BAK underwear (Boost Ability for Kendo)

[nobato]

Hi mates!

What do you think about this BAK underwear? Starting the new era, almost like shark skin for swimmers? ;)

http://www.glorygear.net/bak/

[Kenshi]

Yeah, yeah yeah. Quick translation of the FAQ already available on kenshi247.net (http://kenshi247.net)

[Bucho]

um, so is it just long underwear for kendo? Is it some sort of athletic supporter?

[Kenshi]

Why don't you pull the trigger (http://kenshi247.net) and find out?

[Bucho]

um kenshi, thanks for the link and all but I read your article before my post and still have no idea what bak does.... I learned that "...it should feel like you are nearly naked" and that it's yet another piece of kendo gear that shouldn't be thrown in the wash but didn't see anything in the faq about the actual purpose of bak.

[Dan Weber]

What's with this BAKKA underwear I keep hearing about?

[Shavanni]

Hi Bucho

They are compression garments. Worn underneath to improve the body's performance.
Not been able to read japanese, i cant give you any specifc information on what BAK claims to do, but generally speaking these garments help maintain body temperature and blood flow, support muscle and reduce lactic acid build up, dampen muscle vibration, improve recovery time and remove sweat.
Most the major sporting brands have them - adidas, nike, reebok etc, as well as a couple of dedicated suppliers - Skins , underarmour.

There a many studies out there, however since most of these studies used elite athletes as subjects, how much benefit can be gained by amateurs is unclear.
Personally, I have worn the long tights under my hakama and have seen some benefit.

Cheers

[Roberto]

Hi there!

It's similar that I've been using sometimes, my second skin clothes, spandex or superhero outfit.
I just can imagine that this second skin works as Shavanni mention, it has some benefits.
Basically by the compression it makes to use less energy in the muscles, since they have to stabilize by the motion it gives to them an additional support. while wearing it.

I don't know about how beneficial it would be for kendou, since is not an sport like track and field, or a marathon, or swimming, where the muscles are moving all the time and the lost of energy is more. In the other hand, the technology used by the sports clothes brands that allows to get dry faster and also fell fresh (and those that allows to keep the heath for winter) has been helpful for me, sepcially in summer time (though I'm for commando training too) because it gets lots of the sweating making the kendogi and hakama to be lots less wet.

[Massimo]

I don't like this kind of doping, like the shark skin used in swimming.

When it works it give to you an advantage, then anybody want to use it.. and when anybody use it there is still no difference between competitors.. so why still use it?

In my opinion sport (and kendo too) is much better without any kind of advantage except hard training, like in the original olympics vision when the archetypal athlet was ideally naked.

[MemphisKendoGuy]

i'm not positive about this but coming from and exercise and sport science perspective, the compression system does offer benefits in two areas. Which if my scanning of the ad is correct is what they are marketing. The first is that compression systems can product an increase in proprioreceptors which will cause the stretch shortening cycle to produce an increased force output. the other which if i'm reading their graph right is that the compression system help with the venous return system. this can help in several different factors. the first is the lactic acid build up by being able to return blood to buffer it. the other reason this is good in sport applications is that with that increased blood flow the body, especially the muscle, gets more oxygen. This causes the the body to stay in aerobic respiration which does not cause the accumulation of lactic acid.

[Kenshi]

um kenshi, thanks for the link and all but I read your article before my post and still have no idea what bak does.... I learned that "...it should feel like you are nearly naked" and that it's yet another piece of kendo gear that shouldn't be thrown in the wash but didn't see anything in the faq about the actual purpose of bak.

Um, I thought it was more or less obvious what it was, but perhaps thats just me. Did you read the comments?

[bobdonny]

nice gimmick, shame kendo is fought with the mind not the body :)

[Nark]

I don't like this kind of doping, like the shark skin used in swimming.
Quite offtopic, but sharkskin isn't any form of doping in swimming. It reduces the coëfficient of the skin vs water and compresses muscle groups for better performance. Besides, real sharkskin clothes are only usefull for about 15 times, after that their value highly decreases.

Now you folks can have the topic back :P

[JSchmidt]

nice gimmick, shame kendo is fought with the mind not the body :)

What good is that, if your mind can't get your body to do what it wants? If all that was required was a sharp mind, why should we bother with physical training?

