To boxer or not to boxer

[Krisuprocc]

I've seen some guys not wearing their boxers under their hakama...so what about you guys?...I myself wear my boxers.:evolved:

[PabloY]

Just recently I went commando for the first time and I must say, I'll probably keep training this way. MUCH more comfortable, plus that way my underwear dosn't turn blue.

[Idyllic]

Briefs are better. They have been proven to be the best underwear for their comfort, sweat absorption and all that. And i would feel incredibly uneasy with no underwear on during kendo.

[Anime12478]

I actually go without since it feels better for me. While the thread is old, there was one extensive thread about "going commando." (http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143&highlight=freedom+kendo) The main thing you can get from that is that it really all comes down to personal preference despite whatever health benefits and whatnot people claim to have.

[Pizzamancer]

They have been proven to be the best

I would say that from anecdotal evidence alone that the only real proven thing is going commando. How can 95% of Japanese kendoka be wrong?

[Bear of Doom]

yea ... commando all the way

[atgm]

Of the Japanese adult men that do kendo I've met/seen changing, most of them have worn boxers.

Notable exceptions:
Sensei wears a fundoshi in the summer.
Another sensei wears boxer briefs with longer legs.
One sensei wears tighty-whities.

[skilled]

come on guys XD

[NGeorge]

Boxer Briefs with pouch: Mankind's greatest invention ... or at least in the top 10

It has the best of both worlds... and it even comes in Kendo Blue!

http://www.hanes.com/Hanes/Products/Men-Hanes/Men_ShopByCategory-Hanes/Men_Underwear-Hanes/Men_Underwear_BoxerBriefs-Hanes/21212.aspx

I wish I discovered these years ago.

[Tort-Speed]

In one dojo, many guys take off their hakama and gi in the gymnasium as all finishing keiko same time means too many to squeeze into the changing and shower area - they usually wear plaid boxers and other patterned types. In a private dojo with a big changing room, many go commando, tho middle-aged and up may wear to-the-knees, sweat-absorbing thin, white cotton types.

[bullet08]

i have only one question for those who go commando. how often do you wash your hakama? see.. when going commando wearing kilt, there is nothing rubbing against the crack. but with hakama?

pete

[Tsunemori]

MUCH more comfortable, plus that way my underwear dosn't turn blue.
If you're not careful something else might!

[b8amack]

The real question is: Cart around sweat-soaked undies after class, or not? Not really much of a question, imho.

[Pizzamancer]

@bullet - If your hakama is giving you a snuggie, you got better things to worry about. Having worn the occasional kilt, I can assure you that they are about the same in that area. Oh ya, and I wash my hakama once a year weather it needs it or not.

[Mr. T.]

Just recently I went commando for the first time and I must say, I'll probably keep training this way. MUCH more comfortable, plus that way my underwear dosn't turn blue.

Yeah, but somethings else does :D It give a whole new meaning to "blue balls" ;)

Anyway, going commando is kind off unhygienic. You change your underwear every day. But how many time do you wash your hakama? Once a week? once a month? Once every 6 months? You get my point.

It's briefs for me though. I like to know where my stuff's at :nervous:

Kris, see you tonight man, I'll kick your butt this time (Well, not likely, but one can alway hope) :silly:

[emitbrownne]

...It give a whole new meaning to "blue balls" ;)

forgive my ignorance, but what was the old meaning..

The only thing It could mean around here is that its a bit cold :D

[Mr. T.]

Wiki it when you are home. I do not think you want your colleges to think you've got a pair.

[GothMelancolia]

Ok, personally I am against going commando for lots of different reasons.
But I’m agains my dojo mates going commando for a really specific reason. If you’re going to stay with nothing between your skin and a hakama that you’re washing once evey 6-12 months I really don’t want to know, yak :(

And I’m only posting here because you guys invaded our forum :angry:

[Bokushingu]

I would go commando but...i think I'm too gifted...don't want to make other guys feel inadequate while changing hahahaha :)

[Krisuprocc]

Hhahaha..c ya 2 night Mr.T =)

[Anime12478]

I would go commando but...i think I'm too gifted...don't want to make other guys feel inadequate while changing hahahaha :)
I wouldn't let the thoughts of others get in the way. If they have an issue with your gift, then that's their problem. But then, I guess thing are even simpler for me since we all get naked to shower.

[Maccuswæl]

Gotta be jockies. Boxers get ripped and I can't concentrate on kendo with the hakama riding up my crack.

[b8amack]

Ok, personally I am against going commando for lots of different reasons.
But I’m agains my dojo mates going commando for a really specific reason. If you’re going to stay with nothing between your skin and a hakama that you’re washing once evey 6-12 months I really don’t want to know, yak


I'm against washing your hakama only every six to twelve months. That's disgusting. A good solid hakama isn't all that much more expensive than a nice pair of jeans, which also fade with washing. You don't see people only washing their jeans once or twice a year. If you're only washing your hakama once a year, I can see why you'd want to make sure you're wearing underwear before stepping in the filthy thing.

