r/karate • u/tidus1979 Style • Aug 09 '26
Beginner First Karate Gi
Hello friends! This is an update to my previous post about my first gi after not practicing Karate for many many years.
This is the fit after first wash. Ive tried a different way to tie the belt for it not to become loose. It seems to work.
The fit of the gi didnt change much after washing. Ive noticed that especially the pants are becoming loose after training my kicks. Honestly they feel like they are three sizes too large. (Im 170cm and 73Kg and ordered size 4, 170cm.)
Im considering hot washing the gi for it to shrink a bit. The jacket is ok but I feel like it too has too much fabric overall. The sides dont overlap like I feel they should.
Any advice from you guys?
Oss!
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u/Maniacow Aug 09 '26
You should wear the pants higher on your hips. The strings of the pants should lie right on top of your iliac crests (bony parts of the hips) and be tied so it doesnât fall during training. The groin area of the pants should be almost as high as it can get to allow the best range of motion during kicks and lower stances.
That should also bring the bottom of the legs up and make it look like a better fit.
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u/C2S76 Aug 09 '26
There's an old but great video from Rener Gracie on how to tie pants. They're BJJ pants but use the same tie.
https://youtu.be/ODtOnFQ7LDE?is=1swSdUQOvMIJj5pH
TL;DW: Pull the strings out to the sides and the waistband will snug up the way it should.
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u/tidus1979 Style Aug 09 '26
I will try that!
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u/C2S76 Aug 09 '26
You can also get elastic waist pants to be all modern and fancy. đ Some people prefer one vs the other.
I've been in Kung Fu for 10 years now, so it's elastic top and bottom. Guaranteed no mosquito bites above the ankles, I guess. đ¤Ł
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u/spicy2nachrome42 Style goju ryu shodan Aug 09 '26
You need to pull the strings through the loop and then pull it tight around the waist and then tie it like a bow, but you need to Paul both loops when tying it. Like, you want the loops to almost touch, or if you can get themm to touch, they touch. But they don't tie like regular pants
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u/micrographical Shotokan Aug 09 '26
Looks fine. Pull the drawstrings on the bottoms tighter and wear them higher - the section at the back is allowed to bunch up a bit. You can rearrange the bunching for better comfort. Donât hot wash or dry, it might shrink too much. Cold wash as normal, see what happens after natural shrinkage.
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u/Budget_North_2810 Aug 09 '26
oss!
I'm using the exact same Gi for almost 4 years now
first it also felt like 3 sizes too big
I've always washed it with 30°, not hotter
it shrinked quite a bit, don't worry about the size, yours will do the same
if you are not sure about the pants, you could flip it once at top to get it a bit higher up, but for me it also looks good as it is
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u/composites123 Aug 09 '26
I would tie the knots a bit tighter, I think thatâs why the sides arenât as snug as you were expecting and also why the gi is coming down after a few kicks. Nice gi!
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u/Runnningnewb101 Aug 09 '26
You need to pull the string out more and bunch up the material at the back of your trousers to tighten them up a lot more
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u/jaz_0 Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
The gi looks very good and the right size for you. This type of traditional cut (or whatever you call it) is just supposed to be a bit larger. It will likely shrink a bit more when you wash it a few times. Just pull the pant strings more and tie the knot well. I also have this type of pants and jacket and I need to tie them really tight.
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u/Lubalin Aug 09 '26
Mine are a bit large, I just stuck some elastic through the waist band and now it's stretchy and tied, much easier to hitch up after kick drills!
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u/J1M7nine Aug 09 '26
The issue is that you are wearing the trousers round your bum not round your hips. Pull them up and the gi will fit
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u/Accomplished_Log240 Aug 09 '26
I always tie my pants strings all the way to the side so I can tuck them down into the hole in the side. They way the strings are completely out of the way.
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u/Eikgander Ameri-Do-Te Aug 09 '26
Get it tailored. That's really all you can do at this point because you can't return them.
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u/Arokthis Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito Aug 09 '26
Like I said last time: Hot wash and hot dry a couple of times to shrink it, then cool wash and hang dry forever after.
If you're having trouble getting the pants to stay up, double wrap the first part of the knot before doing the bow.
Consider swapping out the pants string with clothesline - it tends to stay knotted better longer and is cheap to replace.
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u/RICKROSS888 Aug 09 '26
Pants need to be tied around your waist not low around your hips like jeans.
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u/Familiar-Annual6480 Aug 10 '26
The pants look like itâs a proper fit, but youâre wearing it too low. You want the cuffs to be above your ankles at the minimum for safety.
Itâs very easy to get your toe caught in the cuff when you kick or move around when itâs that low.
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u/Diligent_Pangolin_47 Aug 10 '26
Hey low rider. I have similar pants but my senpai told me to tie them more on the side. You can wrangle the ties around so theyâre not tied at the front.
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u/ConcentrateOk4560 Aug 16 '26
If your truly a white belt. Do some time in your gi first. Many people stop way before their gi starts to wear and they have a gi preference.
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u/samdd1990 Shorin Ryu & Ryukyu Kobudo Aug 09 '26
The top is a good fit. If you have the trousers a bit higher, and tie everything tighter they do tend to stay in place a bit better.
I will probably still shrink a bit more too, I would wait before looking at getting any adjustments done.
As other have said, this style is bigger than others