feet (30 inches). This means you would normally remove 6 inches of fabric. Instead, remove 5.5 inches, leaving you with 30.5 inches, so you can have a hem (to keep the fabric from fraying).

 

Remember that you can always cut the fabric shorter if you left it too long, but you can't add onto the fabric if you cut it too short!

 

5. Put the pants on again, this time folding 1/4 inch of the fabric towards the inside of the pantleg and pinning the whole way around the leg. When that's done, fold over another 1/4 inch of the fabric, and pin the whole way around again, while removing the old pins but keeping the old fold (totaling 1/2 inch of fabric folded). Once again, stand up and make sure that the length is good. This time, you also want to make sure that the legs are even with each other, and that you have a nice, smooth line. If not, adjust it.

 

6. Using a sewing machine with a canvas needle and on a high fabric tension setting, sew all the way around the pantlegs...trust me, you don't want to sew this by hand. Okay, you should be done!

 

Anyway, that's your basic hem. I really would suggest getting a professional to do it if you don't know how to do it yourself, though. Good luck!

[SBN Doug]

Welcome.

[Ti]

monkeygirl: I'll probably get one of my girlfriends to do it for me.

 

HE HE HE

[Martial_Artist]

Welcome.

[Icetuete]

welcome to the forums!