[Paikea]

I've seen some guys not wearing their boxers under their hakama...so what about you guys?...I myself wear my boxers.:evolved:I find when people ask me about my preference in undergerments, I become uncomfortable.

[Tort-Speed]

If you feel the hakama at your butt midline, could be you need a one-size bigger hakama anyway? (BTW the standard men's black hakama for Japanese archery has the joining-of-the legs' seam much lower like nearer the knees; the gi is also quite long...maybe the "kyudo" men are all commandos who knows.)
A sensei at a summer seminar, watching us in the camp's laundry room, said we were all over-using the soap powder which he claimed breaks down the fiber. Machine washing after every practice but using less detergent, the hakama could last long AND be clean. He also said hang them if possible to dry in the sun (I turn mine inside-out so the outside doesn't fade), a natural germ killer.

[Fonsz]

I'm against washing your hakama only every six to twelve months. That's disgusting. A good solid hakama isn't all that much more expensive than a nice pair of jeans, which also fade with washing. You don't see people only washing their jeans once or twice a year. If you're only washing your hakama once a year, I can see why you'd want to make sure you're wearing underwear before stepping in the filthy thing.
I wholeheartedly agree with the esteemed representative of South Korea. This unhygienic talk has been going on for too long.
I also get uncomfortable and maybe a bit paranoid by these strange tales.

[PabloY]

Just wash your hakama regularly, the extra bother of washing it is trumped by the extra comfort of going commando. Plus, I don't mind being completely blue, I can just spin it into a papa smurf joke.

[Maccuswæl]

Plus, I don't mind being completely blue, I can just spin it into a papa smurf joke.

I thought the men who lived in the mushrooms were blue, not the other way around?

[1stdan]

Not to Boxer. Thats the answer. Its so much more comfortable. And i agree if you feel the "Sonkyo Wedgie" You need a bigger hakama. As for washing. One should take care of hakama as if it were a good pair of jeans. Wash them when they are dirty. If you cant take time to take care of your uniform you need a talking to. I am not saying that you should wash them every time you practice. But if you sweat like a freaking pig maybe you should.

Also its nice to se a few Kilt wearing kendoka out there. I wear one fairly frequently, and yes i wear it the same as my hakama.

[Tatu]

Not to Boxer. Thats the answer. Its so much more comfortable. And i agree if you feel the "Sonkyo Wedgie" You need a bigger hakama. As for washing. One should take care of hakama as if it were a good pair of jeans. Wash them when they are dirty. If you cant take time to take care of your uniform you need a talking to. I am not saying that you should wash them every time you practice. But if you sweat like a freaking pig maybe you should.

Also its nice to se a few Kilt wearing kendoka out there. I wear one fairly frequently, and yes i wear it the same as my hakama.

Amen! Free ball it!

[GothMelancolia]

I'm against washing your hakama only every six to twelve months. That's disgusting. A good solid hakama isn't all that much more expensive than a nice pair of jeans, which also fade with washing. You don't see people only washing their jeans once or twice a year. If you're only washing your hakama once a year, I can see why you'd want to make sure you're wearing underwear before stepping in the filthy thing.

My hakama and my washing-machine are really close friends, they meet once every month thank you :p (i have a tetron hakama)

[Orophil]

Also its nice to se a few Kilt wearing kendoka out there. I wear one fairly frequently, and yes i wear it the same as my hakama.

that is nice indeed, though i only wear mine on events (wich i visit about once a month)

back to the hakama, i do wear boxers because i sweat like a pig. Take clean pair and you're done.

grtz Mathijs Heideveld

[ArcticBlizzard]

I wear boxers. I tried tight boxers, normal boxers and 100% cotton boxers, I stuck with the last one because they don't stick :wink:

Going commando feels like I'm not wearing a seatbelt :rolleyes:

[b8amack]

My hakama and my washing-machine are really close friends, they meet once every month thank you :p (i have a tetron hakama)

I wash my tetron hakama at least once a week; more in the summer. You don't even have to worry about maintaining those bitches. They don't fade, and the pleats pretty much dry straight. Best 20-40 bucks you'll ever spend.

[GothMelancolia]

I wash my tetron hakama at least once a week; more in the summer. You don't even have to worry about maintaining those bitches. They don't fade, and the pleats pretty much dry straight. Best 20-40 bucks you'll ever spend.

