Wear your gi properly

Understanding the proper way to wear the gi and its parts.

Understanding the gi

The gi is the uniform for many traditional martial arts.

While there are many styles of gi depending on the type of martial art that you are studying, in Gadi Kenpo Jitsu we use the judo-gi as the double weave used in the gi is more durable for throws and grappling as opposed to other weaves.

It is important to note a few key principles when wearing the gi. First, the pants are always put on before the jacket: never tuck the jacket into the pants.

Second, the jacket always closes with the left side crossing the right. It is expected that women wear a shirt under the jacket, but it is generally considered impolite for a man to do so. There are circumstances, however, where a rash-guard or t-shirt is permitted under the gi for men.

Third, the gi should be kept clean and presentable. As the gi is expected to be clean, so must the deshi. Fingernails and toenails should be kept trimmed to avoid injury, and personal hygiene should be observed by all students.

Parts of the gi

Understanding the parts of the gi are are useful in understanding and remembering certain techniques. For example: eri-jime is a type of choke using the collar (eri) of the gi.

Uwagi

The uwagi is the jacket or upper part of the gi. The uwagi is composed of several parts:

• Sode - Sleeve
• Sodeguchi - Opening of the Sleeve
• Eri - Lapel
• Waki - Armpit
• Migoro - Bodice

Zubon

The zubon are the pants portion of the gi. The zubon usually comes in two types of waist: elastic or tied.

The parts of the zubon are:

• Uesuto - Waist
• Himo - String
• Mata - Crotch
• Hiza - Knee
• Sune - Shin
• Suso - Trouser Cuff

Obi

The obi is the belt that is used to tie the uwagi closed.

Tying the obi

The obi (belt) should always be tied with koma-musubi (square knot).

After the uwagi is closed take the obi and find the center. Place the center of the obi at your belly button. Wrap both sides of the obi around your body, crossing them in the small of your back. Bring the ends of the obi back to the front, making sure that the left side is under the obi while the right side is over it. Cross the two ends over your stomach. Take the top end and draw it under the bottom two layers. Cross the right side over the left. Pull the left end through the loop. Pull both ends to tighten the knot. When the knot is finished, both ends of the obi should be equal.