Idea for new thread: Clothing

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Feb 20, 2004 22:47

Hello,

I'm interested in starting a discussion on modifying "street" clothing-- from jeans to khakis to business suits-- to allow greater range of motion for kicking and other activities.

To start, here are some ideas for guidelines:
--The modifications have no or minimal affect on the appearance or "drape" of the items to be modified.
--The cost of the modification, either in money paid or time spent, be considered as a percentage of the items worth. By the way, the going rate for a seamstress in my area is $35/hr with a minimum charge.
--We focus on the principles of clothing design(about which I know nothing). For instance, how does one design a gusset, both for the crotch as well as the underarm?
Anyone?

Cheers, Kevind

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Jun 03, 2004 12:43

kwon or blitz make jeans for high kicking and great flexability. you could buy some of those and reverse engineer em.

Post by **Thomas Kurz** » Jun 09, 2004 10:10

I think that all those pants are good for is to separate fools from their money. I have never worn any such inventions. I can do all my high kicks wearing normal, off the shelf pants or jeans, or suit trousers of normal cut. As long as your pants have some slack in the thigh (so you thighs are not squeezed by fabric) you can display the full range of motion of your legs. If you can't, then it is not the pants that restrict you.

guest · Post by **guest** » Nov 27, 2004 22:14

Tom, I cannot kick high wearing off-the-shelf pants or jeans of a normal cut that have reasonable slack in the thighs and wait. The design and fit of off-the-shelf pants and trousers impede my kicking. When I initiated this thread, I assumed that would be the case with anyone attempting to kick high while wearing street or business wear. In your response contradicting me, you appear to be speaking from personal experience as well; clearly our experiences differ. I was born to squat; my build is stocky and lean, and my thighs are proportionally large in relation to my waist, though I don't think that they are extremely so. Judging from your appearance in your demo in a business suit in your kicking video, which I have, I am quite a bit heavier in the thighs and pelvis than you are. For off-the-shelf pants or trousers to accommodate my thighs while kicking high, I have to choose a size that is at least several inches too loose in the waist. I don't wear jeans anymore, but if memory serves, Levi's 501 jeans required me to go six or seven inches loose in the waist to get the pant legs to fit comfortably. It makes for a baggy fit and a sloppy appearance. I'd rather modify the pant legs with a gusset than wear a belt or take in the waist.
It seems to me that a pair of pants in which the pant legs don't correspond perfectly with the legs of the wearer will impede his flexibility; an example of this when the crotch of a pair of trousers rides low in relation to the crotch of the wearer. Mierzejewski illustrates this in "Power High Kick with No Warm-Up". He's ensured that his pants stay high by cinching his belt belt in tight above his pelvis. Guys may wear them like that in Eastern Europe, but I think most of us in the west prefer a more relaxed fit.

I do. I would think that for most people, wearing their pants like Mierzerjewski does will require a belt, and personally I don't like wearing one. Regardless, wearing a tight belt is uncomfortable for me, and I imagine for a lot of other men.
Since I first posted, one company in particular that I've found that makes excellent pants that afford great flexibility is Mountain Hardware. Their backpacking pants are beautifully designed. They have the general appearance of khakis, a very comfortable fit, and are constructed with a gusset. The ones I have feature zips on the lower thigh to remove the lower leg; I consider that a drawback, but overall, they're very presentable for any situation that wouldn't require dedicated "office wear". Gramicci is a another company I've recently found that makes very comfortable pants. Kevind

mmeloon · Post by **mmeloon** » Nov 30, 2004 14:46

Kevind, if your legs are so unbelievably massive and strong that you can't wear normal pants then perhaps you don't really need the ability to kick high in a street encounter. A series of powerful kicks to the solar plexus, groin, hip flexor, floating ribs, kidney, knee, or even the thigh should be sufficient to incapacitate most opponents. If I'm ever involved in a street fight and wearing pants which I think will impede my ability to kick high, I will most likely aim for those above listed targets.

-Mark