Uniform
Something that new students notice when attending our club, is that we wear black judo/jujitsu style gi's. Most get confused and wonder isn't this Chinese martial arts!? Shouldn't we be wearing nice silk pyjamas or something akin to that?
You also get the hardcore Chinese martial artists that insist that this type of uniform is Japanese and so it shouldn't be worn.
The Chinese are well-known for holding grudges for a LONG time. Centuries. And it was less than 70 years ago when Japan bombed and invaded China in what became WWII. The Chinese are still very angry about this (understandably) and because of this feeling, they often reject anything that is Japanese in design. Thus, their refusal to adopt the more practical Japanese practice uniform...which, by the way, is also originally a Manchu design (waist-length, fold-over jacket).
sifu mark dressed in his formal silk uniform,whilst this may look nice,it is totally impractical clothing for regular training and for rough combat training.
it should be rememebred that many think this is chinese in design,it is not! it is manchurian.
It will be noticed that at the Shao-lin Temple (now as well as in the past) monks wore/wear the short fold-over jacket. They do this because their training was very rugged and this kind of jacket was well-suited for such activity. However, the vast majority of kung-fu practitioners today refuse to acknowledge this fact and insist on wearing "kung-fu uniforms" or just ordinary street-clothes
"Internal" stylists are the worst of the lot. Taiji, Xingyi, or Bagua classes often feature students wearing all kinds of streetwear. Oftentimes, clubs which DO wear uniforms have students wearing silky outfits (which we refer to as "silk jammies") which will leave the student standing naked following a rugged sparring session....if they practiced sparring...
this monk can be seen to be wearing a fold over jacket exactly the same as karate,judo and ju jitsu practioner wear, the only difference is that the chinese tend to wear a sash that ties at the side not a belt that ties at the centre, and due to there training being out-doors they tuck in there socks and wear shoes.
In fact you'll get many people say that because we wear a fold over jacket (i.e gi) as a uniform we can't be doing Chinese martial arts at all !!
IT should be noted that the late hung I-Hsiang from Taiwan who taught xingyiquan,taijiquan and baguazhang and founder of tang shou tao had his students train in karate style uniforms, in fact many still do today.
Over the years i have worn all types of "Chinese style" uniforms and most fall apart whilst doing forms training, We used to just wear school t-shirts and pants but as soon as training got rough, t-shirts where always torn to pieces and when it came to grappling and throwing techniques we had to tone down on the intensity so as to not tear our training partners clothing, "what you do in training you will do in the street".
hung I-Hsiang a famous chinese martial art instructor from taiwan dressed in his "karate" uniform
Anybody that has actually been involved in a real fight will note that grappling,pulling ect on each other's clothing is common and in fact a sure thing, I've lost count how many pieces of clothing I have ruined from an real fight. In our training we need to train like we will fight. But we cannot be forever buying new training t-shirts and pants.
A practical uniform allows us to do this.
yip man seen here dressed in the orginal chinese dress
So here's is a little information that may enlighten many of you
Training uniform by sifu Phillip Starr
During the years I served as National Chairman for the AAU Chinese Martial Arts Division, I visited a great many kung-fu schools throughout the U.S., from San Fransisco to Baltimore to Houston and back again. One thing I noticed was the great differences in training attire worn in various schools and since part of my job involved writing the "Rules of Competition" handbook, it was an important consideration. That is, when someone entered one of our competitions, what kind of uniform(s) would be acceptable (and what wouldn't)?
This same question finally bit the Chinese in the rear end when their contemporary wushu competitors started wearing wilder, more flamboyant costumes during competitive events in that country.
It occured to me (prior to worrying about what uniforms would be acceptable for competition, per se) that the practice uniform was actually an important part of each student's personal training gear and that it had an impact on his/her actual physical and/or psychological performance.
The importance of the practice uniform was once a major concern for practicioners of the grappling arts (e.g., judo and jujutsu) in Japan. After all, common street-clothes wouldn't hold up very long in a practice session which involved grabbing and yanking on the sleeves and lapels. At that time, Japanese street-clothes still followed the traditional designs and things like zippers, snaps, and buttons weren't much of a concern because they didn't exist there. However, such small and seemingly insignificant items were actually a major concern later on because they could result in injuries and wearing any such items during practice was strictly forbidden.
