Tie A Hakama
Putting on a Hakama
Your battle skirt is probably the most complicated bit to put on after your men, and thats only because you can't see what you are doing when you put your hat on.
So, there you are in the changing room, just put your keikogi on, and are furtively glancing around to make sure no-one is trying to grab a squizz at your garbage. Once you've got the embarassment behind you, read on.
Step 1:
Having put your keikogi on, step into the hakama and hold it at your waist.
Step 2:
Pull the straps (hakama himo) tightly behind you, then cross them over at the fron again, with the crossing about 2 inches lower than the main body of the himo connected to the hakama.
Step 3:
Wrap around to the back, again 2 inches below what is already there and tie a butterfly knot (and do it better than the bag of shit Ant has managed to conjour up for the pic...)
Step 4:
Take the plastic spatula (koshi ita) and slot it between the knot of the hakama himo and your keikogi as indicated, then pull the two rear hakama himo around to the front and cross them over in the middle
Step 5:
Take the one on the top of the arangement (the one coming from the left in the picture) and put it underneath the hakama himo that are already tied up, from the bottom, and pull it tight:
Step 6:
Next, still keeping everything in the middle, tie a standard knot in the two himo and pull them tight.
Step 7:
Finally, take the ends, and tuck them in underneath the himo near the the pad (koshi dare/hakama dare) that is sitting in the small of your back. Make sure they don't show when you are done. And thats it!
This is a part of the EquipmentHowTo HowTo Guides
