I have been doing some online shopping for a new gi or kimono. As stated in a previous blog post, it is not always a fun process. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that most gi and kimono manufacturers don’t cater or market to thin people. In fact, if you are thin, lanky – or even worse, both, you are going to have an extremely hard time finding a gi or kimono that fits. Period.

I consider myself skilled in Internet research. I’m persistent and usually successful when motivated to find something – a product, a video, a web page – so I am surprised I am unable to find more gi and kimono brands that have sizes more appropriate for trim people.

To illustrate my point, here are some examples of gi sizes from some random brands and sellers I found online. Consider that I’m 5′11 and just over 160 lbs; which size of this “Keiko Raca Gi Kimono Limited” would I buy? Here are the sizes in the said link:

Here’s another example – the 2010 Gameness Pearl White Single Weave Gi. The size chart:

What about the Atama Mundial Model #9?:

Most people I’ve communicated with – even people from gi and kimono sellers – generally recommend I buy size A3 and shrink it down. Sometimes this can work, but it means taking a gamble that I can fix the gi without over shrinking it. If I can’t get the size down or it shrinks too much, I’m out $150. No sellers I am aware of will return a washed gi.

Gi Sizes, Body Sizes, And Body Mass Index

It’s clear that gi and kimono manufacturers target people larger than me. But how much larger? To answer this question I’ll reference a concept known as “BMI” – body mass index – that assigns a numeric value to a person’s weight in relation to his or her height. It is considered overly simplistic and is not an indicator of health, but at least it’s something for thinking about how much people weigh. For example, in sports like Jiu Jitsu, people with high BMIs normally have higher BMIs because of muscle mass.

Apparently, gi and kimono sizes are usually made for people with higher body mass indexes (BMI). See for yourself; here is the BMI chart from Wikipedia:

If you refer to the chart above with attention to almost any gi manufacturers’ size chart, you will notice almost all assume a majority of their market has a large BMI. For some reason – warranted are not – gi and kimono manufacturers are assuming that the majority of Jiu Jitsu practitioners are buff, overweight, or both.

This confuses me because it runs counter to my experience and common sense. While people of all shapes and sizes do Jiu Jitsu, the sport absolutely has its share of thin competitors. Still, for whatever reason, companies have overwhelmingly sized their gi and kimonos to fit people with larger BMIs, and largely glossed over the thinner Jiu Jitsu competitor.

But to the gi and kimono manufacturer it has to make sense – because if the sizes did not accurately portray their market, sales would decline, and they would have changed their sizes years ago. That, or maybe no company has yet to adequately sell gis or kimonos that would fit people with a broader range of BMIs.

The question still remains: if trim people like me are going to try and buy a gi, where are should we look?

Options And Ideas For The Thin

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xharekx33/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

I am aware of two brands that occasionally sound like a decent choice for thin people: Keiko Raca and Mkimonos. I’ve never purchased or trained in either, although I have tried on Kieko Raca kimonos owned by other students.

I emailed Jiu Jitsu Progear with suggestions for gis for thin people. They suggested that people with tall/slim build may do well with Keiko Raca; that they usually feature a longer cut to accommodate the thin and trim build. This may be valuable advice but it this seems to be counter to the sizing chart for Kieko Raca shown above.

When I tried on another student’s Keiko Raca A2, the chest and waist portion of the gi felt great, but the arms did feel short.

The option I have heard is good for thin and skinny people is Mkimonos – especially their Lutador Americano label. They even warn about this on one of their product pages.

Unfortunately, while Mkimonos has a pretty good reputation for customer service, I’ve experienced some road bumps in communication with them. I have been very close to purchasing their “White Lutador Americano Hybrid Weave Gi” a few times, but it never seems to be available, even after assurances that it would be.

Putting Out the Call

There is obviously a shortage – or chronic miscommunication – between gi sizes, manufacturers, and thin people who do Jiu Jitsu.

I am actively looking to purchase a new gi, but I want to be sure that what I purchase will fit well.

