The Road to Nidan

I finally capitulated and bought a new gear bag - the old one, was literally falling apart after 5 years of use. The folks at Fushida had a limited 25% off sale advertisted on Twitter that I took advantage of. (as I write this, the bag is still at an introductory 15% on their site ) I was torn between the "Medium" and "Large" sizes, and I opted for the "Medium" - truthfully, they should really be called "Large" and "Extra-Large". I was able to easily put both of my two Gis (A Blue and a White Toraki Silver, size 4.5) with enough room for my sons gi - which doesn't include all of the side pockets. All told, it seems like a solid, sturdy bag. I'll follow up with more info once I use it a bit more.

My friend Andy pointed out that there was a sale at the Japanese bookstore Kinokuniya in Rockefeller Center. Apparently they've just moved their store (to the Bryant Park) area, and instead of migrating their inventory, they've decided to basically liquidate most of their old store at 50% off. While their Judo/Martial Arts section isn't huge, I was able to get my hands on two masterclass books - Seoinage and Ashiwaza for $11 each (normally they go for $22, and the best price I've found online is about $20). If you are in New York, it's not a bad idea to stop buy. They're on 49th bet. 5th and 6th, and the sale is going on until the end of the year. Please note that the sale is only at this location - their new store is at full price. Note: Earlier there was a post here with some Gibberish. Don't be alarmed - I had tried posting this with a speech-to-text service, but I had a bad connection and it didn't come out right - so I edited it.

When someone thinks of Judo gear, there isn't much to think about beyond a gi and a belt (unless, of course, you want to list the various neoprene bandages for each joint that you have in your Judo bag). Nonetheless, there are people who make a lot of Judo-inspired products that might never see the light of day inside of a dojo. One such product is Toraki's Judo Shorts. Toraki Judo shorts are basically shorts made out of Gi Pants. Their black, and according to the folks at toraki, don't necessary match your Judo Gi size (For example, I wear a size 4.5 gi, but the shorts were a 3.5) because Judogi are a bit baggier to meet competition rules. I bought these during the summer and have been wearing them since. They're very comfortable, and are great for working out in around the house, since they offer the same freedom of movement as gi pants do. Granted their not cheap (for the $25 they charge for the shorts I could easily buy two or three pairs of sweat shorts at a sport...

As I've often opined, there isn't that much in the way of Judo Gear beyond a Gi. And as it stands right now, I have three gis that I am loving, and will probably not have a need for replacement anytime soon. However, there are definitely two items that I would like to buy, pending spousal approval: Mizuno's Gear Bag / Backpack - My current Judo bag is starting to slowly fall apart, and it won't be long before I might need to replace it. The bag I have now is actually a Callaway golf bag that my wife got from a vendor of her company. It's a great bag, nice and sturdy, but the wear and tear of shlepping wet double-weave gis in it for three years has taken its toll. A few of my friends have the Mizuno bag, and love it. It can hold a lot - up to two gis, and it seems to be pretty sturdy, but most of all, it will be a lot easier to spot on a baggage carousel at the airport. Swain Sports Roll-up Judo Mat - The folks over at Swain Sports have developed a roll-up Tatami...

Although I own 4 Judogi (3 of which still fit), and have no plans to buy anymore at the moment, I still like to surf some Judo Gi websites now and then to see what they're offering up, and if they have any sales or specials. Last night, on Hatashita's web site I came across this gi (to the right) - in Black and Yellow. This seems to be another step in the direction of the commercialization of JudoGi. For decades the Judo Gi was just plain and simple - a white cotton jacket coupled with a pair of white cotton drawstring pants and a belt representing your rank. Yes there were different qualities of Gis, different manufacturers, but at the end of the day, eveyone looked the same. No ostensible logos, no flashy shoulder patches, and no one really cared. This is a far cry from today where Judo Gi Manufacturers take a page out of the fashion design books and have embroidered sleeve logos and use differentiating insignia to identify different models. Shoulder patches and insignia,...

As I have opined many a time on this blog, Judo has essentially become my only exercise. This of course is a good and a bad thing. When I was struggling to get to class, I was literally not getting any exercise at all. But now that I am back to 2x a week, I still find myself lacking in terms of general fitness. For one, I have put back on about 10 lbs. since January, and secondly, I find that my lack of fitness is hampering my Judo. So I bought this book with the hopes that I would be able to start running. Running as a compliment to Judo is a great idea in that it will help build stamina and cardio-vascular strength to enable me to perform better in the dojo. This book seemed like the perfect choice because it offered a very gradual approach to build up your running. The content was great, it offered a lot of good background not just on running but on nutrition and preventing injuries, that are applicable to Judo as well. In addition to the beginner's programs for running and wa...