When karate came along, the original practicioners wore street-clothes (which again, were Japanese in design). The first person to introduce karate to Japan, Gichin Funakoshi, met the founder of judo (Dr. Jigoro Kano) and one of the things which impressed him was the judo uniform. Gichin adopted it for his own students and then later had a lightweight version of it produced (since karateists didn't engage in much grappling).
I remember when karate was still young in the U.S. and all karate uniforms were white. This had to do with the spiritual aspect of the art. When the kenpo stylists began wearing black uniforms, people were pretty upset at first. Ed Parker wanted his kenpo people to stand out...and they did, although many karate tournaments wouldn't allow anything but a white uniform. Times change, I guess. Nowadays people wear everything from electric paisley to American-flag Evel Knievel style uniforms...
The original training uniforms (and their creators) were interested primarily in the functionality of the uniform; it had to allow for freedom of movement and be rugged enough to stand up to tough training. Additionally, all students wore the same uniform so that they would all regard themselves as essentially the same (except for the color of the belt) and this promoted a sort of "esprit de corps" among them. To this day, it works very well.
With the changes in uniforms that have taken place over the last 40 years, I'd like to expound a bit about the various parts of the uniform and why I feel as I do...
The trousers of both karate and judo uniforms used to come down only to mid-calf. It looked like you were waiting for a high tide, but the truth was that they were concerned that if you attempted a quick, sudden foot movement such as a foot-sweep or kick, you might catch a toe in the open cuff of the opposite leg if the trouser legs were full-length.
With the passage of time, the trousers were lengthened so that they now reach the ankles and it was found that the liklihood of snagging one of your piggies was pretty slim and anyway, if you did snag one, it provided cheap entertainment for everyone else.
The knees were usually reinforced and this was, and still is, a fine idea. Since grappling wasn't a major concern for karateists, they quickly did away with this aspect, but the judoists have maintained it. It actually does help a bit if you fall or kneel quickly on one knee (remember that in the old days, judo was practiced on tatami mats which are made of woven straw and are as cushy as an indoor-outdoor carpet).
The gusset in the crotch was a great idea as it allowed the practicioners to extend either leg fully without having to worry about ripping the crotch out've his trousers.
The first kung-fu uniforms (which were actually old-fashioned Chinese street-clothes) didn't feature a gusset and the result was often an unexpected display of one's, uh...attributes to the rest of the class.
Originally, the uniforms all used a drawstring to cinch up the waist. This can be rather uncomfortable, so elastic was quickly adopted. The original Chinese-style trousers had a HUGE waist which had to be folded over in the front and held in place with a sash. There was no drawstring, elastic, buttons, or snaps. If the sash came loose, you'd be singing "Blue Moon" out've your butt...
One of the features of the kung-fu uniforms which was not seen in other uniforms was the cinched-up cuff of the trouser legs. The original versions (Chinese street-clothing) featured overly-long pant legs which were basically wrapped at the ankles and tied in place with long strips of cloth. Later, drawstrings were installed and nowadays, elastic is typically used. Some people referred to these as "lantern pants" because their shape resembled a Chinese lantern. Many reasons were given for the cinched cuff, and most of them were total hogwash. The real reason for this odd feature was that China was (and still is) a very dirty place and in the north, the wind quickly stirs up lots of dust. The cinched cuff kept the dirt from blowing up your trouser legs. It had nothing to do with martial arts practice and, in fact, a great many Chinese didn't wear the cinched cuff at all.
The shoe is common in Chinese martial arts because their training was (and most of it still is) conducted outdoors. In Japan, training was usually conducted in a training hall (dojo) and one did not wear shoes on the training floor which was kept immaculately clean.
The wearing of shoes from day one actually has impacted the development of kicking techniques of kung-fu stylists because the shoe, like the boxing glove, changes the impact surface (of the foot). This had, in my opinion, caused an overall degeneration of kicking techniques within the kung-fu community. The Japanese and Okinawan stylists practice(d) barefoot and this fosters correct footwork (the foot is a lot more sensitive when one is barefoot) and proper kicking technique (you'd damned well better hit with the right part of your foot!). But, considering that the Chinese still train mostly outdoors, allowances have to be made. Instructors should just be extra-careful that students learn to kick properly.
