[quote]Stronghold wrote:
Hanley wrote:
Stronghold wrote:
Hanley wrote:
I’d agree with everything David said above except for point 3. Surprisingly leaving a belt off made it much harder for me to touch in my Katana. It would bind up really badly without a belt and create a crease right on the chest place so it was effectively double ply in that area.
What I did was to put a belt on, stick my arms in front of me straight out and lift them up so that my elbows were about at ear level, and THEN close my belt. It pulls the collar up high, but prevents the shirt from creasing up.
Other than that, the only big thing for me in the Katana is that you need to aim lower than you think you do. I’m not saying go to your belly button, but I’ve always found the groove to be quite specific, and if I touch too high by even an inch or two the bar still jumps off my chest but stalls at lockout.
I wouldn’t bother cutting the back either. It won’t make it easier to touch or jack. The soft back and the scooped collar make the shirt really easy to adjust. Just get someone to stand on a bench and pull the back of the shirt up while someone in the front yanks the collar down hard and then tugs the bottom of the shirt before closing your belt and you’ll be all set.
Thanks Hanley…I usually pull down towards the bottom of my sternum and the shirt tends to want to pull me further down once I get around 2 board range. Im guessing this is where the “bubble” is in this shirt and I need to pull it down to touch lower from the get-go? I guess working my arch up higher will help this too…
Sounds about right!! When I get to a 2 board it tends to try and kick back towards my face (so it’s a possibility that you’re in the right area and just need to keep working/add more weight). How hard are you fighting to touch it?? You have to resist the temptation to just press as soon as you hit resistance.
As for the scratchiness (sp??), cut the size label out of the back. That usually irritates me too!
The heaviest Iv taken it to a two board is with 365…and once I fought that down, it felt like the shirt threw it came up like an opener weight. Im going to be back in it again tomorrow so I will see if I can get video or something of it. Once I get to just above 3 board height, I struggle pretty hard to keep getting it down. Going to try a thinner belt tomorrow too and see if that helps with getting my arch up higher.[/quote]
Be careful though, the Katana is a good “board shirt” as well, so don’t let it instill a false sense of confidence. Opener speed at a 2 board is one thing, opener speed off the chest is another.