Since I haven't posted in a while, I decided to try something new, a Book Review. Yes there are dozens of Good Judo books out there, and while there are only so many techniques, each author brings their own unique spin to entries, execution, and follow through. A few weeks ago in this space I talked about Vladimir Putin - the Russian President - and wondered if his experience as a Judoka was good or bad for the sport. As it so turns out, Mr. Putin is the author of a book on the subject. The book, originally published in Russian, is now available as a large format book cover. I've owned this book for over a year now, and while it is a good book, it is definitely not a definitive reference along the lines of Kodokan Judo or Best Judo. In fact, the section on throwing techniques only covers about a dozen throws. In addition, the translation is a little weird. While most english-language books use transliterated Japanese names of throws, the translator somehow wrote out the names o...

So I shrink-washed my two new Gis yesterday, and although I thought that my gis would change with the wash, I didn't imagine that one shrink washing would make such as huge difference. The sleeves shrunk to the perfect fit with just one washing and between the shrinkage and airing out of the fabric the fabric expanded to a considerable heft - it now feels a lot more like my Double-weave Toraki Silver in terms of thickness. Of course, as has happened in the past, my skirts are just an inch or two too long. I will wear them for a couple of weeks and/or possibly shrink them again (although I am a little worried about the sleeves) before I take them to the tailor. Even if the tailor only charges me $10 bucks to shorten the gi, it would kill some of the value. Still $38 bucks for a double-weight Gi is an awesome price!! (Besides, if I like these gi and get mileage out of them, I might save the $10 for some emboridery :) ) Of course, the skirt is made of a lighter material than the jacke...

I just won an auction on eBay for two new Judogis! These gis are billed as double-weave and both cost me what I think one comparable gi would cost me in the US. (They were being sold together 1 white and 1 blue).Of course I know what you are thinking - he's bought gis before sight unseen and screwed up royally, or that this would generate yet another pantsless post on Judo Forum . But this time around I actually did some homework. You see the person selling me the gi actually lives near the Wacoku factory in Taiwan and gets unbelievable prices on these gis. Although I don't know too many Judoka that use Wacoku gi, I know that it has a pretty decent reputation as a Karate gi manufacturer (although, given the differences between Judo and Karate Gis, this shouldn't mean much). She has also sold a lot of them on e-bay. So I went through the feedback and contacted a lot of her previous sellers. They all provided valueable feedback - some good and some bad - that helped me make...

We don't have much in the way of gear for Judo. Basically the only gear you need is your Gi, and even that only comes in one style and two colors (Royal Blue and White). Sounds limiting, except that there are 25-40 manufacturers of Judo Gi and they range in price from $40 up to $300. Of coursethere are lots of variations in Quality, thickness, and durability that go into these models. My current Gi wardrobe consists of 2 gis, one is what would be called a middle-of-the-line Gi. It retails for around $100 (although I got mine for less from the manufacturer). The other is my first Judo gi, a 'Student Special' that I have for ten years, with about 4 years of use on it, and it is just starting to fray. Ultimately, I want to get a higher-end gi, but right now there is no cost-justification for it, as I only practice 2x a week, and I don't really compete. The gi that I want ( Toraki Gold, first blue and then white) cost about $150. (closer to $200 when you factor in taxes an...

It is funny. Normally when you buy clothing you pick a size that fits you so that as soon as you bring it home you can immediately put it on (generally though, I was my clothes once before wear, but I could put them on immediately if I wanted to). Judo Gi are a lot different. The proper size comes from the factory, just a little too big. You're expected to shrink-wash it so that it fits just right. As I mentioned on Monday, I bought a new Gi from Toraki . They actually had me provide about ten different measurements and suggested a size for me. I shrink-washed it yesterday, and wouldn't you know it, it now fits exactly the way I like it. I can't wait to use it in class on Monday.

After a couple of false starts, I think I finally found a new gi that is a keeper - my Toraki Silver came yesterday. I need to shrink it down, but it looks and feels great. It's heavier than my current Gi, but not as heavy as some of the Competition-Grade double-weaves that I've seen. Maybe I will post a picture when I get it shrunk down to the right size.