Yes I know

Once every weak seems a little to much, but that's just my opinion, I don't sweat a lot and it doesn't get smelly either, hmm how many hours do you train per week ?
(my sensei said to buy a cotton one :( what should I do, what should I do, the horror:dead:)

[Fonsz]

You should do what you feel comfortable with. I have a hunch that nobody washes them because it's a bitch to keep the pleats. (the cotton ones that is) I find it very odd that in this day and age you should hand wash a garment which my daughter calls a fighting skirt.
They are working clothes why all the hassle? Unless you have a hakama which is an expensive one you only use on special occasions or something. Then I can understand it but other than that it's basically a fighting skirt.

[GothMelancolia]

You should do what you feel comfortable with. I have a hunch that nobody washes them because it's a bitch to keep the pleats. (the cotton ones that is) I find it very odd that in this day and age you should hand wash a garment which my daughter calls a fighting skirt.
They are working clothes why all the hassle? Unless you have a hakama which is an expensive one you only use on special occasions or something. Then I can understand it but other than that it's basically a fighting skirt.

so basically use the tetron for everiday practice and the cotton one for grading or stuff like that hmmm, I'll keep that in mind

[b8amack]

Yes I know

Once every weak seems a little to much, but that's just my opinion, I don't sweat a lot and it doesn't get smelly either, hmm how many hours do you train per week ?
(my sensei said to buy a cotton one :( what should I do, what should I do, the horror:dead:)


Anywhere from 4 to (rarely) 10 hours. But really, one hour is enough. Mildew/mould grow fast in this summer humidity.


You should do what you feel comfortable with. I have a hunch that nobody washes them because it's a bitch to keep the pleats. (the cotton ones that is) I find it very odd that in this day and age you should hand wash a garment which my daughter calls a fighting skirt.
They are working clothes why all the hassle? Unless you have a hakama which is an expensive one you only use on special occasions or something. Then I can understand it but other than that it's basically a fighting skirt.

"Fighting skirt". :D That's hilarious. The rep gods say I have to spread the love around, though...

Honestly, I think it's the samuraitis. People develop this bizarre reverence for these objects, like bogu or hakama, which they perversely manifest by keeping them filthy. Or sanding their shinai down until the slats are too narrow to meet, and the end of their shinai becomes basically a solid piece of bamboo...

[bullet08]

way back when i first started kendo. i had dirt cheap cotton hakama. that thing was pain to keep in shape. i washed it after every practice and ironed it after each wash. after almost 10 yrs of not doing kendo, when i picked it back up in 2004, i bought myself a tetron hakama. i'm very happy with tetron hakama and my cotton keikogi that's almost 15 yrs old. then i keep reading the that kendo exam book thing and i'm realizing i look like crap. my tetron hakama is rather old and ratty and so is my keikogi. so i got myself new cotton hakama and keikogi just for the tests.

if i take the nidan test this year and pass, i don't have to wash it for next two years. of course, if i fail, i'll have to wash it sometime next year before the test.

pete

[MikeW]

In answer to the OP question... do what you are comfortable with. It doesn't really matter one way or another in most cases if you go with or without something underneath your hakama. I have done both on different occasions but usually wear a spandex compression shorts underneath. It fits snugly so adds support and it fits underneath my jeans so I can change into my hakama and dogi and not be arrested for sexual harrassment ( I do most of my kendo at the UNC club and would prefer not to lose my job there).

[ender84567]

If you are a heavy sweater it is more comfortable without, with boxers they become soaked, stick to my legs, and force sweat to run down my calves. Without boxers the hakama absorbs the sweat a lot more easily and I dont have the problem.

[Tort-Speed]

One Sensei taught a no-soap, no-machine method: kendo person takes a shower and before getting out, lays hakama on shower floor, hoses down/sprays thoroughly (using shower attachment) and stamps (fumikomi not needed) on it well to remove dirt; checks to see pleats are correctly folded over, folds hakama over a hanger and hangs it up in shower room til dripping stops, then hangs it outside to finish drying. A Sensei at a Kitamoto summer camp, before hanging his hakama out to dry, smoothed its wet wrinkles with a firm hand, then used clothes pins to keep the pleats in place til while drying. Ironing can be done while sleeping: lay out hakama with pleats in place, under your mattress; the heavier the sleeper the less wrinkly the hakama next morning.

[sparky2488]

Freeballing all the way for me . . .

[Nakaleen]

I have always used jocks, as I do with all my normal use. I have use boxers a couple of times, but it didn't feel different. I went commando a couple of times, now that felt diffrent

[SanguineKendoka]

Ah, the eternal debate about Freedom Kendo rears its ugly, wrinkled, hairy head once more.

Sign me up for the boxers crowd, there would be too many odd looks otherwise. Not to mention that in a year of training, I've yet to trip over my hakama and end up with them around my ankles - which would destroy me if I ended up with my bare arse saluting the practice hall.

[CH0ZEN]

I'd say wear the boxers so that they provide you with an added layer of protection (i.e. wick sweat away from your Hakama)!