JIU JITSU KIMONO
JIU JITSU KIMON
JIU JITSU KIMONO
A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi and a Karate Gi are very much different. There is a very legit reason why we don't ever use a karate Gi in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Some people learn the hard way and if you are one of them you have suffered ripped Bjj Kimonos, split pants, ripped sleeves etc. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you must have a Gi that can withstand the demands that comes with the sport and only a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi can do so.
You must understand that Karate Gis or Tae Kwon Do Gis are specific to that sport. In Karate or Tae Kwon Do for example, your opponent will not grab or pull on your gi so there is no real necessity on reinforcing them.
These Gis are usually very thin and flimsy since the sport of Karate or Tae Kwon Do takes a lot of quick movements with their strikes. If there were to be a lot of pulling or grabbing of these Gis they would make them more durable but this is not the case with these sports. These martial arts are designed to teach striking and not grappling.
A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi however is designed specifically for grappling and designed to withstand the pulling and grabbing that Bjj consists of. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi is made similar to Judo Gis since that martial art also consists of lots of throws and grabbing of the Gi which is why it is made thick as well.
If you notice on a Bjj Gi, all the places that are prone to ripping eventually are reinforced with lots of stitching to prevent rips of any sort. A Bjj Gi is also made with very thick collars to make it much harder to tear when your opponent is pulling on it since it is a very common place to pull in Bjj.
Another thing about a Bjj Gi is the variety of the unique styles and colors. Although the traditional colors of Bjj kimonos are white and blue, now a days you will see them in all sorts of colors such as red, yellow, camo, green, etc. So again the difference between a Karate Gi and a Bjj is of course the durability. Again if you were to ask if you could use a karate gi in Bjj, well the answer is a simply no.
Jiu Jitsu belts are very important in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to help determine fighters progress in the sport. The Jiu Jitsu belts are given out as awards to students for their achievements and as a means of goal setting.
You may ask if there is a specific move or set of moves you must learn to do to get your higher belt, well the answer is no. What it takes to get your higher belt is a mystery that only your instructor will know when you are ready and be the final judge of that.
In Bjj, getting belts is an honor given to you by your instructor and in no way will anyone ask the instructor when he/she will get their new belt out of respect. If one were to do so, it would show severe disrespect to Bjj and especially your instructor. In parts of Brazil you would get slapped by your instructor or beaten up by other students for asking.
Everyone starts out as a white belt working towards getting the next belt higher which is the blue belt. Although, there is no set rules on what it takes to get your blue belt there is some idea people may have. Generally, to graduate as a white belt and go on to your blue belt you must understand the basic techniques necessary. It is like building a foundation in anything.
Without a foundation a building will fall, so once your instructor decides you have the basics down then he will promote you. Some basic moves are escapes like hip escape, mount escape, side mount escape, etc. However, once you get your blue belt you are no longer working on your basics and more of developing your own game.
At this point your instructor may teach you certain tricks, yet you may decide to do them another way. This is because you will be developing your own game. Working towards your higher Jiu Jitsu belts all the way to your black belt will take years of training but will be well worth it. The Jiu Jitsu belts requirements for every school or association is pretty similar though, which is why people are around the same level in competition.
As the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grows you will see many new Jiu Jitsu Gi companies popping up out of know where. You get to a point where you are stuck because there are so many choices and you want to break down your choice for your Jiu Jitsu Gi into 5. Well we have done some research for you and have comprised 5 companies that would best suit your needs no matter what type of Jiu Jitsu Gi you are looking for. This list is in no particular order.
Atama - This brand is the oldest brand and has been around longer than any other brand, even Koral. So if you are looking for stability in a company that has been around the longest this brand would be the way to go. However, not many people like this brand anymore because they still make their Bjj Gis made of two pieces of fabric instead of one.
Submission Fight Co. - This brand is the perfect brand if you are looking to get the best bang for your buck. They have high quality Jiu Jitsu Gear at really low prices. In fact, they have lower prices than any other major Gi manufacturer. So if you are looking to have some extra cash in your pocket this time around, getting a Submission Gi would be the way to go.
Shoyoroll - This brand has not been around for too long but they do have the nicest looking Gis. If you are looking for the coolest looking Bjj Gear and don't care about money and you are rich then go with this brand. There Gis are hard to come by as they are only sold as limited editions.
Vulkan - I almost didn't want to put this brand up but I did because of their popularity. They are more popular than a Gameness perhaps. There Gear is pretty decent but kind of on the pricey side as well. They are not necessarily really good at anything, pretty much average Bjj Gear. They do have lots of products to choose from, if you are looking for variety.
Koral - Last but not least, I had to add this brand as well. They are second to Atama for being the oldest Jiu Jitsu Gi brand out there. They have really sturdy Bjj Kimonos but haven't really changed their designs or anything really that much. They haven't caught up to modern day styles. They do have really solid Jiu Jitsu Kimonos though. I think this brand also has the best sponsors for Bjj, so if that's what you're looking for here's your way to go.