QUESTION ABOUT KARATE UNIFORM?

I wear nothing but heavy weight gis in my school and also when competing as I find them more comfortable. They do take getting used to as they are warmer so many people don't like them for this reason and I will only add that if I was fighting in a place that was very hot then I would change into a lighter weight gi for that to try and stay a little cooler but otherwise its nothing but heavy weight gis for me.

Your Century middle weight gis are 6 ounce weight material and while they look nice they won't take the beating especially if you are doing any jujitsu, Judo or grappling in your karate class. A heavy weight gi holds up much better and those come in 8 and 10 ounce weight material and the 12 ounce weight Iron Man gi pants will practically stand up by themselves when new and not broke in. Washing them can be a little more painful as you can only wash two of the heavy weight gis in one load and that's in a big washer and my wife refuses to wash them since they are so heavy when wet and taking them out to put them into the dryer.

Price wise if you are paying retail plan on $90 for a heavy weight gi and a $120 for their Iron Man gi unless you catch them on sale. Their heavy weight gis come in a variety of styles like with lace up pants if you want them, different colors and all that adds to the price. The Iron Man comes in only white or black and I buy only the traditional style ones that come in ten ounce and they last a good long time especially if you have several and are only washing them once per week and just rotating wearing one clean one per day or work out.

For forms competion, I prefer a little heavier, no less than 10-12 oz, because it gives a better snap when executing techniques. Also, I sweat a lot, and thicker uniforms are more resistant and don't hinder my forms as much. But thinner uniforms, like the 8oz, are good for boxing-style sparring, but the moment you introduce throws and grapples, you're gonna need the heavier duty gi.

Best is to ask your instructor what type of activity you'll be doing, and get a uniform appropriate for that.

The patch on a Karate' uniform represents your school, yes? It goes on the left side of your chest, over your heart. That represents loyalty and love for your school, and (depending if your school choses to) you wear a patch of your country's flag on your left shoulder or arm. When I trained in Karate, I wore a flag with a Tiger on it, of course it was an American Flag, though. Over my heart, I wore my patch that represented my school, and also purchased a green Dragon patch. Then, I wound the Dragon patch around the school's patch and sewed it together, then onto my gi. Now, the Tiger and the Dragon stay with me, to remind me of my dreams of the future, and to remember to focus on now in order to improve the future.

I agree with Shihan J. If you get a heavyweight GI in the 12 to 15 oz. range, you will never want a thinner one.

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For point sparring and katas....8oz with be just fine. Not like you actually make much contact there. I trained in tang soo do for 10 years never used a heavy weight. Never had a problem.

caps means you are yelling..so stop yelling

ronin is a good brand and inexpensive , i prefer a 12 to 14 oz gi

I prefer a heavier weight gi. You need a heavier gi especially when you are working on throws and chokes.