Clothes confusion....

[ekajati]

Your advice please!

I’ve been practicing since early December, but have “mixed” quite a lot with seniors over that time (eg I'm happy to practice Kirikaeshi with someone in armour) since when I started it was the Dojo’s Kangeiko period and there were v few beginners. I’m still in the beginner class (eg a group of people doing simple exercises while the others do more difficult stuff), but beginning to feel perhaps I know enough not to keep with them now.

I haven’t got myself hakama and gi yet – a few weeks ago someone asked our Sensei how it works, do you wait for him to say or just go ahead and get it – something I’d been wondering about too. Sensei said go ahead, anyone that can afford to buy them can, so this guy did. Next class, this guy (who hasn’t been coming for very long at all, perhaps 1 month) came in H&G. When we were lining up our Sensei said that now that he has H&G he can go with the other people (eg more senior people) - but in quite a public "and that applies to anyone" sort of way - so that’s what the guy did!

Now I’m totally and utterly confused. If I get myself H&G do I stop going with the beginners too? Or does it depend on what the Sensei thinks? Or is it up to me? Personally I feel that apart from one person (who now is in Bogu) I’m as good as the others (2 now) who got their H&G and are with the rest of the class now. Out of a bit of pride I guess I don’t want to turn up in H&G and then for the Sensei to say no you better stay with the beginners, and end up looking foolish! I really don’t know what’s going on here – whether it’s weird management or whether we’re being tested in some unspoken way eg commitment or some Japanese style protocol or really what. What to do? I can feel an “ask the sensei” coming from you guys, but what on earth do I say to him without sounding (and being) a bit of a plonker? :confused: :confused2 :confused: Advice much appreciated.

[JSchmidt]

Now I’m totally and utterly confused. If I get myself H&G do I stop going with the beginners too? Or does it depend on what the Sensei thinks? Or is it up to me? Personally I feel that apart from one person (who now is in Bogu) I’m as good as the others (2 now) who got their H&G and are with the rest of the class now. Out of a bit of pride I guess I don’t want to turn up in H&G and then for the Sensei to say no you better stay with the beginners, and end up looking foolish! I really don’t know what’s going on here – whether it’s weird management or whether we’re being tested in some unspoken way eg commitment or some Japanese style protocol or really what. What to do? I can feel an “ask the sensei” coming from you guys, but what on earth do I say to him without sounding (and being) a bit of a plonker? :confused: :confused2 :confused: Advice much appreciated.

Why do you ask here?. If you want to buy hakama and gi, then buy it and take it from there.

Jakob

[ekajati]

Why do you ask here?. If you want to buy hakama and gi, then buy it and take it from there.

Jakob

I wanted other people’s views here because I felt anxious about looking silly at the dojo. Next time if you’re free I’d look forward to speaking with you about this.

[Morvran]

If he gave you the green light, and you're comfortable with it, then go for it. The "outfit" doesn't make anyone better or worse, which I'm sure you know, and of course your sensei knows.

[Neil Gendzwill]

ekajati, if you are now comfortable with continuing kendo and the expense is not a burden, buy the gear. Everyone feels more like they belong to the club and more confident when they get hakama and keikogi.

As far as continuing with the beginners class - personally, if I ran a class like that I would have no objections with even the most senior people in the club joining in. So if you feel like the class is a benefit and you enjoy it, simply let your sensei know that you would like to continue with it even while you practice more advanced things with the seniors. One things for sure - nobody's kendo ever was hurt by practising more basics.

[Ignatz]

I started going to NYC Kendo because they had a beginners class. Basics, basics, basics.

[JSchmidt]

Magareth: At Hizen, as Jeff said last week, noone will tell you when you are 'allowed' to wear hakama & gi. If you feel commited enough and got the spare cash, do it.
As for progress and 'groups', don't worry about what others are and aren't doing, but focus on what you are doing instead. You'll find a lot of people regret their haste to get into bogu, more senior group, etc later and wish that they had spent more time doing the basics, myself included.

Jakob

[hunnysan]

wow that's a tough cookie, cuz at the dojo i'm going to go too..you dont' wear a H&G till the sensei recommends it, i belive in like 2/3 months you'll be asked to get one, and then you'll be moving a step up from beginner to still beginner (but i look better haha). so i say, if you are ok with money and can afford it, why not buy it. And if your sensei moves you to a diff class then he does, but you shouldn't assume that he didn't move you to the other class cuz u sux butt...maybe he wants you to get the basics down to a perfection? That's how i would look at it, and like the other guy said, there's no harm in practicing basics longer...

[pgsmith]

ekajati,
Sounds like you've had some good advice and can proceed.

Hunnysan,
Somebody's gotta say it ...

cuz at the dojo i'm going to go too...
If you're not even attending classes yet, why are you dispensing advice? It's like giving advice on proper driving technique because you are planning on learning how to drive yourself soon. :)

[Paikea]

ekajati,
Sounds like you've had some good advice and can proceed.