Correct kicking can be learned if one practices barefoot against a heavy bag. The bag hates everyone and if you kick incorrectly, it'll let you know about it. Shoes can damage the bag and I generally had students practice barefoot with it. They learned to kick correctly pretty early on.
The problem nowadays with Chinese stylists wearing shoes is that there is really no standard training shoe. If you wear typically rubber-soled shoes, they're probably too heavy for martial arts practice and they'll act like a heavy weight on the end of the foot. This can result in painful hyperextension of the knees. I recommend VERY lightweight shoes with a thin rubber sole (you won't be jogging much so you don't need jogging shoes). The Chinese cloth-soled slip-on shoe is ideal but can be slippery. The Wal-Mart el cheapo $4-$6 woman's shoe (that's what I wear myself) is perfect but they don't come in large sizes. If you get a pair, try them on first. Men will usually wear a size larger than they do in men's shoes.
However, sparring with shoes in dangerous. Period. Even the cloth-soled Chinese shoe can cut flesh. Rubber soles are even worse. Laces will also cut or leave nasty "strawberries." I do not recommend wearing shoes for sparring or freestyle one-step.
Maybe this is one of the reasons why Chinese stylists are not reknowned as strong fighters. Yeah, I see the guy in the back raising his hand...you want to argue this point. Fooey. My statement is absolutely true...anyone who's ever gone to a martial arts competition can attest to it. Anyway, when people spar with shoes on they tend to be extra-careful and hold back and this can be a problem because it becomes a habit.
Admittedly, I used to have students train in sparring with shoes, but as I get older I think it's a bad idea.
Ah...the jacket. When I was with AAU, I noticed that many kung-fu schools wore tee-shirts instead of jackets. It was cooler, they said (which is obviously true).
Now, any of my students will tell you that I always required everyone to begin class in full uniform (I still do), even if it was extremely hot and humid. Only after drills were they allowed to remove their jackets (and then only if they wore a tee-shirt and the jacket had to be neatly folded...never wadded up and tossed in a corner). Instructors had to wear a full uniform at all times, regardless of how hot it was.
We used to wear Chinese-style jacket all the time but we were forever having to repair torn frog enclosures which got ripped off the jacket when grappling techniques were applied. Additionally, these jackets were always lightweight and didn't hold up well to really rugged training.
Again, the jacket of the so-called "kung-fu uniform" was really just old-fashioned Chinese street clothing. A lot of them features white cuffs on the sleeves and even a white snap-in inner collar. These were intended to resemble the rolled-back cuffs and the collar of the white inner jacket worn in the old days (and shown in the grade D kung-fu movies of the day) which actually served as a sort of Chinese "tee-shirt" way back when. But everyone wanted to look like the kung-fu guys in the movies and the manufacturers took advantage of that and produced these silly uniforms with white cuffs and inner collars...
When I argued (during my AAU days) that fold-over jackets made more sense, I ran into a brick wall of resistance because everyone felt that it was too much like karate uniforms. I told them that the so-called "kung-fu uniforms" of the day, which were modelled after Chinese street-clothes, were NOT actually Chinese at all! This jacket design was introduced to China by the Manchus who took over the government in the mid-17th century and established the Ching Dynasty. The original Chinese jacket is actually nearly ankle-length!
Of course, I managed to anger a lot of people by telling the truth...and pointing to the past and current practicioners at Shao-lin Temple who wore (and still wear, although they only practice wushu now) FOLD-OVER JACKETS. So there. That was an original Chinese design and it is still in use. But it didn't matter - everyone wanted to use what they perceived as a "kung-fu" jacket.
Ultimately, we adopted the use of the fold-over jacket because of it's superior functionality. It is rugged and there are no frog enclosures to cause injury or get torn off. However, unlike most jacket which feature a full-length sleeve, we use only a 3/4 length sleeve. This was adopted because:
A). It reduces the liklihood of catching the butt of a sword in your sleeve when you practice with this weapon, and
B). It reduces the ability of the longer sleeve to "flap out" the flame of the candle during candle practice which is a very important part of our training.
