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Why wear a Gi
The uniform we wear is called a Gi (pronounced ghee), it’s a traditional training uniform worn when practising karate and other martial arts. They’re designed to provide comfort, and full range of motion when executing techniques.
Traditionalists often refer to them as Dogi or Keikogi. In Japanese culture ‘do’ means ‘the way’ and ‘Keiko’ means practice, so Dogi means ‘the cloth of the way’, and Keikogi means ‘the cloth of practice’.
The Keikogi was originally developed by Judo founder Kanō Jigorō in the late 19th century, and adopted into karate by Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan karate, who was responsible for importing karate to mainland Japan.
Because we practise karate our uniform is a ‘karategi’, similarly if you practise judo you’d call it ‘judogi’ and so on.
The top part of a keikogi is called the ‘uwagi’ (上着, "upper"), the trousers are shitabaki (下穿き, "underpants"), or zubon (ズボン, "pants" or "trousers").
So what are the benefits of wearing a Gi?
There are many benefits to wearing a gi, protecting our normal clothes is an obvious one, however it also offer others:
- It promotes commonality among students - each and every one of us in the dojo are wearing the same uniform
- It fosters a sense of pride in ourselves
- Mentally it prepares us for training - once our gi is on we’re ready to train, and all the days pressures and stresses are left at the door until we leave again
- It provides a sense of community, confidence, respect and discipline
- It sets the environment, to us as karateka, and also anyone looking in
- By having flags and badges, our club name for example, it shows our commitment and membership to our karate family
Practicalities
The cut and material of the gi enables us to train in a comfortable manner, allowing us to manoeuvre our body and limbs with ease, providing us with flexibility and modesty whilst training. Often our training involves grabbing hold of each other, for example grappling and practising various scenarios, so wearing a gi prevents our daily clothes being ripped or torn. The gi is specifically designed and made from material that reduces any rips/tears, and lasts a long time if washed and cared for correctly.
Obviously the purpose of karate training is to be able to use it in any situation and circumstance, so we have to be able to execute the moves in our normal clothes. By wearing a gi during training it allows us to learn the principles and intricacies of the techniques and movements without being hindered, so when we then perform them in our everyday clothes it’s a natural movement for us.
Wearing of the belt
Wearing a belt represents our progression and learning gained through training. All belts are earnt, they’re not given, so you should always wear your belt with pride, as you’ve put a lot of hard work in to achieve it! It’s also a useful reminder of where the waist is, so when we start learning about targeting our techniques we can use the belt as a guide. So if we wear it too high we’ll soon know about it!
A senior grade student recently said to me that he felt pride when putting his gi on, it’s part of his ritual when going training. Once his gi is on, he’s ready, physically and mentally for training. All those to-do lists are forgotten, he’s ready to bow onto the mat and learn.
Next time you put your gi on, think about what it feels like, how you feel wearing it. I’m hoping you’ll feel proud and ready to continue your learning journey.
If you've enjoyed reading my blog please click here to read 'The benefits children gain from karate'