One undeniable benefit of the Information Age is that we get to scrutinize products down to their last details.
What works, what doesn’t. We don’t just take everything that advertisers have to offer; the consumer’s power to choose and purchase is stronger than ever.
Even for products as specific and selective as karate apparel, a proper examination is necessary, if not required, so you get to enjoy maximum quality and efficiency in training.
We’d like to help you with that by listing the top three most important things to remember in buying your karate apparel.
Material Is Material
Just as in buying your everyday clothes, it’s important to consider the type of fabric, weight, fit and cut of your karate apparel, or gi. (You may call your martial arts apparel, or uniform, something different). Doing so enhances your agility and training experience.
Let’s look first at the different fabrics used. Most popular uniforms made for karate apparel use cotton fabric since it’s more “breathable.” It’s not to say that you won’t sweat while using it, but it’s just cooler to use, in a literal sense.
Polyester is another fabric that’s often considered because it’s less likely to shrink after wash. You wouldn’t want to be wearing undersized karate apparel now, would you?
And if you’re not sold on either one, then don’t fret. There are karate uniforms out there that are made of a mixture of both.
The weight of the karate uniform is also to be widely considered depending on what stage you are in your martial arts journey. Beginners are more likely to select the 10oz. gi since it’s more lightweight and allows for more mobility.
If you’re living in a warmer area, it may be best to go for the 8oz. ones to keep it light and airy. But if you are seriously considering Martial Arts as a way of life, then make the decision to get the 14 or 16 ouncers because you’ll surely be spending many years together. Durability aside, the heavier karate apparel also have a more serious feel to it, giving you that extra motivation.
Size and Color
Cut and size are also important in selecting your karate apparel. Your gi must fit you well and have enough room in some key body areas to let you move freely and with confidence.
The bottom of the jacket (known in Japanese as unwagi) should be longer than your belt so that it won’t ride up while you’re doing different movements, and should have arm length that ends just above the wrist.
The pants (or zuban) should have proper leg width to avoid restricting your kicks and leg movements. Ill-fitting karate apparel can be just as detrimental as just using your regular street clothes to wear for sparring sessions.
As for color, white is still the traditional color of choice and most universally acknowledged one. Black is also prominent, while other colors like blue or red are usually based on preference by the karate school or dojo.
Uniform Supplier/Brand
Ah, yes. The brand is probably the most important consideration after the previously mentioned practicable tips.
Your supplier of choice should be able to assure you of high-quality karate apparel that also has the features of great material, breathable fabric and weight options, proper fitting, and traditional colors to represent your specific martial arts needs.
Whistlekick, creators of simply the world's best and most innovative martial arts sparring gear, will be launching their own line of karate gis to complement their existing line of casual everyday karate apparel.
It’s important to be cautious in purchasing karate apparel online since there may be some suppliers that will falsely advertise their products with the intent of misleading you into purchasing karate apparel that may seem enticing but won’t really suit your training needs.
Be a savvy online shopper and an even smarter consumer.
Knowing these tips will save you time and valuable resources and help you purchase the best karate apparel.