Will you help?

Hello everyone. I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving. I wanted to ask for some help with something for any and all of you who would be willing.
I am fortunate to live very close to the headquarter's for Century Martial Arts. I often visit there and recently I asked a sale's associate why they do not carry anything for aikido on their show room floor and futher inquired as to why they have so very little to offer through their catalog in regard to aikido. And what I was told was that there were not enough request for aikido items. And this is where I was hoping everyone who would be willing to take just one minute of your time and email the following individual. Mark McDonald is in charge of Aikido supplies for the corporation and he can be reached at mmcdonald@centuryfitness.com I was told if he got more request that they would carry a lot more items. So if you would join me in a collective effort to bombard him with request via email I certainly would appreciate it. Should anyone need to call him he can be reached at 405 732 2226. They are located in Oklahoma City....Take care and thanks everyone...

Why would you want to buy aikido related items from century?

What does aikido really require to practice? A gi and a belt? Century already carries those things. A hakama? They have those too. Bokken? Yup. They just arn't advertised as being aikido related.

Personally, i've never been impressed with the items that century offers. They've all seemed pretty crappy. For this reason i'm not going to join you in the emailing. It would be better for them to stay out of the "aiki market" anyway so that the small business aiki vendors can keep making money.

I bought two gis for them. Sure there are better gis out there, but in all fairness I have never found them "crappy". Infarct I have been very pleased with their gi's. I have had one of the gis for 4 years and it has not had the collar fray on it, or seams rip o anything. I also have a Kung Fu uniform from them which I use for Tai Chi. I am also happy with it. I have seen people with Gi's by century over 10 years old and still using them on the mats. Of course not as white as the used to be. :-P

But In the end it is all in how you care for your gi that effects how long it lasts. You should hang dry it not tumble dry and fold your hakama after class, and put it away neatly.

I watch students come in and cram their new uniforms in their bag and they don't care, usually right next to a senior who knows who is folding his neatly as he has done with the same one for years.


As for finding their gis you have to look in Judo.

And If I remember correctly the Hakama can also be found under judo. I have also seen bokken and Jo's come from there and have not been disappointed either. Of course i have broke them, but if you use them for contact it surely will happen over time. I have seen people make their own weapons as well as get them from many places, and still seen all brands fail one time or another.

Saying my Aikido gear is crap rubs me the wrong way.

I will not claim to be without bias, but considering how scary it is to cater specifically to a niche market as small as Aikidoka, I suggest that we support smaller retailers. If practitioners do not want to order supplies from Japan or get walmart-quality hakama, it would be wise to do your christmas shopping with more Aiki-specific retailers (coughbujindesignsneezekingfisherwoodworksburp).

Nathan Gidney wrote: Why would you want to buy aikido related items from century? What does aikido really require to practice? A gi and a belt? Century already carries those things. A hakama? They have those too. Bokken? Yup. They just aren't advertised as being aikido related. Personally, I've never been impressed with the items that century offers. They've all seemed pretty crappy. For this reason I'm not going to join you in the emailing. It would be better for them to stay out of the "aiki market" anyway so that the small business aiki vendors can keep making money.

I didn't specifically mention item's to work out in, I was more interested in personal items such as T-Shirts, sweatshirts, wind suits, beanie's, ball caps, signs to hang in your home or dojo ect.,ect., And to be candid I am all about supporting the little guy. For e.g., I can't stand Wal-Mart for what they do to smaller entrepreneur's, however, I have yet to find a place that carries these item's I mentioned above. And Century will provide more items upon request for Aikido...
Respectfully,
Chris

Well... I'm a account holder with Century and offer equipment to those in my Dojo.... Century was the sponsor for the USA Judo team and I wear one of the Swain Gi's.... It's like strapping on armor and is not crap. Their hakamas are a thin poly-cott blend and I do not recommend them. I sell a lot of the white oak bokkens and love them. I sell them for like $13 and with a little work and a little oil they are sweet... They may not be made of < insert over priced exotic wood here >, but I think it's cool to have to put a little time into your bokken by getting rid of the tsuba guard and sanding it down and getting the oil into it. Just my opinion....

(coughbujindesignsneezekingfisherwoodworksburp)

LMAO!!

...by getting rid of the tsuba guard and sanding it down and getting the oil into it.

Are you suggesting that we get rid of the tsuba entirely, or put it back in place for keiko after "sanding it down and getting the oil into it"? Sounds very complicated! I've never had such issues with my Kingfisher...

And for the record, I do *not* recommend training sans tsuba until one is VERY skilled in weapons!!

As for the real topic here, not a fan of Century and prefer the little dudes. BTW, Ikeda Sensei does a nice Tshirt and ball-cap every year, and always has available some prints, and doo-dads similar to what you describe. I also like that his $$ goes back into Aikido. I trade with them whenever possible.

Chris Ward wrote: I didn't specifically mention item's to work out in, I was more interested in personal items such as T-Shirts, sweatshirts, wind suits, beanie's, ball caps, signs to hang in your home or dojo ect.,ect., … however, I have yet to find a place that carries these item's I mentioned above.

Jun sells some stuff right on this site - www.aikiweb.com/store/

Aikiweb also lists various suppliers under www.aikiweb.com/links/browse.php?cat=12

For signs and things to hang in the house /www.bujindesign.com/catalog.html or www.zanshinart.com/Aikido/AikiArt.html come to mind.

My dojo has stuff too - www.cafepress.com/adv_retail. Most of it has the dojo name and some is generic Aikido stuff. A Google for cafepress plus Aikido finds gobs of stuff. Happy shopping.

You brought up a good point in that I don't think someone has put together a list of who is selling Aikido related toys / knickknacks. For example, I was in a store a while back that among other things had packaged sets of action figures for variously martial arts that were very cute, but sadly, not Aikido. Google to the rescue - Aikido Action figures at http://aikidoonline.com/Marketplace/...ry.asp?catid=7

Marc

Sunny Liberti wrote: LMAO!! Are you suggesting that we get rid of the tsuba entirely, or put it back in place for keiko after "sanding it down and getting the oil into it"? Sounds very complicated! I've never had such issues with my Kingfisher... And for the record, I do *not* recommend training sans tsuba until one is VERY skilled in weapons!!

Hehehe... Well... I always chunk the plastic tsuba from the start and get rid of the ridge that supports the tsuba. After I get it nice and smooth, I rub it down with oil.

To each their own though.....

Guy Weeks wrote: Hehehe... Well... I always chunk the plastic tsuba from the start and get rid of the ridge that supports the tsuba. After I get it nice and smooth, I rub it down with oil. To each their own though.....

Ever get you fingers whacked?

First I do agree that they look nicer without a tsuba, seeming as the ones from century or where ever come with ugly plastic ones. I have however seen nice wooden tusbas made on ho-made bokken.

At one time I used to worry about other students I would train with who didn't have tsubas, especially when they first start with the bokken. They see other students without them who are more senior and decide its more impressive not to have one as well. Little do they know, most the time when the senior students don't have them it is because their tsubas broke off or were somehow lost.
I have one training partner who I practice with lots out of class and he has two bokken, and one tsuba. I believe somehow the other one was lost over one of the sanding or finishing processes.

Because of this I've seen fingers whacked, and I've whacked fingers. But unless my tsuba breaks off, I will still use my bokken without one until it is too broken or to damaged to use.

Sorry, back to the topic.
E-bay has some nice stuff too sometimes, you just have to look, I just bought a hanging
calligraphy print off them.
.