Martial Arts Supplies

In this second post in this series, we will compare and contrast the most popular types of grappling uniforms: judo gis, and jujitsu gis or brazilian jiu-jitsu gis (BJJ).  I will speak of all jujitsu/jiu-jitsu/BJJ uniforms interchangebly in this post. So let’s compare the two types of uniforms.

Comparison

• Judo and Jiu-jitsu are both grappling martial arts.
• Grappling uniforms need to be extremely durable.
• Traditional grappling uniform fabrics are single weave or double weave.

Judo and Jiu-jitsu are both grappling martial arts.  This means that the participants will grab each other by body parts, or by the clothes they wear.  Therefore, their uniforms need to be extremely durable and hold up to the constant tugging and pulling without tearing apart.

Grappling uniforms are typically made from a fabric unique to these styles. The fabric is very strong, and the seams are specially reinforced to prevent ripping.  (A new lightweight brazilian jiujitsu gi now exists and is great for warm weather training. Click on this link to learn more about this bjj gi http://www.mas4less.com/bold-look-valente-8.5-oz.-jiu-jitsu-gi-uniform)Traditionally, the fabric is usually either a single weave or a double weave fabric.  In other words, the material is either a single layer or a double layer.

Now, here’s a contrasting look at the differences between judo and jiujitsu gis.

Contrasts

• Judo uniforms require more fabric to grab – BJJ uniforms use less fabric to grab
• The judo jacket skirt is longer – BJJ uniform jacket skirts, sleeves, pant legs are shorter
• Judo uniforms are cut baggy – BJJ sleeves are cut narrower
• Judo uniforms do not have an extra seam on back of the jacket- BJJ jackets have the extra seam for helping to narrow the jacket

Although judo and jiu-jitsu uniforms are made for grappling, there are slight differences.  The rules of judo require the fabric to be used for grabbing.  The judo uniform jackets must be a certain length based on judo sport rules.  Judo uniforms are worn baggier than jiu-jutsu uniforms as well.

By contrast, jiu-jitsu rules do not require that the fabric have a specific amount of fabric for the purpose of grabbing,  therefore, jiu-jitsu practitioners especially BJJ stylists, prefer shorter, narrower, tighter fitting uniforms.  BJJ uniforms actually are cut slightly differently, with an extra seam on the back where fabric has been gatherered to narrow the jacket.  The shorter tighter uniforms prevent their opponents from having excess fabric for use in chokes, grabs, and throws.

Since grappling uniforms are very durable, often times instructors might substitute a judo gi for a jiu-jitsu gi for purposes of practicing.  Judo gis can sometimes be found at lower rates than jiu-jitsu gis.  But for competition, judo and jiu-jitsu stylists use the gis that are specifically designed for their martial arts.

In the third and final post in this series, we will look at how tae kwon do uniforms are similar and different from karate uniforms.  For more information about martial arts uniforms, have a look at http://www.mas4less.com/uniforms.

During my Thanksgiving vacation, I was perusing Yahoo! Answers http://answers.yahoo.com/ and reading posts with questions related to martial arts.  I saw a question that I thought was a good one to write about and I thought that my answer might be a bit more detailed. The question was “What is the difference between a karate uniform, a tae kwon do uniform, a judo uniform, and a jiujitsu uniform?  So let me give a basic run down of the differences.

I will begin with the traditional cut uniforms.  A karate uniform, judo uniform and a jiujitsu uniform all have a traditional cut.  Tae Kwon Do uniforms have their own unique cut and style that I will discuss later.  What is a traditional cut you might be thinking? Well, a traditional cut refers to the martial arts uniform jacket or top.  (Traditional cut can also refer to the length of the sleeves and the pant legs, but these will not be the focus in this post.) With a traditionally cut martial arts uniform or gi, the  jacket or top is put on the same as you might put on a button down shirt or a regular jacket. There is an opening in the front for you to slide your arms and torso into, then you will fasten the front some how. In traditionally cut martial arts uniforms or gis, the jacket fronts usually criss-cross and tie. There are often ties on the hips or sides to fasten the uniform prior to it being additionally fastened by using a belt to keep the jacket or top closed.

