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Post by divinewind on Mar 27, 2022 4:00:57 GMT
I just about live in cotton shirts here in the tropics.
I too live in the tropics (10° N) and have a suggestion about cotton shirts. Pitch the cotton skivvies. I use to wear them also but have found 100% polyester much better suited here, a carryover from military days. Polyester skivvy shirts were used (designed?) to wear under armour where sweating in unavoidable. I now live a civilian life and was wearing white cotton skivvy shirts when I remembered those polyester jobbies and now wear nothing else. You will find when wet they are lighter, warmer, dry considerably faster, and in general more comfortable when wet. 10oN? That must feel like you are a block and a half from the sun during summer! I'm at a much more reasonable 16oS.
I can't say I've ever worn a skivvy - I had to look up what one is.  But you're right - a lot of modern shirt materials are marketed as moisture wicking etc and have become popular. I have a few long sleeve fishing and work shirts for outdoor use that are synthetic and they work well, but are typically a looser fit than an undergarment. The main reason I have them is for the UV protection and the wash-n-wear. Still, you can't beat the feel of cotton, IMO. |
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Post by blairbob on Mar 27, 2022 21:23:43 GMT
It's not uncommon as you progress to get a longer sword for Iai in some schools.
If you have to do paired work, a tsuba is much appreciated. Or wear gloves. I never have remembered to keep a pair of gloves handy and some people have bokuto without tsuba.
I don't like the synthetic materials because they don't breathe well. Shouldn't matter as much for hakama.
A 2.35 bokuto instead of 2.5 is likely a good idea starting out until you have put some time in and adapted to swinging bokuto. 6-12months.
I am shorter than you but I've never had the option of being too picky about what bokuto I bought or used. It's just nice to have something with a slightly longer handle so my hands aren't so close like many stock bokuto.
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Post by divinewind on Mar 30, 2022 23:16:45 GMT
Had my first lesson in Jodo last night, too. What an interesting contrast in JSA - Iaido teaches the drawing of the sword and attack as a form of defense, and Jodo teaches defense against a sword attack. I have the same sensei for both. Last night Sensei showed me the first 5 basic movements. I'm still uncoordinated and rough (as you would expect), but I can see how the economy and fluidity of motion translates into quick defense and attack. And to make my day, I just got the notification that my Jo and Bokuto will be delivered today.  |
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pgandy
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Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Mar 31, 2022 0:14:10 GMT
Sounds like all is hunky-dory.
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Post by tayjam on Apr 11, 2024 14:27:28 GMT
Hi, there, I'm planning to join an Aikido or Iaido club and I wanted to know what equipment is needed to get started? I've looked at this site because it offers swords for sport but I don't know what they're worth exactly. Thank you for your answers. |
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tera
Moderator
Posts: 1,805
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Post by tera on Apr 11, 2024 14:52:39 GMT
Hi, there, I'm planning to join an Aikido or Iaido club and I wanted to know what equipment is needed to get started? I've looked at this site because it offers swords for sport but I don't know what they're worth exactly. Thank you for your answers. I would first recommend reaching out to the Dojo(s) in your area and asking if you can visit. Usually this is welcomed, and it would be a good idea to see if the martial art as practiced in that dojo, and the people you meet there, are a good fit for you. Aikido, technically speaking, has no iai component. Many affiliations have their own form of bokken kumitachi, but that isn't always the case. In short, Aikido will never require steel (be it an iaito of live blade. Some dojos ALSO teach a school of Iaido, but they are separate animals. For Iaido, I again recommend visiting and seeing what their Sensei says. Some schools have you start off with bokken and plastic saya. Sometimes schools can even provide these, no cost. If/when you are ready for an iaito, your Sensei can help you pick out one that fits you and the ryuha being practiced. From my experience, Iaido schools require a LOT of practice before they trust you with a live sword for any test cutting (if they do that at all) and if anyone allows live blades for kata while on the mat with others, I'd be wary. That would be an unusual practice. In both cases, your first purchases are likely to be keiko gi anyway, which in Aikido are typically white and reinforced cotton (sometimes with navy hakama), in Iaido typically blue/navy with navy hakama. It's good to find out what that school prefers as uniform and have someone help you figure out sizing. So, in short, don't buy anything yet. Check out the schools, and your Sensei will guide you if/when it is time to purchase gear. |
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Post by blairbob on Apr 12, 2024 7:34:36 GMT
Many schools are very particular with zero leeway about what training attire or weapons may be used in their dojo. This can be a safety precaution but sometimes they may only allow Japanese made iaito with non steel blades to be used with in training (more expensive than iaito and shinken made in China or Korea or elsewhere in Asia).
It's not uncommon that they don't require to buy anything until the 3 or 6 month mark of training and will usually have loaner wood weapons to use in class (so you can't just buy any bokken you find online or at e-bogu.) They may also only allow training wood weapons made in Japan rather than in China
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Post by maro on Apr 18, 2024 0:14:09 GMT
Most schools will definitely have loaner gear
I loan out Obi, Bokken and Iaito at the beginning - some people can afford to buy their gear soon after starting, some not so much.
We cater for all
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But you're right - a lot of modern shirt materials are marketed as moisture wicking etc and have become popular. I have a few long sleeve fishing and work shirts for outdoor use that are synthetic and they work well, but are typically a looser fit than an undergarment. The main reason I have them is for the UV protection and the wash-n-wear. Still, you can't beat the feel of cotton, IMO.
