ALPHA
MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY

Members Corner

HOW TO ATTACH YOUR MEMBERSHIP PATCH:

The membership patch is worn on the left side of your gi, over your heart. It is best to have your instructor tape the patch onto your gi while you are wearing it; if that is not possible then use the following guidelines:

  1. Lay your gi neatly on a flat surface at least three feet wide. Make sure the front flap on YOUR LEFT, as you look at the gi, is on top.
  2. Place the patch on YOUR RIGHT, as you look at the gi. Make sure it is just touching the lapel. The bottom of the patch should be on the same horizontal line as the point where the lapels cross.
  3. Rotate the patch until the kanji characters are on top, and the 4 vertical bars are parallel to the side-seam of the gi.
  4. Temporarily affix the patch to the gi using tape. (do not use harsh tape like electrical tape or duct tape!)
  5. Using white thread, stitch the outside of the patch to the gi.

HOW TO CLEAN A HEAVYWEIGHT GI:

First try to identify the stains, if any, by location: inside collars or cuffs, inside armpit area or groin area will most likely be body oil. Outside front of jacket or pants could be food, either oily or general.

General Laundry Washing:

  1. Keep whites with color patches separate.
  2. Wash as usual with laundry detergent, but DO NOT USE CHLORINE BLEACH -- instead, add hydrogen peroxide at 20-strength to the water.
    (20% hydrogen peroxide can be purchased in a beauty supply store.)
  3. Rinse and extract, dry as usual.

Body Oil Stains:

  1. Wet the area with plain water.
  2. Put a small amount of liquid dish detergent over the soiled area and brush lightly with a white rag. If soil moves or lessens, rinse in clear water and repeat.
  3. If soil remains use a clean scrub brush with a tamping action to break up the stain without fraying the fabric.
  4. Rinse in clear water and repeat if necessary.

Food/Other Stains:

  1. First, follow the steps for body oil stains.
  2. If the stain remains, apply a small amount of WHITE VINEGAR to the stain and repeat the same process, as described above.
  3. If the stain remains, use an eyedropper to apply A FEW DROPS of chlorine bleach.
  4. Use a clean scrub brush with a tamping action to break up the stain without fraying the fabric.
  5. Rinse the bleached area by hand with clear water.
  6. If the stain has lightened to your satisfaction or is gone, neutralize the chlorine bleach with 20% hydrogen peroxide liquid and rinse with clear water.

If all else fails:

  1. Remove all patches
  2. Place gi in bathtub with bleach & cold water solution.
  3. Allow to soak for 2 hours.
  4. Drain tub, then rinse gi in the tub with cold water.
  5. Wash with detergent, peroxide & cold water.
  6. Hang to dry.

Folding your Gi

The following video describes 2 effective ways to fold your Karate Gi: