I am happy that Tatami Fightwear finally did the right thing and got it done right. I hope this gi will last a long time in their selection.
I am talking about this Clássico Ultralite Gi. It is their lightweight 300 gsm gi, affordable (59 euros at the moment), comes with free white belt. Minimalistic design, no stupid large logos as they usually do. Available in black, blue and white. Direct competitor for Progress Academy Gi (which I don’t like because it is short).
If I had less gis than I have and I would actually wear gis more often then I would surely buy myself one.
I have found War House (Poland) having very good prices for BJJ products and have ordered from there. You can use Google translate to understand the page.
Active discounts
Coupons
Tatami – for 20% discount you can use coupons welcomeback, hinger20 or maggie20. Tatami quite often has sitewide discounts from 30% to 50% so it is worth to check their page. I like Tatami store because they have flat rate shipping (15 eur).
Scramble – sorry20 for sitewide 20% off. If you combine it with other codes such as reusing15 (to support Kendall Reusing), claudio15 then the discount may increase. You need to try and test. If it does not work then you can find more coupons here. I like Scramble store because they have flat rate shipping (10 eur) but you have to pay for returns if gi does not fit.
Kingz – leave items in the cart and in some days they will send you -20% code. But, their cheapest shipping to Estonia at the moment (21.01.23) is 59.95 and their EU store is not working.
Black Friday 2022
Progress will have everything -30% off in EU store from 23.11.22.
Tatami has Raid gi -50% (150 75) off and some pieces of nogi -50%. Otherwise regular -20%
Kingz 30% off storewide, and up to 70% off select styles. Just use the discount code EARLY22 at checkout. Kore gi is 80 56 eur.
TL;DR: Seriously, look at the gi size chart and don’t buy a gi heavier than 400 gsm (unless you need it for IBJJF competitions from 2024 Worlds). If you are in doubt then ask the producer. If you are looking for best deals, then check this post.
Don’t worry, for several reasons you will get it probably wrong the first time. And luckily – it does not matter. It will look stupid if your gi is too large but nobody will care.
I probably think about it way too much but gi sizing is so stupid.
My personal experience
I am 68-70 kg, 178 cm. When I look at size charts then most of the times I am between(!) 2 sizes. From my experience so far:
Tatami Absolute Nova A2 is very baggy, pants are like a balloon but otherwise OK, comes with a free belt;
Progress Academy A1L is too short, pants are super short (10 cm shorter than Scramble A1L) , even though their size chart says it should be OK, comes with a free belt (which was also too short for me). I would like Progress Academy gi to be the right size because it is very compact and otherwise nice gi and I see many high level athletes wearing it on social media;
Ippon Gear Rookie A2 is OK – lightweight, compact, good fit despite being basically an unknown brand, comes with a free belt;
Scramble Standard Issue A1L is and I like it very much but as it is 450 gsm then it is heavy, hard to pack and hard to wash.
Gi size system
A – adult
F- female
Number, for example A2 – a size bracket, different for every producer
C, for example A2C – adult, size bracket 2, curvy
L, for example A3L – adult, size bracket 3, long
For example A2 can mean adult sized 77-87 kg, 170-178 cm (for Tatami brand).
Every gi producer size is different
If you look at size charts of different producers then you find that for every producer the sizing is slightly different.
In addition to that gi cuts are also different. Some are baggy, some are slim fit.
Look at the size chart, please
Please look at size charts before buying a gi. Tatami and Manto (next to every gi) provide very nice detailed size charts. Progress as well.
Size charts allow tolerance which means their accuracy is around 2 cm.
It will shrink
If you wash your gi for the first time then it will probably slightly shrink. Gis usually have a natural shrinkage rate of about 3-6% after washing with warm water. This means that sleeves and trousers will become shorter.
It is advisable to wash your gi before the first use because otherwise it will leave rubble(?) on your partner (and your body).
Weight of the fabric
Weight of the fabric is usually show in gsm (grams per square meter). Lighter fabrics are usually around 350 gsm, thicker fabric is 550 gsm (Tatami Estilo).
If you like compact lightweight gi then look smaller gsm ( less than 400 gsm). If your gi is heavier than 400 gsm then it may be inconvenient to put it into washing machine.
IBJJF Uniform Guidelines require gi jacket heavier than 380 gsm (starting from 2024 Worlds). So below are some that are in line with IBJJF Uniform Guidelines:
Kuna sa seda teksti loed, siis võimalik, et hakkad esimest korda kimonot ehk gi’d ostma. Jätan siia mõned nõuanded, et oskaksin neid isegi silmas pidada, sest aegajalt kipuvad asjad ununema.
Esiteks, vaata toote juures mõõdutabelit (size chart) ja ära mitte mingil juhul osta vales mõõdus gi’d.
Kui gi on liiga väike, siis sa ei saa selles ennast normaalselt liigutada. Kui gi on liiga suur, siis see on sul nagu telk seljas. Kui sinu mõõtu saadaval ei ole, siis ära osta. Kui kahtled, mis võiks olla sinu jaoks õige suurus, siis saada tootjale e-mail enda pikkuse ja kaaluga ja küsi, mis võiks olla sinu jaoks õige suurus.
Kui uut kimonot selga proovid, siis arvesta, et see tõmbab pesus natuke kokku. Varrukad, talje, sääred – kõik on pärast pesu tõenäoliselt ~5% väiksem.