Since there are 3 types of traditional cut uniforms or gis being discussed in this post, how do the karate, judo, and jiu-jitsu gis differ if they all use a criss-crossing jacket?  Well, to answer this, we need to separate these uniforms into two categories based on the needs of the style of martial art.  Some gis are made for striking styles, and some gis are made for grappling, tugging and throwing styles.  There are martial arts that blend striking and grappling, but most styles are primarily known as a striking style or a grappling style.

Karate styles are striking arts, therefore karate uniforms do not require the strength to handle constant pulling and tugging on the fabric.  Do not get me wrong, there will be some pulling and tugging especially when practicing self-defense skills like throwing, but the amount and degree of pulling and tugging is much less than with grappling styles like judo and jiujitsu.

Karate uniforms are typically lightweight for beginners who are usually just learning their basic striking such as kicking and punching.  As beginners grow into advanced practitioners, their practice incorporates more grabbing and throwing techniques. Thus, advanced students and instructors often wear heavyweight uniforms to cover the hybrid nature of this advanced practicing. Karate style uniforms are made to be durable, but they do not need to withstand the constant tugging of a grappling style like judo and jiujitsu.

By Joe Sayles,Jr.

Here is another question that we are often asked at www.mas4less.com  Can my child wear a karate uniform to his judo lesson?

We get many questions that are similar to this, so in this series of posts, we will explore and compare the uniform differences, and what the uniform colors, styles, design cuts, and other features mean. We will also explore why you may, or may not be able to wear different styles of uniforms in your classes.

Many martial arts uniforms are tailored to the rigors of specific styles of martial arts. Karate gis aka karate uniforms are designed to be comfortable and loose fitting.  Their design is to allow flexible, fluid kicking punching and striking movements. 

Karate gis come in a variety of different fabric weights from 5-6 oz lightweight fabrics, to 14 and 16 oz super heavy weight uniforms. Karate uniforms can come in several colors. The Bold Look brand often comes in up to four colors, but there are twelve more custom color options.

Although some uniforms can be quite durable, karate uniforms are not specifically designed for grappling, throwing, tugging, and pulling.  There are uniforms designed for this known as grappling uniforms.  More specifically, there are two types of grappling uniforms, judo gis and jujitsu/jiu-jitsu gis.  In this post we will focus on judo uniforms.

Judo uniforms come in a few varieties. For starters, they usually come in two fabric weights, single weave often 14 oz gis and double weave 16 oz fabrics.  Judo gis are traditionally available in natural-unbleached version, bleached or white, blue, or reversible blue and white. The natural unbleached is often the most economical version therefore it is frequently used as a practice uniform.  On the contrary, the reversible white and blue judo gi is a competition level gi.

Judo gis are designed for grappling, throwing, tugging, and pulling.  The nature of judo is designed not as a striking martial art, but as a grappling art. Therefore, it is important that their uniforms are made from heavy duty materials that will withstand tugging and the vigourous nature of this martial art.

This being said, it judo gis are not designed for the flexible high flying kicks and strikes of the various karate styles.

So, to answer the initial question, can you wear a karate uniform for Judo classes?  In my humble opinion, I would not recommend purchasing a karate gi to wear in a judo class. Not even a heavyweight uniform.  To learn more about karate and judo uniforms, please visit www.mas4less.com.

Bold Look Single Weave White Judo Gi Uniform

By Joe Sayles, Jr.

The Bold Look Single Weave Judo Gi Uniform is a line of great low priced judo gis.  This uniform line is great for beginner and intermediate level judo students who want a great economical gi. But they also serve the serious Judo stylist well because serious practicioners often own more than one uniform. They often own one for practice and another for testing and competition.

Single weave judo uniforms are great, lighter weight judo gis that are an alternative to the double weave, and are great for summer practice.  The single weave gis are made from a 14 oz. 100% natural cotton fabric, so these gis breathe well, and are easy to maintain.

The gi jacket upper is very durable, yet the 8.5 oz. fabric of the lower part of the jacket adds to its lightweight.  The single weave jacket has a long skirt and its seams are double reinforced for extra durability.

The judo pants are made from 8.5 oz fabric and have a drawstring tie for easy securing. The smaller available sizes (sizes 000-2) have elastic waists and drawstrings making the pants excellent for kids.  This is a unique feature for judo pants that will not be found on many brands.

If you are interested in a great, low cost summer grappling uniform, or a uniform for a judoka beginner, the Bold Look Single Weave Judo Gi Uniform is an excellent choice.  For more information about our line of Bold Look judo gis, please visit http://www.mas4less.com/judogis.