Hunnysan,
Somebody's gotta say it ...

If you're not even attending classes yet, why are you dispensing advice? It's like giving advice on proper driving technique because you are planning on learning how to drive yourself soon. :)Jaime needs another "project"...

[bullet08]

kendo has to be the only martial art that i know of where people are waiting to get into uniform, and which set of uniform.. thread count.. colour.. material.. when i first started kendo, i didn't have uniform because i didn't know where to get one. it would seem very normal to me to go to practice in a uniform and not in some gym cloth. but after doing kendo for awhile, now i'm beginning to understand why people are told to wait till buying hakama and gi. mainly because when one is in hakama it's not all that easy for someone to see their foot work.

normally our dojo tell new people 3 month before getting hakama, or until sensei or one of the lead instructor tell them to get one.

i think best thing for you to do is just go up to your sensei and ask if you should get your hakama.

pete

[Newbie]

When I did begginers' last year, we had two guys who rocked up (I think they'd done it before) in their gi and hakama. The rest of us were in tee-shirts and trackies but what they hey, it's a dojo. They didn't look out of place but then neither did we. When I did beginners' this year, (I had to stop last year so I started re-doing the beginners) I was asking about gi and one of the guys from one of the dojos I train at said not to until I'd finished beginners (so they can see the feet).

Last night I got told by sensei that I'm in armour from Monday and that I should think about getting gi and hakama soon. I was already intending on getting it in late April (I'll be in the same city as the shop I was going to buy it from anyway then) and the sensei was pleased with that. But it means that I will be in armour for a month and a half without gi and hakama.

So really, I don't think it matters. You do what's done in your dojo, what fits the situation. So what if you're the only one in the beginners' in gi and hakama? And you may just move up like the other guy did.

But if you're that confused, I know you're going to hate this but I'd have to agree with Bullet - ask your sensei if you should get hakama and kendogi.

:)

Does that help at all?

[MikeW]

I am with Neil on this... if you can afford a hakama & gi go ahead and buy it. If you still have concerns about whether to wear it to practice ask your sensei before or after a practice. I think a lot of groups hold off on requiring people buy a hakama & gi at first because it helps the student avoid a bunch of fees when they first start. But as Neil mentioned if you are committed to doing kendo for the forseeable future if you go ahead and buy it you have more ownership of your committment to kendo (as it were). Each piece of equipment that you buy and use is another step down the path and by doing so you tie yourself closer to kendo. I'm not suggesting you buy the most expensive set out there or that you invest in bogu too early... in fact I would get one of the perm press type of hakama and a single weight or inexpensive double weight gi to start.
But, as is true for 98% of the dojo specific questions on this forum, I encourage you to ask your sensei when you have questions about how things are done or what is expected of you at the dojo.

[ekajati]

Thanks for your replies... I'm remembering that piece of ancient Yorkshire (?) wisdom "if in doubt do nowt". I have a lot of doubt, so for now will do a lot of nowt.

[hunnysan]

sorry for giving out advice...It's not like i've never taken a martial art at all in my life so i was just taking some experience from the past..but i guess I should zip it!

[Omnis]

The only part of my dogi experience I didn't like too much was/is the super-tight himo.

I think, when my sensei first tied my hakama for me, I threw up in my mouth a little bit. Haha.

[ekajati]

sorry for giving out advice...It's not like i've never taken a martial art at all in my life so i was just taking some experience from the past..but i guess I should zip it!

Not at all! Sorry if you were given that impression. I really do appreciate everyone's views. I realised that part of this problem came up because I was giving myself pressure to be ready to go to the Dojo's summer trip end of June, which requires being in Bogu. But now i've decided to not pressurise myself, forget about the trip and maybe move forwards clothes wise in a month or so if it feels right then. Thanks again for everyone's feedback, I certainly wouldn't have managed to continue without the support i've received here over all sorts of different questions!

[crabbi]

Not at all! Sorry if you were given that impression. I really do appreciate everyone's views. I realised that part of this problem came up because I was giving myself pressure to be ready to go to the Dojo's summer trip end of June, which requires being in Bogu. But now i've decided to not pressurise myself, forget about the trip and maybe move forwards clothes wise in a month or so if it feels right then. Thanks again for everyone's feedback, I certainly wouldn't have managed to continue without the support i've received here over all sorts of different questions!
Go to your Sensei and say... "Sensei, I am thinking of buying H &G... what advice could you give me...?"

He will certainly give you advice and also be more aware of your personal commitment...

If you don't move up to the next group just ask him when you will be ready...

To put it in perspective, if you are going to do Kendo for the rest of your life, then a few weeks or months of delay now isn't that big a deal... You will feel different practicing in H&G and it is as well to get used to that ASAP...

Cheers

[Morvran]

sorry for giving out advice...It's not like i've never taken a martial art at all in my life so i was just taking some experience from the past..but i guess I should zip it!

Nah, I think it was just taken wrong. It's not like every situation on these boards can only be addressed by Kendo veterans...especially in a case like this one.