Japanese Gis (uniforms) where white because of the hot days in Okinawa, where Karate originated. The white color was also used for beginner students, while the instructors sometimes would wear black. Belts were also used to hold the Gi together and to indicate rank. Tae Kwon Do, which originated in Korea, also uses white for their uniforms, while the instructors sometimes would wear black trim on the colors. In Tae Kwon Do belts are also used to indicate rank.

Judo, having originated in Tokyo, Japan also wear the white uniform. The jacket is make of a heavy unbleached cotton material which is weaved and reinforced for grappling and throwing. This competitive sport introduces many new ideas to the martial arts world, including the colored - belt system of grading.

Savate, or " boxe française" has it's origins in France. Present day costume consists of a leotard, for complete freedom of movement, and specially constructed shoes with astonishingly hard toe caps. In Savate the shoe is highly trained like, and considered a weapon.

In China, the southern Kung Fu styles has short sleeves and the northern styles had long sleeves. This was mainly because of the weather. The southern Kung Fu styles like Hung Gar and Wing Chun stressed close - range fighting methods, because of the narrow streets. The long sleeves would get in the way when training or fighting so they simply eliminated them. The north also used dark colors, while the south used brighter colors, this was mainly because of the economy. The south was richer, due to the fact that they were near the water, which had more businesses and more money. Kung Fu practitioners wear a sash tied on the right side to determine rank.

In the U.S. and Canada, uniforms were followed by where their styles come from, although this has changed over the last 20 years. The biggest change has been color. It is now common to see red, blue, and yellow, as well as a combination of colors. This is mainly for competition proposes, to attract attention, to look good and be different. Some Kung Fu Kwoons (schools) have replaced the traditional uniform top with a T-shirt. Remember that uniforms were basically workout clothes of 300 years ago. Today T-shirts offer more comfort over traditional uniform tops when training. Wearing T-shirts is now allowed in tournaments, if they are part of the school's attire; however, I believe it is better to wear traditional style uniforms. This is especially important in forms competitions.

Written By Sifu Rino Côté