[SkeniaInhilla]

Well, I said 'yech.." but in fact i don't mean it, you know. I've tried it, it's ok, but I still think that undies are ok too so I'll stick with them. Maybe it'll make me more spiritual.

Hyaku: this story of yours has made me look at the hakama's inner seam in a completely new and menacing way

[Suvuseh]

I don't know how I missed this tread until now. It's both hilarious and interesting, you discover cultural difernces even between occidental people (re-read the posts, it's amazing).

I don't think that many people from southern Europe will bother about the issue, it's more a mather of personal comfort than enything else, and in my dojo you can find both options.

In my case I do depending on the day and the gi I war (one of mines is too short, if a don't put something people will see too much of myself)

Rei

[hitaEtela]

how many guys practice kendo sans underpants?

i ask this because it seems that this is done in japan, but not elsewhere.

as a corrollary, is "freedom kendo" inherently more powerful than "restriction kendo"?

in my experience, once you taste freedom, you'll never go back.

r,
ckl

[BJEugene]

I just read this thread. I have never laughed so hard in all my life! As for me, I've never tried.

[BgpOoGI2]

Achilles: polymorphism in physiological ... amplitude ... aside, the keikogi should really be covering your groin area (otherwise it may be too short?) and this could conceivably help alleviate your "slamming" problem.

[arrismVam]

Revive this old puppy- it was linked from a more recent thread.

My question for people who practice freedom kendo is...

How many of you enjoy such "freedom" in your normal daily lives?

[LeslieMoran]

Funny how 380+ people have read this thread yet less than 30 have voted.

Come on fellas it's anonymous.

[LymnInvinny]

alexpollijr: Keen observation about the spirit in the undies. The real question is, do you WANT it to go wild while you're doing kendo?!

As I said previously, I think it all comes down to a tentative self esteem boost. You feel tougher though you're more exposed, and you're willing to try things you've never dared before. New and ever-more creative waza, I suppose. But all that about playing 60% better, I don't know...

alexpollijr & cklin: you want to see Cantonese at its scariest? London Chinatown, my friends...

[Misiotoagodia]

Seriously, a visiting Japanese 8th dan told a group at a seminar that I attended (when he was asked the question) that males should wear underwear during kendo as a means of support and protection.
I noticed that he did, as have all the other senior sensei that I have trained with over the past decade, so I dispute the traditional bit.

Achilles wrote that his is "*really* disgusting after a hard practice" Mine too, for that reason I change to fresh pair and wash the ones that I wore for keiko!

[Gvadelunar]

cklin: Thank you for the clarification about the "uncivil" wording; after reading your post I was considering giving "freedom kendo" a chance when I practice kendo next time, but I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be offending anyone in the dojo. After all, achieving the 50%-60% improvement is tempting, isn't it?

I would suspect that while those numbers seem arbitrary, they are probably true to some extent. I wouldn't be surprised if the new "freedom" one felt translated into a transitory boost in agility, not to mention confidence. I know some of the younger members in my dojo prefer this "freedom" method because it heightens their sense of masculinity. I suppose they feel better about their kendo then.

I have heard that playing kendo with a new set of bogu often has similar effects in augmenting performance.

Perhaps it is all psychological...

[cheaploans]

I must confess, I don't know a great deal about the traditional aspects behind the question you pose, cklin, but I don't understand why so many of you poll respondents consider such a practice "uncivil." Is it rude? Or disrespectful?

Then again, I can certainly see how it can become unpleasant - I recall practicing at a kendo dojo where many people preferred to forgo wearing underwear, and after practice, there would be many hairs - of suspicious origin - covering the floor. Yes, people practiced very hard and energetically.

I should mention, however, that I was once advised by a fellow peer - a strong advocate of "freedom kendo" I might add - that not wearing underwear during kendo improves your overall performance by a factor of 50%-60%!!! Where he got the exact figures I do not know.

[deermealec]

Originally posted by olaf
Funny how 380+ people have read this thread It's not necessarily that 380 people have viewed the thread but that the thread has been viewed (opened) 380 times by people

[lh88gFzI]

Mingshi: Sorry for the confusion, but by "traditional" I meant "kendo tradition", not "Japanese tradition."

Kendoka: Not sure what to say to your observations, except that mine have been quite to the contrary.

I'll go ahead and question the hachidan's advice: honestly how much protection from an errant strike do a pair of tighty-whities give? If doubtful of the effectiveness of a tare, then why not go all the way and wear a cup?

[TheBestCheapestOEM]

I started wearing underwear, but I stopped because it got *really* disgusting after a hard practice. Now I am underwear free when I practice and I *love* it. For one thing, it lets you disapate heat MUCH faster, and it's more comfortable.

The only complaint I have is that sometimes. . .ahem. . . my boys slam into my thigh and it hurts and sometimes when my opponent shoots for my songmok (kote) and misses and goes low. . . . yikes.