Tying a belt is something we all do as Jiu Jitsu folk; personally, I know it is something I could do better. While it is inevitable that your belt will come undone with enough time when rolling proper technique may help it keep tight a little longer.

Below are some of the more helpful or interesting videos I have found one how to tie a belt.

First, my overall favorite:

I love this second video. Very clear instruction and very helpful:

This is a good video with some good basic info. It could be zoomed in a little more but it still good to learn from.

Lastly, a video from the man himself, Relson Gracie. Since I am with a Relson Gracie affiliated school I couldn’t let this one slip by.

I bought my first gi though my school, Boulder Grappling Academy, for a decent price when everything was new to me – including advantages and disadvantages each type of gi. Since then I have done my research – via friends at the dojo and online – and I now feel pretty educated about the topic. Now it is time for me to buy a new gi – but this time I want to get something a little more tailored to my requirements and preferences.

Jiu Jitsu – and many other martial arts in general – are still niche enough that supplies and gear are usually purchased through the students’ school – or possibly more common, online.

When I make a purchase for something major (like a gi) I am methodical about research and finding out everything I can about the product and the various options out there. I want to be an educated consumer. For mainstream products – like most things sold at Amazon – this is fairly easy. Descriptions and reviews abound and a general consensus usually develops around the product in question.

But not so for a gi. Buying and researching gis online has been an arduous, frustrating process so far. Here’s why:

1. Relatively low number of gi reviews

   Sure, there are reviews online, but compared to other products, there are just not that many. I expect that to change for the better as Jiu Jitsu becomes more popular. Two sources I have consulted are Joker’s Jiu-jitsu Kimono & Gi Reviews and Sherdog’s MMA forums – specifically the gear sub forum. These are two good resources, but overall, the quantity of reviews is still small.

   Some online sellers have product reviews – such as Budovideos – but usually they are small, one or two sentences at most. These can be helpful but usually don’t provide enough insight or information for me to make a good buying decision.

   

   I hope to help out the community a bit in this regard – I plan on posting reviews of every gi I get my hands on.

2. Lack of consistent reviews

   It is often hard to figure out what a gi is really like when looking at a review – and even harder when other reviews on the same product contradict each other. True, a review is only an opinion, and everyone’s opinion will be different, but I have seen opinions on gis that are fairly irreconcilable. For example, most reviews I have seen say Keiko Raca gis are good for trim people with longer arms; but I’ve also found a couple reviews that say their tops are baggy.

3. Lack of measurements

   There is no question about it: the biggest downer of trying to buy a gi online is the lack of measurements. Size is extremely important when considering a new gi -so why it is so hard to find detailed measurements of gis online?

   The typical size chart does not really cut it for me – height and weight only tell so much. I want to know length of the sleeves, length from the shoulder to the bottom of the garment, cuff width, etc. Imagine if measurements provided details like this page does.

The Solution

Thankfully we are bound to be eternally annoyed with finding the perfect gi to buy online. An instructor at my school, Jason, had a great idea for working around this issue: try on other students gis at your academy with a similar or identical size.

pic credit(s): Via Flickr, by PK Kool at http://www.flickr.com/photos/hwanung/1976533885/.

While Jiu Jitsu Kit is a Jiu Jitsu centered blog, I don’t think all my visitors will be familiar with the sport and martial art. That’s why I put together this post. It is a guide to acquaint those who don’t know what “rolling” is or what the term “gi” means. It is also meant to be passed to friends, family, girlfriends, boyfriends, wives and husbands who have no idea what Jiu Jitsu is about.

If you have ideas for updates or additions please let me know. I’ll update as corrections or suggestions roll in.

Jujutsu

Jiu Jitsu finds its roots in Jujutsu, a martial art which originates from Fuedal Japan, and means “art of softness.” Jujutsu evolved among Japan’s samurai and was a martial art to help a person survive when they have no weapons in combat. Judo evolved from Jujutsu.

