Questions about the Kendo gi

[Cat]

Hi - I'm new here so I have a question about the length of the Kendo uniform. I've heard that the reason why it's so long is to hide the footwork. Can anyone explain? Is that actually the reason for it or is it just the art and nothing else? Given the length, it makes me wonder why people don't trip during training. Thanks.

[Big One]

I have never seen any Kendo gi longer the kneecap. Of course, wearing it alone hardly hides anything, especially footwork.

However, if you wear it with Hakama, then the story is total different. The whole uniform was from old timer samurai. To hide footwork, to look tough, or to be above all? doesn't matter now.

[Cat]

I'm a short lady so I can guess that anything would probably fit me like an oversized dress. That said, I imagine I'll do my fair share of tripping unless I can find something that fits me well. So the size is just a cultural thing now and not trying to hide footwork, although I can't imagine what hidding the footwork would do to begin with....

[Toecutter]

Hi - I'm new here so I have a question about the length of the Kendo uniform. I've heard that the reason why it's so long is to hide the footwork. Can anyone explain? Is that actually the reason for it or is it just the art and nothing else? Given the length, it makes me wonder why people don't trip during training. Thanks.
I think you're talking about the hakama. Gi should be long enough so that no bare skin is seen from the side vents of the hakama. I've had some sensei say that the front pleats should just be touching the floor. Others haven't really voiced an opinion, but in general I've never seen one go above the ankles. I personally wear mine so the pleats just brush the top of my feet.

[Cat]

Why do the front pleats need to be touching the floor? Wouldn't it make more sense for them to be slightly above the ankle? Do people trip a lot in class, just curious....

[Neil Gendzwill]

Touching the floor is a little low. The hem should be ankle length or a little lower. Worn properly, the front hem is lower than the back so on some people it's skimming the toes. Once you've seen a few people wearing them, if they're too high they look a little goofy. We wear them because it's traditional, and because they make us look like bad-asses even when we're not :)

And yeah, people trip on them all the time. Hooking your big toe in your hakama and going for a roll is one of those "welcome to kendo" moments.

[Cat]

And yeah, people trip on them all the time. Hooking your big toe in your hakama and going for a roll is one of those "welcome to kendo" moments.

:laugh:FOTFL Something to look forward to I guess....thanks for the info.

[Toecutter]

Why do the front pleats need to be touching the floor? Wouldn't it make more sense for them to be slightly above the ankle? Do people trip a lot in class, just curious....
That was just the senseis comment, it was prior to a test and he was basically saying if he could see your feet, fail. He said if you're tripping over the hakama you aren't stepping correctly, he wears his so it's on the ground by the way. The reason being that you can see the foot work, and if the hakama is low you can cheat you feet somewhat without your opponent knowing. But in general I don’t know anyone who wears theirs that low.

[dillon]

this (http://www.shop-japan.co.jp/shop/image/m/m7762.jpg) should do

[Cat]

Too funny....:silly: if only I could find one in purple I'd be all set.....

[dohrt]

The way our dojo teaches it (if I understand it right) is that the back of the hakama bottom should be higher than the front hakama bottom. And the front hakama bottom should be high enough that your toes can go underneath it (nobody likes a ratty, torn up hakama bottom that has been rubbing on a floor for months/years), but low enough that if you lean forward, it will hit the top of your foot well before it hits your ankle/shin. If you can see the person's whole foot, or especially their ankle, it is waaaaay too high.

And yes, people trip on them all the time. In fact, I am a great example. Although I've bucked the trend in recent years, there used to be jokes about a betting pool for how many kiri-kaeshi I could make it through without tripping on my hakama.

The truth? Well, I tripped because my footwork was bad. It's the same with blisters. Only people with less than perfect footwork get blisters. Only people who raise their right foot way up in the air when they cut suffer the embarrassment of tripping on their hakamas ... haha.

Could I have raised my hakama a little higher to avoid the problem? Likely not, in the dojo where I train, but even if they let me, it would have merely reinforced the bad footwork I was already making law in my own body.

Instead, tripping and looking like a complete moron taught me that I needed to keep my right foot low. How to do that, and still step? Well, to do that, I can't just use my right foot as a weight. You see, I was casting my right foot out, like a boat anchor, using it to "pull" the rest of my body. But trust me, that doesn't work. Doesn't work at all. Instead, I had to learn to keep my core (stomach, hips) muscles flexed, tight, and to use those muscles to put enough pressure so I could launch my torso using my back foot, instead of pulling it. It's like front wheel drive in the snow (using your left foot/hips/torso/ki) to drive, instead of using rear wheel drive (picking up your right foot so high your slam your knee into your do, or you throw your right foot way out like casting a boat anchor) in the snow. Anyone who's driven in the snow realizes there's a huge difference.

Alright, you got me; the push/pull analogy breaks down because it's the opposite in snow (pushing is most effective in kendo, pulling is most effective in snow). Cut me off a huge slice of slack please ;)

Anyways, yes, it's to "hide the feet" I'm sure. But for me, it was far more importanly a way to reinforce and galvanize the significance of proper footwork. Sadly, while I have improved the problem greatly, I still lift my right foot more than I should (for example, when I start to attack, but then delay it because I want to change up halfway through - bad habit - indecisiveness in kendo is never a good thing, haha). So it's a work in progress. But, the hakama height helped... a ton !