The Japanese/Okinawan martial arts practicioners insist on wearing a jacket partly because of their fanaticism about cleanliness. I remember when instructors would often inspect the line of students prior to class to ensure that everyone's nails were cut short, and their hair was clean. Long nails can cause injury to both parties, and dirty hair is the sign of a scumbag. When I planned to attend Tokyo University and train at Oyama's dojo, I was warned that if my hair touched my collar, I would be refused admission. This was not due to Oyama's disdain for long hair; it was simply that it was considered unclean.
If a jacket isn't worn, one is quickly soaked with sweat and in the old days this would have been regarded as extremely repugnant to other students who had to train with you. Certainly the jacket can be sweat-soaked too, but for some reason, that was okay...
Additionally, the jacket is important in our training because we emphasize the practice of grappling techniques. If the jacket or shirt isn't able to withstand the ruggedness of grappling training, one will soon be standing bare-chested in class...which can be a scary thing for some of us. Another problem is that students, aware that the lighter shirt will tear easily, may consciously or unconsciously modify their grappling maneuvers to avoid damaging the shirt and this leads to learning grappling techniques incorrectly.
Frankly, the heavyweight karate-style jackets or judo jackets are ideal for our practice because of their ruggedness. The keikogi jacket which is worn in kendo/iaido training is also ideal. It is a heavy weave like the judo jacket but the tare (pronounced "tah-reh", and referring to the part of the jacket below the belt) part is not lightweight as it is with the judo jacket...the judo jacket is a heavy weave above the belt, but usually a lightweight weave below the belt.
Sure, they're hot and they make you sweat a lot. So what? This is training :-)
Finding black judo jackets is difficult...finding black keikogi jackets is impossible (I don't think they make 'em) but they come in dark blue. But even white jackets is alright. The main consideration is their ruggedness and functionality.
We use the cotton belt for daily training (the sash, like the Chinese-style jacket, is only owrn during special occasions and they're not actually required) because of their functionality. The slick sashes come untied easily and any senior who trained under me can tell you about having the cursed thing come untied when he/she was doing a form, sparring, training with weapons (it's a real pain to get it tangled in your staff)... the cotton belts don't come untied so easily once they're broken in.
And remember the sash/belt is actually an important piece of training equipment.
Although some Chinese stylists have railed against us wearing these uniforms, they conveniently forget to consider the shuai-jiao stylists who wear the same thing! The shuai-jiao jacket is a heavy weave like the judo jacket (but it's much, much tighter and usually looks like they're wearing two sizes too small) and they wear the cotton belts...These people have emphasized functionality over stylishness which is the way it should be.
The only change I would make to the traditional judo uniform or keikogi jacket is installing heavyweight ties on the sides to allow the jacket to be tied shut...
One of the considerations of our training is to maintain traditional values. Insofar as the uniform is concerned, we don't wear pink uniforms with purple stripes...we're not interested in impressing anybody with fancy "costumes." We wear uniforms (there's a difference) which have to be black, white, brown, or blue (or any combination thereof). The various colors are allowed only to accomodate the ease of purchasing a good uniform; like I said, keikogi jackets usually come only in blue... I can well imagine what would happen if you walked into an iaido class in Japan wearing a striped and colorful jacket or pants. You'd either get thrown out've class or end up practicing in your boxers...
In China and throughout the rest of the world, many (if not most) practicioners of the internal arts don't wear any kind of uniform (per se) at all. Instead, they practice in their street-clothes. One can tell at a glance what kind of training occurs in a class simply by looking at the uniforms the students wear. No uniforms usually indicates that the class is pretty lackadaisical and certainly not rugged at all (and NO grappling whatsoever) because their clothes would be in tatters otherwise. I honestly believe that if they started wearing rugged uniforms, their training would improve at least to some degree.
In this day and age, we're seeing uniforms which vary from the colors of the rainbow to "cammies" and combat boots worn by Rambo wannabees. A few martial arts groups have more or less taken a stand and insist that their people wear traditional, functional uniforms. we falls into this group.
