Jiu Jitsu Gi (Kimono) Buying for Women!

So, as I mentioned in my previous post, shopping for a new jiu jitsu gi was extremely time-consuming for me. I'm always very picky about my buys, especially for something as important as jiu jitsu, thus I spent hours trying to determine what would be the best gi for me. This post is intended to make things a little easier for you :).

I've broken this up into a number of topics so you can just scroll to the ones you like best :).

UPDATE: I've broken my camera again, so the pictures will come at a later date.
11/6/08 UPDATE: A friend of mine, and fellow blogger Georgette has also written up some gi reviews and given me permission to reprint them here! Check them out, appended to the end of this article. Certainly more will come in the future too!

Sections

• Sizing: Regular gis versus women's gis
• The difference between "single weave", "double weave", "gold weave", "competition weave" etc.
• My First Gi (Kwon)
• My Koral
• My Keiko Raca
• Pink.
• Georgettes Input (Keiko Raca childrens, Gameness Pearl, Atama summer weight, GTMA pink)
• NEW:Gameness Gi
  

Sizing: Regular gis versus women's gis

I have to preface this by saying I've never actually worn a gi designed specifically for a woman. I have, however, seen them on other women and talked with them about their impressions. Feel free to email me your opinions and I'll edit this post to include those.

For reference, I am around 5'4" and weigh between 129 (lazy) and 135 (training every day).

It seems the Atama women's gis are cut much more form-fitting than their men's version, perhaps too tight-fitting. Besides the normal complaints that Atamas are stiff and heavy, they seem well designed, although for $154 to $190 they may be out of range, price-wise. I also probably will not purchase an Atama any time soon because of a bad experience I had with their customer service.

War Kimonos and Ouano both seem to have a handle on what it means to have a kimono sized specifically for a woman, and at around $160 and $130 respectively they are more reasonably priced.

Finally, KF Fighter makes a womens-specific gi, but the sizes are the normal male sizes, so your only difference here is that lovely pepto bismol color.

In general, I've found that my gis have shrunk to the perfect size, negating the need to pay more for a "special edition Kyra Gracie Gi" and allowing me to avoid that awful, horrid, pink color (see rant below).


The difference between "single weave", "double weave", "gold weave", "competition weave" etc.

Single weaves are light, but less durable, and often the cheapest.

Double weaves are heavy and make you sweat more than you ever thought you could (this might be a good thing).

Gold weave is not only light, but also strong. You'll usually pay more for a gold weave, but I think it's worth it.

Competition weave gis vary alot depending on the brand. I was discussing this with my friend Heather Ryder, who says that she does not like her Koral competition weave gi precisely because it did not shrink. Even in the A1, she's swimming. Essentially, you pay much much more for a few more patches (which doesn't help if you're trying to score sponsors anyway).

Finally, a note for beginner/intermediate jiu jitsu fighters -- start out in a REALLY heavy gi! It will restrict your movement and teach you to focus heavily on technique, plus your endurance will sky rocket. When you finally get into that "summer weave" you'll feel liberated.


My First Gi (Kwon)

Speaking of gis that are heavy as lead, my first gi was a "Kwon" which I purchased at my local martial arts supply store. Everyone should be so lucky to have such a ridiculous store tucked away within the office complexes of their semi-rural suburb. At that time (3 years ago) they were surprisingly well stocked with MMA gear right next to the kung fu movies and various swords etc. However, they only carried one type of gi, Kwon, from a company that focuses mainly on Judo. Today, they carry Atamas as well as a few other kinds -- this with the sudden growth of jiu jitsu schools in and around Phoenixville, PA.

*WARNING, REALLY GROSS STORY COMING UP*

My Kwon is a size A1. It was huge on me when I got it, but I liked it that way. I could move inside of it even when my opponent held on tight. Furthermore, (now here is the gross part) I never washed it. I only washed it if it smelled awful or if there was a tournament coming up. Yes, the logic escapes me... but that said, it usually did not smell at all. Anyway, the point of that disgusting story was to conclude by saying when I finally DID put it in the dryer (2 years later) it shrunk to 65% of it's original size. Now, it doesn't close all the way. While the top fits tightly now, the pants remained immensely baggy. The draw string was always extremely difficult to pull. A few days ago the string broke for the second time, rendering it way too short to use. Also, their are tears all over which I've had to sew up repeatedly. I no longer use these pants.

The sleeves are also not tapered making movement within them easy, but breaking grips difficult. The worst part was that it is ROUGH on the INSIDE and SOFT on the OUTSIDE! I would get scraped up way more than my opponents. All that said, it was a good beginners gi and reasonably priced ($100) for something with such strong and heavy fabric. The patches are understated.

(and now to take a leaf from Joker's book)

Pros: simple patches, durability, price
Cons: weight, sizing, roughness


My Koral

I bought my Koral right after getting home from Switzerland. I realized I would need more than one gi if I wanted it to be clean for practice everyday (no longer with the ridiculously unhygienic habit of not washing it). This is when I did most of my research on gis and in the end decided to go for two -- one Koral, one Keiko.

