r/karate • u/tidus1979 Style • Jul 30 '26
Beginner First Karategi Fit Check
Hello friends. This is my first gi after 20 years of not practicing Karate. I did my 4th kyu as a child and 5th kup in Taekwondo. And now Im starting again with Shotokan JKA Karate (DJKB Germany).
Can you please help me with the fit and sizing?
This is the Shureido TK-11 in Size 4 (170cm). My hight is 170cm and I weight 72Kg.
Pics are with the gi straight out of box, not washed. Pants feel very large and a bit long. Jacket feels a bit long in the torso area. But it will shrink down afaik.
What is your advice? Does it fit well or do I need a sifferent size OR different cut of gi altogether?
Thank you! Oss
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u/aburena2 Kobayashi Shorin Ryu Jul 30 '26
I personally like the pant length. I hate the high waters look.
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u/Active_Unit_9498 Jul 30 '26
The real answer lies in how it feels and moves on you, and only you will know that and only after some time. Practice has a way of making what is and is not desirable in training equipment obvious.
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u/murarip Shotokan Jul 30 '26
I would say get the 175 it even 180
They shrink
I am around 185, I got a 195cm gi
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u/LLarnick Style Wadoryu 1er dan Jul 30 '26
C'est un kimono coton il va rétrécir que les premiers lavage. Sur ce premier essayage il est large mais va se raccourcir et se resserrer. Bon choix de kimono pour reprendre le karaté 😉
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u/Apprehensive-Bank-74 Goju Ryu Jul 30 '26
This! It will shrink a bit still. I love my TK-10 and NW3. Shureido is simply the best.
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u/GrosJean Tsuruoka Ryu Jul 30 '26
I've had a few different 'karate looks' through the years. Try a few out and stick with the one that feels better for you. I stuck with shorter pants and sleeves. They don't get in the way when things get heated (later on in your training).
Besides, if people give you grief, just make sure you work extra hard and smack them until they stop (within rules and etiquette, of course).
Have fun with it.
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u/GrosJean Tsuruoka Ryu Jul 30 '26
Darn, I didn't answer your question... Looks fine to me. It'll look better after a few classes and washes.
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u/AtomicEdge Goju Ryu Jul 30 '26
Jacket looks fine and the legs look a little long, but it really is an individual thing.
Wear this. Train and try and be mindful about things they feel annoying. In my first gi I ended up rolling up my legs, so now I buy gi trousers with shorter legs.
I also found that putting my arms above my head a lot ended up with the top riding up and being annoying so I like a longer jacket.
Don't worry about what other think and enjoy!
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u/micrographical Shotokan Jul 30 '26
Looks fine. Will shrink some, there’s room for that. No one will care what you look like as soon as the hard work and sweating start!
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u/missmooface Jul 30 '26
it won’t shrink much unless you wash in very hot water and high heat dry the first time.
when a dogi is too large for me, i boil a large pot of water, soak the dogi in it for at least 30min, then wash hot and dry high heat.
it’ll shrink a fair bit if you do that.
if you don’t think it shrunk enough, do that a second time.
after that, always wash cold and hang dry…
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u/dkwpqi Jul 30 '26
It will shrink. Keep that in mind. It will look a lot more like traditional cut even though the jacket looks a tad too long
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u/praetorian1111 wado ryu karate jutsu Jul 30 '26
But look how he wears it in the picture, you have to pull up some of that jacket front and back up above the belt after tying the belt. Looks way better and will shorten the length of what’s under the belt.
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u/Peakychu6 Jul 31 '26
I was going to feel super excited, like “YAY!!!!?a grown up getting into karate! It’s not a kid’s arts again!!!” 👍👍👍🙌🙌🙌.
But then I noticed you’re in Germany… I think cl karate is still a grown up thing in Europe (i am very much a karate lover btw)
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u/Arokthis Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito Jul 31 '26
Hot wash, hot dry, hot wash, hot dry. You'll get 90% of the shrinking over and done with.
Sleeves look great as is. Pants could do about half an inch shorter if you aren't going to pull the waist up. With any luck, the shrinking that will happen will do it for you.
You don't realize how lucky you are. I got bought 2 gi's. Got them at wholesale price and saved over $100, but ended up spending that on getting them hemmed. Being short and wide SUCKS.
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u/aristeris Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Looks great! As you’ve already said, it’ll shrink down a little (a couple cm from memory with Shureido) with a couple of washes, so the length of the pants will be perfect imo.
As for the jacket length, I tend to wear mine a bit more bunched up over the belt for freedom of movement, instead of worn completely flat. You might want to play around with that also.
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u/richng2 Jul 31 '26
Don't overthink it it's your first gi. It looks like it fits, looks like you do karate. Now see if you can make it snap with your punches and kicks. And once you've trashed it by training in it, you'll know what you want in your next gi.