Jiu Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – which I normally refer to as just “Jiu Jitsu” – evolved from Judo after Mitsuyo Maeda brought the sport and martial art to Brazil in 1914. “Jiu Jitsu” and “Jujutsu” can refer to the same thing (the Japanese martial art), but in the context of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and grappling, Jiu Jitsu is the body of techniques and knowledge, primarily originating from Brazil, that tend to focus more on grappling and ground fighting.

Ground Fighting

“Ground fighting” refers to fighting or hand-to-hand combat on the ground – unlike most other martial arts, which focus on stand up fighting. Jiu Jitsu, obviously, tends to focus on ground self-defense. Examples of martial arts that focus on stand-up fighting include Kung Fu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, and boxing.

Gi / Kimono

A “gi” or “kimono” (the term is often interchangable and referes to the same garment) is the traditional clothing people wear when practicing Jiu Jitsu, although some practictioners/schools do not use or wear gis. Judo and karate practitioners also wear gis but sometimes the cuts or measurements are different.

Belt

Many martial arts have belts. In Jiu Jitsu, belt rank may sometimes vary per school or tradition, but usually the belts are the following, in order from beginner to advanced: white, blue, purple, brown, black, black-red, and red. Red belts are exceptionally rare – last I heard there are only five red belts in the United States.

Professor

“Professor” in Portuguese means “teacher” is typically refers to a black belt instructor in most schools or traditions of Jiu Jitsu.

Rolling

Is “sparring” in Jiu Jitsu and may refer to an “educational” fighting session. “Rolling” can be “full speed”, but sometimes people roll at a slower pace to practice and focus on learning techniques.

Tapping

“Tapping” or “to tap” is the physical or verbal act of tapping your opponent when he or she has you in a hold or position that, if held, will break a limb, have you pass out if he or she holds it, or is extremely uncomfortable, and/or otherwise cannot be maintained. This communicates that the he or she has “won” the match or rolling session. Both the opponent or ground can be tapped. At my school, to verbally tap one says “tap” out loud.

Arm bar

Is a hold and advantageous position in Jiu Jitsu. In an arm bar, the person who is performing the arm bar is attempting to extend the elbow joint beyond 180 degrees. Obviously, if the hold is intensified, the elbow will break. A competitor wants to get an arm bar so his or her opponent will tap. There are many holds in Jiu Jitsu.

Leg bar

Is another hold and advantageous position in Jiu Jitsu. In an leg bar, the person who is performing the leg bar is attempting to extend the knee joint beyond 90 degrees. Obviously, if the hold is intensified, the knee will break. A competitor wants to get an leg bar so his or her opponent will tap.

MMA

Is “mixed martial arts” and although there might be no direct relationship between Jiu Jitsu and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, most competitors who compete in MMA will train in Jiu Jitsu to better equip themselves for dominating the ground portion of their bouts. Most MMA fights, when they go the ground, will see the application of Jiu Jitsu.

Wikipedia was consulted when writing this post.

Update (7/6/9): Edited belt entry. Thanks Caleb!

Update (8/30/9): Edited arm bar entry. Thanks Georgette!

pic credit(s): Via Flickr by San Diego Shooter at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathaninsandiego/2561704120/.

This Miscellania post has a theme – a “state of blog” sort of feel to it. It is also the first entry for July.

Jiu Jitsu Kit Continues To Grow

Jiu Jitsu Kit is growing -  and I have been a bit surprised by the amount of work it takes maintain this blog. I have more respect for publishers of content on the internet than I did before I started Jiu Jitsu Kit. It has been a great experience.

I have some interesting posts up my sleave and Jiu Jitsu Kit has finally  been approved by Google Adsense – which is great, because I hope that it will offset some of the costs of hosting the blog.

New Gi Soon, New Gi Review Soon

I am always pumped to write reviews on gear – especially gis, since it is often difficult find new, good gis that fit well. I will be grabbing a new gi or two soon, so keep your eyes peeled on upcoming reviews of them.

My gi reviews will be very detailed: it is my goal to close the gap for people between not knowing anything about a specific gi to being comfortable making an informed purchasing decision.

Comment System In The Works

I am considering adding a comment system, either Intense Debate or Disqus, to Jiu Jitsu Kit. Currently I am looking at Discus a little more seriously, but input and suggestions are always welcome.