My Koral is size A1, classic weave. The jacket shrunk slightly, and the pants shrunk alot. The pants fit extremely well now with plenty of room for movement, but still fairly close fitting. They've faded, but are still pretty rough fabric. I love the Koral string -- very easy to pull and stays tied pretty well. The collar of the Koral is really stiff and hard to grab, also good for defending chokes. Still, the Koral is very large across the shoulders and back. The jacket is thus pretty baggy and doesn't stay on very well despite the jacket flaps closing all the way across. When you let the Koral air dry, it becomes extremely stiff and rough; however, if you put it in the dryer, it comes out nice and soft.

Shipping from Koral was pretty fast! Score!

Pros: decently sized after shrinking, nice color, patches, light weight, stiff collar
Cons: rough, still too baggy, pants fading


My Keiko Raca

I love my Keiko Raca Gi. It is a "limited series" double weave gi in size A1. Don't be fooled by the "double weave" title. It's actually very light, breathable, and the fabric flows, meaning, it's not stiff as a board, even after you wash it.

The jacket flaps are cut nice and long, like the Koral so that they wrap around completely, but unlike the Koral, my Keiko is also nicely fitted on top. The sleeves are more narrow, and the fabric is softer. The only downside here is that the collar is not as stiff so it's more difficult to defend chokes.

A word of warning here, many people find that Keiko Raca pants run very small -- this is TRUE. They are SKINNY! But if you can get over looking like somewhat of a hipster, than it's worth it because skinny pants mean that it's harder for your opponent to grab at your ankles and knees! Skinny pants are great for women :) Here you can see me and my super skinny pants (A1) with my friend Bethany McKee at the 2007 Mundials.

Still, the A1 pants are even too tight for me. Although they stretch slightly, they don't have the same airy freedom as my Korals. I was lucky enough, however, that a very good friend of mine, Michael Harmon, had an extra pair of Keiko A2 pants (which were much too small for him). The A2 pants fit me like a dream! They have plenty of room in the crotch for movement, but are still narrow around the knees and ankles. Unfortunately, you cannot buy the pants separately, but I think if you email the manufacturer, they will likely be accommodating.

Pros: AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME
Cons: Pants maybe too skinny (chose size up), collar not as stiff


Pink.

Why are women's gis pink? They can't even be a sensible pink, but rather range from pepto bismol to, as my friend Galen Mook described it, "stupid magenta". Now, I used to vomit slightly whenever I saw one of these pink gis, but actually, they are kinda growing on me! Weird, huh? I kinda like the idea of destroying a guy on the mat while wearing all pink. What has brought about this change in opinion? Probably because Kyra Gracie is so beautiful, so good at jiu jitsu, and she wears a pink gi! I sit and think for a bit about how awesome I would be if I had a pink gi... and then I remember how much I prefer to keep my dignity and resolve that I would like one if it were free, but I'm never shelling out the $$$ to buy one :D!

Georgette's Gi Reviews

(NOTE: CLICK HERE to go to Georgette's original blog post with many more pictures of her gis.)

In this review I'll cover 4 gis for BJJ... I am currently testing a 5th and waiting for two more to be delivered. FYI, I'm obviously female-- 5'2" 125ish lbs, 34-27-36.

[Please don't ask why I need seven gis. Actually I need more, so feel free to send me some for my review.]

A note on my method: I probably should have measured each before washing and wearing them, but I didn't. I do have a good idea of how much shrinkage occurred. I have rolled in these gis for about 3 months, usually at least 3-4x a week and sometimes as much as 6-7x a week. I always wash my gi the same day I wear it. I usually machine dry them a little with a Downy dryer sheet because I love the smell; then I air dry the rest of the way. I weighed each minus the belt on my bathroom scale, so I don't have ounces, just pounds.

1. Keiko Raca childrens' gi: Purchased here at Budovideos.com for $130 plus shipping. I have a size M4 and it weighs just barely under 4lbs.

This is probably my favorite gi. It's very soft and fluid-feeling, comfortable in hot weather, smooth and light. The kimono fabric is almost silky to the touch. The collar is firm and surprisingly hard to get a grip on. The pants are extremely comfortable with a typical rope belt that is easy to adjust, and there are two loops, widely spaced, in the front. The pants fit well on me, with enough room for my "junk in the trunk" but without too much extra fabric at the knees and ankles. There were some loose threads but in general the stitching is tight and professional. I like the "hint" of pink it offers, and it's a nice light color, not magenta or Pepto-Bismol. The pink trim is sewn on well too. Keiko gis have a plasticky feeling to the name patches, but unlike cheap rashguards, the words haven't been flaking, peeling or otherwise damaged. My only complaint is that it shrunk a bit, so the pants are a touch on the short side, but the kimono fits perfectly. Also if I had my 'druthers, it would be available with other trim colors too (light blue? kelly green?)

