Wear a Hakama Now or Wait?

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[danielab1924]

Hi, im a 5th kyu belt and ive been training at my dojo for about 16 or 17 months now. ive been improving and im one of the few people there who do not own a hakama. at my dojo people are allowed to wear hakamas after they've taken their 6th kyu test. several people at my dojo have recomended i get a hakama but im not sure im ready for that. i feel like im claiming seniority i dont really have.

so my question is, what would you(whomever is reading this) recommend i do? should i get the hakama now or wait? ive told everyone that i was going to wait until i was at least a 4th kyu(blue belt) but im not sure now....

your advice is greatly appreciated.

-Daniela:D

[Ketsan]

It would seem that hakama in your dojo is nothing to do with seniority, so I don't understand why you've linked it to seniority.
If someone senior to you has advised wearing it, I'd take their advice.
Also if the requirement for wearing hakama is that you be 6th kyu then you've earned your hakama, simple as that.
If you hadn't earned the right to wear hakama, you wouldn't have the option of wearing one.

[Ketsan]

Also, at the end of the day, it's just a hakama. Try not to attach too much importance to it, it's just a pair of trousers.

Oh, and I'd suggest keeping your hands in front of you the first time you try standing up from seiza in it. :D

[danielab1924]

thanks alex, you have a point. i just always thought that the more senior students as a general in aikido wear the hakama. such as, during a class/seminar, the sensei is most likely to call up the person in the hakama assuming they know more than the student that is not wearing one...am i wrong? i dont know a lot about detailed ettiquette.

-Daniela:eek:

[Ketsan]

thanks alex, you have a point. i just always thought that the more senior students as a general in aikido wear the hakama. such as, during a class/seminar, the sensei is most likely to call up the person in the hakama assuming they know more than the student that is not wearing one...am i wrong? i dont know a lot about detailed ettiquette.

-Daniela:eek:

"In general" is a good phrase to use. It varies from place to place. Some dojo/associations have all their students wear hakama from day one, others have only say 1st and 2nd kyus wear it, others reserve it for Dan grades only.
Most places allow women to wear it earlier than men. In the same way some places use coloured belts, some don't and the ones that do might not use the same colour for the same rank.

Dojo tend to have different ways of doing things, their own quirks and characteristics, even when they're in the same association. So the rule is do what your dojo does in your dojo and make an educated guess at seminars and other dojo.

Seminars, in my experience, tend to produce a mix of.........."styles" I suppose. Everyone tends to take their dojo's or associations ways of doing things onto the mat and so it can be a bit confusing. There will be people from dojo that only have white belts and black belts, dojo that have coloured belts, dojo that wear hakama regardless of rank and dojo that reserve hakama for high grades or dan grades.

Generally instructors, in those situations, pick out people they know, or have watched training, to take ukemi.

[dalen7]

Hi, im a 5th kyu belt and ive been training at my dojo for about 16 or 17 months now. ive been improving and im one of the few people there who do not own a hakama. at my dojo people are allowed to wear hakamas after they've taken their 6th kyu test. several people at my dojo have recomended i get a hakama but im not sure im ready for that. i feel like im claiming seniority i dont really have.

At the end, its all up to you.
Maybe for you, as you put it, its a milestone to wear the hakama.
Not that your putting anything into the cloth itself, of importance, but to you its like a marker or milestone...I understand that.

No need to go rush and buy something just cause everyone else has it...and especially if you were not bent on doing so initially.
Also, it cost money...for a good one anyone.

But, if its a requirement, that is another thing I suppose...though it didnt sound like it.

Here, I could have sworn that from 3rd kyu and above we could wear hakama...for sure it was 2nd kyu - but that was changed recently, it seems, to 1st kyu.

People actually can & have started to teach here at 'hakama' lvl.
(Green belt, 3rd kyu, and above...though that may be a rare occurrence for smaller cities without Aikido...and even the one person who I know like this was a blue belt, 2nd kyu, not long after he started teaching.)

Anyway, point is...have fun - set up your milestones...reward yourself, and have fun.