• “What size karate uniform should I get for my child?”
• “My child is ____ feet tall, ___ lbs. and wears a size ____ in his/her regular clothes. What size martial arts uniform should I get?”
• My son’s last karate gi was a size___, but he has grown two inches and gained 15 pounds over the summer. What size karate gi should I order?

Martial Arts Size 00000 = Youth XXXXS = Children’s Clothing Size Equivalent 3T/4T

Martial Arts Size 0000 = Youth XXXS = Children’s Clothing Size Equivalent 4

Martial Arts Size 0 = Youth Small = Children’s Clothing Size Equivalent 10/12

By Joe Sayles, Jr.

In this post I will discuss uniforms that are popular choices for the summer months.

In my taekwon-do studios and clubs, I have always allowed students to have a “summer uniform.”  In my studios, this meant that students could wear our taekwon-do school t-shirt rather than their traditional uniform jacket when they attended class during the summer months.  In fact, we currently implement a Memorial Day to Labor Day time policy where students can wear their t-shirts as a summer practice uniform.  I should als0 share however, that the students must wear their full uniform to any official studio function such as testing or seminars.  Anyway, parents have always liked the idea because the t-shirt was basically a back up uniform.  It was also affordable.  This practice has prompted me to share this and suggest uniforms that might fill this need for you.

As an instuctor I normally wear 12 oz. karate uniforms and 14 oz karate uniforms.  However, in the summer months, I often mix in an 8.5 oz karate gi jacket. My favorite is the Bold Look 8.5 oz. Super Middleweight White Karate Gi Jacket.  This is an inexpensive yet great quality karate gi jacket that is still lighter than the karate jackets I normally wear.  So, I was thinking, may your studio doesn’t allow t-shirts, but they allow you to wear lightweight uniforms.  So here is my list of 5 Great Summer Martial Arts Uniforms and the reasons I have suggested them starting. They are not numbered in any particular order.

1a) Bold Look Kung Fu Sleeveless Top White w/ Black Laces

This is one of several sleeveless Kung Fu Tops that we sell.  We have several colors to choose from although at the time of this post, we didn’t have all of the available options listed online. We suggest this top simply because it is a sleeveless vest that will keep you cooler.

1b) Bold Look Kung Fu Uniform Black w/ Black Frogs

If you are not allowed to wear a sleeveless vest, then we suggest the Bold Look Kung Fu Uniform Black w/ Black Frogs because it is our least expensive Kung Fu gi.  Although black is not the best color to wear in summer months, we expect most of you will be practicing indoors.

2) Bold Look Single Weave White Judo Gi Uniform

For the Judo practioner, we suggest the Bold Look Single Weave White Judo Gi Uniform.  This is one of our lowest priced judo gis. As a single weave judo gi, it is lighter than a double weave, but it is still durable enough to stand up to the rigors of regular judo practice.

3) Bold Look Valente 8.5 oz. Jiu-Jitsu Gi Uniform

For the BJJ or jiu-jitsu stylist, we suggest the Bold Look Valente 8.5 oz. Jiu-Jitsu Gi Uniform.  This is our lowest priced Jiu-Jitsu Gi. This is the only BJJ gi that I know of made from 8.5 oz fabric. It is still very durable and popular with jiu-jitsu students and instructors for is low price, lightweight, and durability.

4) Bold Look 7.5 oz. V-Neck Middleweight Taekwondo Uniform-White

For Tae kwon do students, we suggest the Bold Look 7.5 oz. V-Neck Middleweight Taekwondo Uniform-White.  This is a light (middleweight), durable dobok that is low priced and great as both a primary or summer uniform.

5a) Bold Look 6 oz. Lightweight White Karate Gi Uniform

For Karate and all other martial artists who wear traditional karate gis, we suggest the Bold Look 6 oz. Lightweight White Karate Gi Uniform.  This uniform is very lightweight and economically priced.  However, it is slightly see-through. So for this reason, I also suggest that adults consider this next karate gi.

5b) Bold Look 7 oz. Middleweight White Karate Gi Uniform

And my last suggestion, is the Bold Look 7 oz. Middleweight White Karate Gi Uniform because it is light in weight, very economically priced, but unlike the 6 oz. uniform, it is not see through.

For more info on gis,  uniforms and other martial arts supplies please visit our online store.  All of these great uniforms can be found at www.mas4less.com.