If you are aware of – or represent a gi or kimono label or brand which you think would fit a skinny person well – please let me know. I am anxious to let people know what I find.

Not too long ago I ordered the Atama Ultra-Lite Gi, which, as confirmed via email with Atama-Kimonos.com, ships with the Mundial #9 pants.

This is a review for Atama Mundial #9 pants, size A3*.

Currenly, the gi and pants are sold only as a pair, but I expect them to be available individually soon.

For a rundown of the Atama Mundial #9 Gi, check out Georgette Oden’s writup where you can also find links to some reviews.

Materials & Structure

The pants are 57% cotton and 43% polyester, but feel like 100% cotton to the touch. Not surprisingly, they are thin – perhaps thinner than denim or an average tee-shirt. Despite the thinness of the material, the pants are still tough and most seams are triple sewn. The pants have no stretch.

Atama must have confidence the pant’s material. I was expecting to find the bottom cuffs reinforced with a thicker fabric, but found it to be reinforced by the same cotton material as the pants. The drawstring also uses the same material rather than a cord or rope (which holds very well when rolling).

The pants also feature a generously large reinforced knee area from about three inches from the bottom of the pant to the top of the thigh.

An interesting disadvantage of the material – at least in white – is that it readily collects and retains dirt and residue. I have owned these pants for a little over a month now and worn them about 12 times or so: they already show more dirt than another pair of pants I own – which was worn to almost every class for about 7 months.

Feel & Cut

Light! The pants feel light and don’t get in the way – and as alluded to earlier, tough. I am currently playing a lot of open guard so my pants are often grabbed (tightly) around the knees. I’ve never thought twice about the material or stitches not holding.

One of my favorite things about the pant is the cut. It is roomy enough not to impede movement, yet tight enough so that it feels like there is no excess cloth. I find the cut of the pants to be a perfect middle ground. They hit at a comfortable spot above the ankles.

From left to right: close-up of patch on upper right thigh, example of reinforced inseam, close-up of drawstring, and the bottom cuff.

Lastly, the pants have good “hang” – they tend to maintain their shape rather than drape over the legs when standing. They also tend not to stick to my legs when they are sweaty.

Summary

I cannot attest to how well these pants wear on every body type. I am 5′11 and about 168 pounds with long arms and legs, and I wear a 32” waist.

These pants are are a great find and I’d buy them again, but probably in a different color. I really enjoy the material, the cut, and I really do feel less “weighed-down” when I roll in them.

* I didn’t review the entire Ultra-Light because I did not feel I wore the top enough before having it tailored to fit me better. It took about 4 or 5 classes to realize the cut was really not for me, despite getting the correct size. I don’t feel right about giving it a review after the alterations.

I will say this, however: the material is good and light and I could really get used the room in shoulders.

Last evening I finally scored a set of patches from Boulder Grappling Academy. They look sharp and three go to set: one is meant for the chest, another for a pant leg, and a large one for the back. I couldn’t ask for a cooler logo or patch for my school. As an additional bonus, they are pre-shrunk which should help reduce the odds of them becoming warped when sewn on the gi.

I plan one applying these to a fancy new gi / kimono I just ordered (which I plan on reviewing for the blog) which should lend itself to these quite nicely.

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/.

One the more unique offerings I have seen for Jiu Jitsu practitioners are tie-dyed gis from Happy Kimonos.

Customers can send in their own gi to get tie-dyed – or they can purchase one from Happy Kimonos and they tie-dye it entirely to the customer’s liking. Every gi is a “custom” job.

In addition the “traditional” tie-dye look, they can also dye your gi to a solid color of your liking – essentially allowing you to choose any color you want because dyes can be blended to create new colors. You no longer need to be bound to white or blue – you can go with something like “emerald green” or “warm black”.

Check them out at happykimonos.com.

Thanks for sending me pictures, Chris!

pic credit(s): Christopher Lane, owner of Happy Kimonos. Used with permission.