Peace

dAlen

[Guilty Spark]

Hakama's make me feel like a Samurai warrior, their awesome. Buy one ;)

[ramenboy]

hmmm... don't second guess your instructor. if they say its time to wear one, then wear one

[danielab1924]

thanks for taking the time to give me some advice everyone! your help is greatly appreciated! i think ill consider talking it over with my sensei and/or senior students.:D

-Daniela:p

[Takuan]

I would abide stricktly to what your sensei says. It really does vary from dojo to dojo. My Sensei follows Hombu Dojos policies for Hakama use (women starting at 3rd kyu and men at shodan) so I waited until I was a black belt. It really should not be up to your judgement but what your sensei requires. So best of luck wearing that hakama, enjoy it!! ;-)

[Janet Rosen]

Ask Marc K or Bruce W; they won't bite :-)

[BWells]

Well Janet, neither Marc nor I bite, but I've been know to growl:)

As far as the Hakama question, I vote yes to now:D

[lbb]

I'd say do whatever is the custom in your dojo -- but if it's optional, and some do and some don't, I wouldn't. It just strikes me as a big pain in the neck, one more thing to buy and clean and fold and haul around and wear in the heat of the summer. I have no intention of ever wearing one until I'm told to, and I mean told to.

[Janet Rosen]

Bruce, its your job as sempai to growl convincingly now and then :-)

[danielab1924]

Bruce? I didn't know you had an account-wait, that makes perfect sense, why didn't i expect that?

-Daniela:hypno:

[BWells]

Daniela, I've been here long time, just don't post much:cool:

Janet under your instructions, I will endeavor to growl more connivingly going forward.:grr: Daniela can be your witness:D

[Ketsan]

Talk about "We have spies everywhere" :D

[danielab1924]

If I had known that, I might not have started this forum, although I do like getting the opinion of others outside our dojo.

See Janet? Look what you did now! Now Bruce is going to be even more scary than he already was(don't kill me:uch: )

-Daniela:crazy:

[BWells]

Well I think it is very good to get lots of opinions! You just have to remember what when posting to a public site that everyone you know may also see what you posted. So just no fires and play nice:cool:

And Janet knows that I am not scary, especially now that your are her spy:D

[Chantal]

Hakama's make me feel like a Samurai warrior, their awesome. Buy one ;)

lol .. geeze Grant, you really want to wear one in class eh :rolleyes: I better get my ass in gear and ask Pete .... but we both know what he will say ...:sorry:

[danielab1924]

no FIRE:( ? my life is an empty void without fire, how could you think such a thing? so after reading all these maybe i will get one, i dunno...

*007 music* im a super spy! 006, that's right, im above 007....hmm, maybe not scary but definitely more dangerous on the mat than i am

-Daniela:eek:
:ai: :ki: :do:

[Janet Rosen]

Bruce? an absolute pussycat..... bwaaahhahhahhhhahhha!

[BWells]

Hum, think I'm dropping out of this thread. I've been called scary, dangerous and a pussycat. :confused: Think that covers most possibilities so I have nothing more to say:D

[danielab1924]

Bruce? an absolute pussycat..... bwaaahhahhahhhhahhha!

haha, i like this woman, she makes fun of you just like i do.:)

-Danielaevileyes

[Cynrod]

What's new pussycat,,, woh oh oh oh oh!!! What's new pussycat... who oh oh oh oh! OOopps I got carried away with that song :D .

If you were told to wear an hakama by your sensei, then by all means wear one. Getting used to wearing one without that hakama tripping would be lovely and it's priceless.

[danielab1924]

well my sensei didn't request that i get a hakama, ive just been asked when im going to get one and that if i want one im free to get it. it hasnt been made a requirement so my sensei doesn't care either way.

-Daniela:freaky:
:ai: :ki: :do:

[Lyle Laizure]

If it is acceptable with your sensei that is the only advice you need.

[Lyle Bogin]

Wear the pants, man. It's cool with your crew.

[Guilty Spark]

lol .. geeze Grant, you really want to wear one in class eh :rolleyes: I better get my ass in gear and ask Pete .... but we both know what he will say ...:sorry:
Hey better respect my Samurai warrior status!

[Chantal]

Hey better respect my Samurai warrior status!

lol ... funny guy ;)

I asked Pete ... can you guess what he said ?? First of all he laughed, then he said "nope" ... then he said that even he only wears his for tests and special events. Soooo, you can imagine that you will not win ...

I suggest you get your ass back in the dojo and train, train, train ... it's been like a year since you've been at the dojo, maybe you lost some samurai[ness] :eek: sorry if I offended you there Mr. Warrior!

lol
Chantal

[Eric Webber]

Ask your Sensei what he/she would prefer: does he/she want to see a uniform of dogi and hakama across the mat during class? Dropping your own issues and following Sensei's preference is a step toward being able to receive instruction past direct orders. The best instruction is usually more subtle.

[danielab1924]

hmm, i never thought about it that way...i just usually associate the hakama with an accomplishment, kinda that im telling myself: "you've made it this far. :-)"

-Daniela:drool:
:ai: :ki: :do:

[Janet Rosen]

Get it, wear it, as a mark of your committment to keep training and of course because it is so cool looking. :-)