Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The General Origin Of The Traditional Karate Uniform

By Virginia W. Madden


The Karate uniform, or Karate gi as it is also known, is a traditional white outfit worn by those who practice the martial art of Karate and similar sports. The gi generally is three parts including a top, bottoms, and a belt.

The biggest difference between the gi and the Judogi, which is the traditional ensemble for Judo practitioners, can be found in the weight of the materials used. The heaviest Gi is 16 oz, but the Judogi weigh is at around 35 oz. The Gi is generally thinner and a lesser weight than the Judogi, this is primarily due to a difference in the basic movements of the two types of martial art. To keep the gi durable, it is generally created using double stitched seams, so that it can withstand the wide range of physical activity that Karateka participate in daily. Even with quality stitching, outfits like these can still become damaged during practice if they are made from overly thin fabric. In order to prevent this from occurring, most of these uniforms have at least a weight of 8 oz, with the average weight being around 12 oz. Many experienced practitioners opt for uniforms of a heavier weight because they feel that these provide better ventilation and make a more pronounced snapping sound during a move, among other things. Weight of the suit is also, sometimes chosen based on weight of the practitioner.

Usually there are three styles of gi, which are the European, the Japanese, and the Kata. The Kata is the rarest form of all three styles and it's primarily selected for the fashionable look it provides, its jacket has the shortest sleeves of all three options.

For the most part, these suits are white, with a few variations existing for modern martial art practitioners. The new colors are ofter used to differentiate between trainers and their students.

The Karate uniform is a standard ensemble that has been around in some form since the very beginning of martial arts. Most of the martial arts have some type of suit that traditionalists will put on to practice or compete; many of these ensembles are quite similar to those worn by Karateka. The martial arts are many times practiced and studied for years, beginning when a student is very small and lasting well into adulthood. Because of this, most practitioners will have multiple suits prior to adulthood. Outfits for this sport are formed with heavy fabric and good stitching to help them survive years of hard work and practice.




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