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u/Blast_From_The_Pa_ Japanese JJ Kyokushin Jul 30 '26
It'll shrink considerably, so I'd take a longer size.
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u/J1M7nine Jul 30 '26
I’m a Shureido advocate (I have 4) and I am very similar to your measurements. This looks right in my opinion. The legs are a little longer than I would expect but I don’t have a TK11 so this could well be the norm for that gi. I’m used to the New Wave which are higher legs but the arms are similar. Shureido are another level.
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u/NecessaryIssue2367 Wado Ryu Jul 30 '26
Have you mixed & matched trousers and jacket? The trousers look OK, and they'll shrink a little anyway, and the sleeves look fine but the jacket is very long.
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u/KlamPizza Jul 30 '26
For me, the pants look a bit too long, but I prefer pants a bit over the ankels. The jacket is very long and wide on you. Maybe try to mix and match instead of buying a full Gi.
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u/GKRKarate99 Shotokan 1st Dan formally GKR and Kyokushin Jul 30 '26
Looks good on you my friend
Karate dō e yō koso 🙏🥋
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u/setitforreddit Jul 31 '26
If this is a karate gi, I think it might be a little big just from the cuff size alone. I've only ever seen cuffs that wide on my judo gis. Are the pants hiked up real high on your waist?
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u/jontheeditor Jul 31 '26
Belt height looks close, should be three fingers below belly button, where the "tanden" is located. Pants should be up to the belly button and the belt should be holding both the jacket and the pants. Pants look a little low now, which will restrict your kicks.
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u/Childe- Jul 31 '26
Good comments here. As long as it allows you to move freely, it's fine.
My two cents: cool lookin' pajamas.
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u/One-Pumpkin2047 Uechi-Ryu Jul 31 '26
It looks good on you even though it's a little big. I would love to have a Shureido gi some day too :)
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u/pitbullfacey Jul 31 '26
Look up fortune cookie knot for your belt
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u/tidus1979 Style Jul 31 '26
I think I did it right?
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u/pitbullfacey Jul 31 '26
Well yeah it's fine, there's different ways to do it, I prefer the fortune cookie, it looks neater
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Jul 31 '26
Dude, the one thing that drives me insane is people who tie their belts up to their belly holy shit.
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u/tidus1979 Style Jul 31 '26
Ya ive noticed that mistake later :p
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Jul 31 '26
Sorry being an ass. I’ve been doing martial arts 20 years and genuinely don’t understand how people make such a mistake. Or where they get such an idea.
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u/Administrative-Fix21 Jul 31 '26
It looks good on you. Normally beginners don't buy Shureido karate gi due to cost but they're the best!
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u/tabemitch Shukokai Jul 31 '26
I personally think this looks fine, If its comfortable and you can move i think its good!
Are you able to push your belt any lower? Is it around your waist or at your hips? I personally wear mine at my hips.
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u/OnnaWarrior Jul 31 '26
If you wash and dry it, it WILL shrink. That will shorten the pants and skirt. I think it’s a great fit but I’m not the one wearing it, you are. So you have to feel good.
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u/Fun-Organization5932 Jul 31 '26
I don’t think there’s anyway to really tell without shrinking it in the wash, but don’t over shrink it.
And you can’t wear a size 3 — it would be much too small. I’m 5’3” and a 3 (or 2.5) is what I wear.
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u/thedojoguy Aug 18 '26
Depends on how you like Karategi. If that's straight out of the bag, I think the jacket will endup with sleeves that are too short. Pant will shrink to an ok fit I guess. I'd probably go for 1/2 bigger jacket and keep the pants. But again, It depends on how you like karategi. I've never had a TK-11, I've had several TK-10s and they shrink quite a bit a little over an inch. I'm told the TK-11 shrinks even more, given that it is lighter than the TK-10. So ask about how much that is expected to shrink and do the math to what you like. The only Karategi that I've had from Shureido that essentially doesn't shrink is the KC series. Both the TKC (which I believe is now discontinued) and the classic Shihan KC-10. Becuse have polyester in the fabric. As far as I know yours is 100% cotton.
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u/ClimberDave Jul 30 '26
How does it feel? Can you kick high without the groin bunching up and catching on your leg? Does it stick when you move or is there enough fabric in the shoulders?
My personal take is that the arms being a little short, more like an Okinawan cut, but the pants looking like an American cut is a little strange. Doesn't really matter if you like it!
Also for me, there is a little too much of the skirt, but that can be hard to manage depending on your height, especially if you're in between sizes or just not gonna fit a smaller one.
Ultimately there's no perfect answer. It's just your personal preference about you look/feel. I think at the end of the day, you look good. Welcome back. Have fun.