[Maku-san]

(Cue "Theme from SUPERMAN" here)

Faster than a carbon shinai.... more powerful than a sumotori on Red Bull... able to perform 5000 suburi in a blink of an eye... Look! In the dojo! It's a squirrel... no, it's a plane... no.... It's Super Kenshi!!!

Dun-da-daaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!

Yeah, right. :cheeky:

[Chaby]

There are some sorts of ability boosts from years and years before.
I'm speaking sports in generally.
Only that at first, it was a special/sport tape used for it.
Me, personally saw that in volleyball.The doc taped the shoulder muscles so that when hitting the ball,the individual would have a greater force in doing it.
Also, it can help if the athlete has some minor injury.
From what I heard it is also used in tennis.I believe you can find some videos on YouTube on this subject.
From what I see in the picture BAK is the same thing.You have those straps/bands doing the same thing.
Only that it is more practical, and you don't need an expert to fix it for you.

[nebosuke]

Chabby, I think you're talking about kinesio tape. I remember reading about it a couple of years ago. It got a lot of attention in the U.S. during the Beijing Olympics because one of our top beach volleyball players was always seen wearing it.

http://www.kinesiotaping.com/

[7oMaS]

...so what is the price of it??:ko:

[Roberto]

...so what is the price of it??:ko:

That is the best question btw!

Might be more comfortabel using just that than all the keikogi and hakama.. But they'll recognize me at the amazing Spider Man

[Kenshi]

...so what is the price of it??:ko:

Answered on kenshi247.net (http://kenshi247.net). Apologies for not leaving out this info in the first instance.

[Steve Bishop]

Some info and references if you want to do a search:

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/the-benefits-of-compression-clothing-35846

FYI: The "All Blacks" rugby team use compression garments for recovery.

[Bokushingu]

I used k-Tape for my ankle/achilles problem. Combined with Arnica rub on solution, ankles healed right up.

[Chaby]

Chabby, I think you're talking about kinesio tape. I remember reading about it a couple of years ago. It got a lot of attention in the U.S. during the Beijing Olympics because one of our top beach volleyball players was always seen wearing it.

http://www.kinesiotaping.com/

Quite right, nice link.Thanks for that.
As for B.A.K.,I would give it a go.
I have a very stubborn must go to keiko policy,and I often go with injuries.
I believe this beauty could help me do better keiko if I would have a spasm, or other minor injury.

[PhilMcLaughlin]

intresting thread

I use skins leggings as ive got various niggles and steadily worsening veins - i can definitely recommend them for support and recovery

Im curious about the difference here between support and injury protection (passive) vs actively helping muscle groups used in kendo
Im basing this purely on the pictures as i cant read the text but it looks as if there is extra 'support' in key areas

this (to me at least) seems like a cheat

anyone actually used it ?

regards

[Kenshi]

As ive said, my friend has one. I am going to get one and give it ago as well... will post results after a few weeks use on kenshi247.net of course.

[ReKru]

Hmmm ... sizing stops at 185cm 90kilo and 175 is considered 'medium'??
Reminds me of those old Hondas/Toyotas that where imported in the late 80ies/early 90ies ... they fitted like a glove .. a very small glove.

[Alex]

Already tried it. Great in the cold! If anything it is an effective injury preventative measure in kangeiko! Summer, is a different matter- especially in Japan. They have been around for quite a while now. I have been using a pair of bottoms from 3 years ago made by WACOAL.

[Fudo-Shin]

I think I'll just stick to the Horse Steroids and HGH...

[Kenshi]

Great in the cold! If anything it is an effective injury preventative measure in kangeiko!

Thats sold me!

[Hanmi]

1. Where are they for sale?

2. What about us guys whodon't buy clothes "off the shelf" - I.e. "Relaxed Fit" is a primary word in our vocabularies.... :smiley:

[guchido]

This is a similar product. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIncQXsE52E
It has the same benefits described for the BAK. Most scientific not brand associated-studies say that there is no increase in the activity performance, even though that in theory it should since it decreases muscular vibration, increases O2 flow, etc (p > 0.05). However, these studies were not for made for Kendo and the BAK has additional supports for certain muscular groups used in Kendo. It would be nice to have a worldwide study for the BAK vs other fullbody compression garments made for sports performance.

[Kenzan]

Why don't you pull the trigger (http://kenshi247.net) and find out?