Grade: A-

2. Gameness Pearl gi: I bought it here from GroundandPound.com for about $95 plus shipping. I have a size A1 and it weighs 4lbs.


This feels heavier than my pink Keiko. The kimono is slightly stiffer and feels more heavily woven/thicker, but is still quite silky to the touch. The collar is more flexible than the pink Keiko, but the Gameness sleeves are harder to grab. I'm not as crazy about the pants, which I think have less room for my rear, and also have a self-fabric drawstring that's harder to adjust. I also dislike the belt loops, which are set about 2" apart in the center (I'd prefer them more widely set.) The pants fabric is a little thicker, rougher than the Keiko ones. I like that it doesn't have the big dog patches. I do wish the trim on the pants wasn't fraying though. It didn't shrink much at all, maybe 1" in pants length. The kimono is pretty much the same size it started as.

Here's a shot of the fraying at the edge of the trim down the pants leg...



Grade: B+

3. Atama summer weight: bought for about $80 at GroundandPound.com too. I have an A1 and it's just 3 lbs.





I loved this gi during the summer; I was training at a school without A/C and it regularly reached 100-110 degrees inside, and even with industrial fans on, the humidity made it feel more like 120. This is very comfortable in the hottest weather, but I suspect people who grip fight with really strong opponents would be unhappy. It is made with the same sort of fabric a normal karate gi uses, maybe a bit thicker, but definitely not the thickness of a BJJ gi. However, the collar is just as thick and stiff, so it would be harder to grasp in competition. The pants fit fine; the drawstring is also self-fabric, but is narrower so it adjusts more easily. Unlike the other two, though, these pants feel better when tied at your actual waist instead of a little below it, because they have a longer rise. The downside to this gi is the sleeve length (I used to roll them up about 2-3"). I tried to shrink it more without success.

Grade: A for the heat of summer; B to B- for the rest of the year.

4. GTMA pink gi: This Golden Tiger Martial Arts gi came from this little place in Madison Wisconsin. It was only $95 including shipping and they have both pink and purple gis, also available in adult sizes (even BIG adults.) It is a heavy little sucker at about 4, maybe 4 1/2lbs. They are sized a little differently than ordinary gis, so I think maybe I wear a 3? You can email the owner, Mark Severtson, with your measurements if you want to be sure. Tell him you read about his gis here!



I like the color (a light "carnation" pink, if you remember the old Crayola 64s). The kimono top is super thick and stiff, so that might be a plus for competition.I like the pants better than the kimono top. They're smooth but very sturdy feeling, and they make a nice change to the omnipresent white. (I could get a blue, or a red, gi next-- if someone wants me to review their product, feel free to send me one!) The top is just a bit thick for me, which means I should probably train in it all the time. I did notice about 1-2" shrinkage in almost every dimension, but no color bleeding onto other items. (The color isn't perfectly even on the kimono, but you wouldn't notice if you weren't being picky.) The pants are comfy after being worn for a few months, but I would say the heavier padding around the knees/shins is a little higher up on the leg than I would expect/like, and these are a little flatter in the rear than I would prefer. Also, they only have one belt loop, right in the front.

I do think the fabric drawstring is a little stiff and hard to adjust.

Grade: B-

Based on these experiences, I decided to get another Keiko Raca, this time their limited edition double weave... an Atama Mundial #7... and another GTMA gi, this time the purple one.

The Keiko has already arrived; when I get the Atama and the purple one in my regular rotation I will have another set of reviews. Next up: reviews of books and DVDS. Also upcoming: more fight shorts from NoSubmit.com and Bull Terrier Fight Gear and rashies from Official Fight Girl.

Gameness Gi

A while ago I purchased a Gameness gi from my school as a backup. One to keep in the car for when my others were dirty. I ended up wearing it as much as my Keiko and Koral because it was high-time for my Kwon to be retired.

The Gameness top material is pretty soft, and the collar is very heavy-duty, making it difficult to grab. The pants are somewhat stiffer than my other pants, with a smoother finish. They don't move quite as nicely, and the crotch hangs way too low, making them difficult sometimes. However, they are all-around too big, so I don't get tangled up too much.

The Gameness shrunk alot when I put it in the dryer. The unfortunate part about shrinkage is it always affects length, not width. The result was that the pants are just barely the right length but too wide, still. The top is also still baggy but the sleeves are now much shorter.

Here's a picture of me in my Gameness top and my Keiko A2 pants:


As you can see, the pants (Keiko) fit well, and the top (Gameness) is a little bulged around the middle.

One last reason why I don't really like Gameness: I found out recently that "gameness" is the term used by dog fighters to say that their dog is ready and prepped for fighting. Dog fighting is NOT cool. I took the front patch off my gi right after this picture was taken.

My Atama should be coming this week, so I will add details about that one soon!!