I thought doboks in TKD were v necks? last couple of classes I attended as a beginner looked like they had normal karate type GI's on ?
Depends on the association, Instructor, whatever. At my club we wear a v neck for a lot of training, but for when we want to do grabs, throws etc we tend to wear a heavyweight wrapover dobok. Mitch
We have to wear the dobok that the group I belong to require. We use that for gradings, normal sparring, competitions etc. Because I wanted to do some sparring that would allow for limited grabs, sweeps etc, we needed something heavier weight for that to avoid it ripping, so we use a heavy weight dobok/gi for that particular purpose. Not everyone chooses to do it, but it's there for those who do Mitch
V-necks are very typical for WTF type schools. Personally, I love 'em... especially for stand-up sparring. They tend to fit well, are light + cool, and tend to stay together better when working drills and sparring. The open doboks that cross over (and may tie or might not) are nicer for grabs, throws and sparring/training with that allowed. I think ITF and ATA schools tend to prefer this type. Some schools may dictate what you wear; some allow for a lot of discretion. I own several of each type and wear what fits better for what I am teaching (or expect to be learning). Check with your instructor for preferences.
FWIW, it was 20 years or more from the time "TKD" was first used as a name for an MA system and the time anyone wore a V neck uniform.
World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) doboks are in V-Necks... We were required to wear them when I was with the WTF and I in turn required my students to wear them. Personally, I like them, they're comfortable, light weight, and you don't have to worry about the jacket becoming untied. Technically speaking, every system for the most part has their own version of the uniform!! WTF has V-Neck, while ITF (International Tae Kwon Do Federation) tends to wear more overlap jackets.
When I first started training in ITF back in the 90s we had the traditional ITF Dobok with a zipper on front. Never thought much either way about it at the time but thinking back now it hurt when you got a kick or punch right on the zipper. When I switched to WTF I started to wear the V-Neck, eventually settling on one of the Adidas Doboks. Today I still wear the Adidas V-neck for WTF and for ITF interestingly enough I also now wear an Adidas Dobok with the traditional ITF Design (black around the waist) but it is now also a one-piece that goes over the head (no zipper etc so it doesn't come undone during training). Maybe it's because I'm a bit on the bigger side these days but the way the ITF one sits is much more comfortable, especially around the waist. Here's a couple of images of the Doboks I wear: ITF: WTF: Note that's not me in the pictures, I'm a guy
I have a first lesson TKD this week (WTF) so I assume they will be wearing the vneck doboks the ones im always seeing have that black vneck like in your picture although aren't they also white - the vnecks? is that more for beginners the white vneck do these have to be purchased through the clubs?
Yes, good point. In the schools I've trained (I've trained at 4 schools after moving location for work multiple times) the Black Collar is reserved for Black Belts or Black Belt Candidates (i.e. if someone is 1st Kup and needs a new Uniform, they'd be allowed to get the Black V-neck). However, I've seen other schools with Yellow and Green Belts wearing the Black collar. My belief is that is the exception not the rule, but interested to hear other perspectives...
It depends on your club. I've been in schools where the instructor only allows you to wear his/her club uniform, others where the instructor doesn't mind. Again my experience is that getting your 'own' uniform is the exception not the rule - a lot of clubs (in the US at least) will actually include the cost of your Dobok in your first months fees - generally customized with the School badge or logo. When I trained in the UK I got all my uniforms through the instructor and paid for it myself. Also, anecdotally at least, I believe the ITF Uniforms are much more 'standardized' - in WTF I've seen much more choice (Adidas, Nike, Mooto, Daedo, GTMA, Dynamics, Pine Tree etc etc). With the split of the ITF into multiple organizations this is becoming less true (different logos etc) however. There's pros and cons to this because many instructors want their students to be 'uniform', show clearly which school they belong to and to avoid those with greater financial resources showing off vs those with more limited means - totally understand this as well.
My experience before (and after) going to Korea was that black belts/dan ranks wore the black trim on the v-necks (or red/black for kids with poom ranks) and everyone else wore plain white v-necks. In Korea, everyone wore black or red/black trim regardless of whether they were white belts, color belts, or black belts. I'm sure your instructor will sort out what uniform to wear. I always preferred a teeshirt underneath (and recommend this for women as well), although in Korea, teeshirts under your uniform were frowned upon in general.
Do Bok - "Garment or Uniform of the Way" I regularly wear both the older traditional Japanese style "DoGi" jacket, yet other days a V-Neck. To me its about utilitarian value. As long as it's clean and squared away, I could care less whether my students wear a V-Neck of Cross Over Lapel Dobok.