Geeze George, if you're going to do a plug for your site, at least link directly to the article.
:smoker:

[Roberto]

Already tried it. Great in the cold! If anything it is an effective injury preventative measure in kangeiko! Summer, is a different matter- especially in Japan. They have been around for quite a while now. I have been using a pair of bottoms from 3 years ago made by WACOAL.

So is that just for the cold weather? Or do they have it for hot weather too?
From the image I've seen, it looks like it's secifically for chudan players, and not joudan ones, because of the extra reinforcement in some muscles.

[CH0ZEN]

That stuff looks pretty cool. It actually looks like it would make everything a little more cumbersome. Could you imagine doing a 100 suburi with a wetsuit under your already heavy bogu and gi?

[Cutie_honey]

That stuff looks pretty cool. It actually looks like it would make everything a little more cumbersome. Could you imagine doing a 100 suburi with a wetsuit under your already heavy bogu and gi?

Compression pants and tops arent like wetsuits at all and they weigh next to nothing. They are made from lycra, I havent used these kendo ones but i have used the bike shorts style ones for netball, and its just like wearing underwear. You don't even notice u are wearing it.

[Shavanni]

You don't even notice u are wearing it.

Agreed, although at first when I started wearing the skins, I was conscious I was wearing them. However you soon get used to them.

They don't impact your movements in any way

[Roberto]

Agreed, although at first when I started wearing the skins, I was conscious I was wearing them. However you soon get used to them.

They don't impact your movements in any way

It all chnages when you're a superhero. You have to be used to that skins

[nebosuke]

Geeze George, if you're going to do a plug for your site, at least link directly to the article.
:smoker:

Are you sure there is a person behind these posts? I thought it was an automated script that replied with links to his site at random intervals.

[braxtonhicks]

Don't use these while suffering from a stomach virus. Maybe they should have a "back-flap", like on Yukon-Prospector underwear.

:nervous:

[Chaby]

It all chnages when you're a superhero. You have to be used to that skins

From what I heard when you pass the nanadan exam, you gain superhuman powers, so by then you don't need anything similar to this.

;)

[Roberto]

From what I heard when you pass the nanadan exam, you gain superhuman powers, so by then you don't need anything similar to this.

;)

Uhm, commando sweating pple.. But they can fly!

[Andoru]

Summer, is a different matter- especially in Japan.

Alex am I right in assuming that the BAK might be too warm to wear in summer? I over-heat easy. :/

[nikozamo]

so if you want o use BAK in summer, you will need to drink a lot of pocari sweat and water before, in and after the training and also some take some breaks. (more than usual)

[motainai]

Not quite a Worldwide study, but I got a set as a present. The pants tend to make your bits moist. Give me a fundoshi anyday!

[Alex]

Alex am I right in assuming that the BAK might be too warm to wear in summer? I over-heat easy. :/

You betcha. The pants are alright, but not the top! The Japanese humidity would kill you!

[hl1978]

nice gimmick, shame kendo is fought with the mind not the body :)

Yes but the body can be used to train the mind (and vice versa).

I like compression shirts and use them in other martial arts training for reasons other than just their sweat wicking properties and uses as a rash guard.

A great purpose that people may not be aware of is their uses in training proper alignment. Namely you can use it to tell how good your posture is and use the compression shirt as a feedback tool to tell when your posture is proper and when you are out of it. Since it is like a second skin you will feel it when it is streched and when there is slack in it.

In kendo this can help someone stand straighter, keep their shoulders dropped, and understand if their strikes are biased towards the left/right hand. Once your body learns the proper feedback, you won't need the shirt anymore.

[ahmed61086]

I was using the top the other day in Geiko and it was amazing. I felt that it helped me maintain my posture must better as well as even correct my posture a little bit.

I also have some injuries, which I felt the BAK minimised somewhat.

[D'Artagnan]

Hi Everyone,

The BAK suit is now available at my Bogu Shop -

http://www.kendo-bogu.com/product_p/002-bak.htm

with a full translation of the features/benefits.

[rfoxmich]

At my age I'd probably use it but then I'd miss all that time I spend putting tape on various spots on my body, and where would be the fun in that?


Hi mates!

What do you think about this BAK underwear? Starting the new era, almost like shark skin for swimmers? ;)

http://www.glorygear.net/bak/