Abiks: See video näitab päris hästi, kuidas erinevate tootjate kimonod seljas istuvad.
Kimonod on erineva paksusega kangast
Kimono kanga paksust näidatakse gsm’ides (grams per square meter). Sellega võiks samuti gi ostmisel arvestada. Esimene gi võiks olla õhukesest kangast – aastaringselt mugavam kasutada ja lihtsam kokku pakkida, näiteks 300 gsm või 350 gsm.
Paksemast kangast gi peab tihedatele treeningutele kauem vastu. Samas võtab see kotis rohkem ruumi ja suvel palavam. Õhemast kangast gi kulub pisut kiiremini (tõenäoliselt) aga võtab kotis vähe ruumi ja sellega ei hakka nii palav.
Kõige õhemad, mida ma näinud olen, on 300 gsm (näiteks Tatami Elements Superlite). Selline gi on palava ilmaga väga hea ning samuti on seda mugav kaasa pakkida (ei võta kotis palju ruumi). 350 gsm on natuke paksem aga üsna levinud paksus.
Kõige paksem, mida näinud olen, on 550 gsm (näiteks Tatami Estilo) ja sellega on suvel väga palav.
Valge vöö võiks olla kaasas
Teiseks, algajana osta selline gi, millega saab valge vöö kohe kaasa. Budopunktis on sellisteks mudeliteks olnud näiteks Tatami Absolute Nova ja Ippon Gear Rookie. Kingzi e-poest tellides on tasuta vöö kaasas Kore ja The One mudelitel. Tatami e-poes Elements Superlite, Progressil on selliseks mudeliks The Academy Gi. Kui viitsid tegeleda Inglismaalt asjade tellimisega, siis Valoril on mõned mudelid, millel on ka vöö tasuta kaasas (Bravura ja Bravura Classic).
Kui tasuta valget vööd toote kirjelduses märgitud ei ole (free white belt), siis vööd kaasas ei ole ja sa pead ise välja mõtlema, kust sa selle saad. Sellist võimalust, et lähed poodi ja ostad endale meeldiva firma õige pikkusega vöö, kahjuks ei ole. Vöö eraldi ostmine teeb gi märksa kallimaks. Ippon Geari vöö on 15 eurot + saatmine, Progress 16 eurot, Tatami vöö on 12.50 + saatmine aga Tatami valgeid vöid ei ole hetkel isegi saada.
Meil on trennis selline nagi, kus ripuvad teiste vanad valged vööd ja kui vööd veel ei ole, siis võib sealt endale uue vöö võtta.
Vöödel on erinevad pikkused! Kui vöö on kimonoga kaasas, siis võid olla kindel, et vöö on ka õige pikkusega.
Ma olen siia teinud väikese ülevaate erinevatest pakkumistest, mis aegajalt toimuvad. Samuti leiab internetist aegajalt erinevate brändide päris suuri sooduskoode. Näiteks Josh Hingeri instagramis on Tatami -20% sooduskood hetkel (19.02), Ffion Davies linktree lehel on -15% Progress sooduskood.
Kui Kingzi e-poes asjad korvi lisasin aga kohe ära ei tellinud, siis nad saatsid -20% sooduskoodi.
Spordiklubidel on vahest Budopunktiga mingi diil, et saab allahindlust ja seda tasub ka uurida.
TL;DR: I am 178 cm, ~70 kg and Ippon Gear Rookie size A2 BJJ gi is the only gi that fits well so far. Tatami Absolute Nova A2 is huge/baggy and Progress Academy A1L is just short. See more about BJJ gi sizing…
At the beginning of the year, Ippon Gear Brazilian jiu-jitsu gis appeared in our local fightwear shop. Usually, only Tatami gis have been available and also Starpro to fill the most affordable end. Ippon has been well known for its judo kimonos so this caught my attention.
Ippon Gear Rookie BJJ gi
Ippon Gear gis seem quite affordable. The jacket, pants and white belt are just 79 euros altogether.
Alternative options for beginner uniform would be Tatami Absolute, Kingz Kore, Kingz The One (105 euros) that also have white belt included. If you are convenient with ordering from the UK then Valor has couple of models with belt included (Bravura and Bravura Classic model) and Progress as well.
I have seen their blue and white Ippon Gear Rookie gi in the gym. They are a great fit, have nice fabric and nice cut. They have a very minimalistic design with just little logos on pants and jacket. This gi comes with a free white belt which makes it an even better deal. So initially looked like worth buying.I have ordered the black one and looking forward to wearing it.
First impressions
I have worn only Tatami Absolute gi so far. So the first impressions with Ippon Gear Rookie were a bit… surprising… and disappointing.
Jacket is just 60% cotton, 40% polyester, fabric density 350g/m². Feels semi decent and thinner when compared to Tatami which is 100% cotton and feels really good. Both are pearl weave.
Pants 52% polyester, 48% cotton, fabric density 220 g/m². Feel is like regular thin cloth, cheap, fragile. Nothing like Tatami’s 10oz (283.5 g/m²) cotton tapered pants.
Starpro labels inside Ippon Gear kimono.
For some reason labels inside the jacket and pants have Starpro logo on them. So it at least Ippon Gear Rookie gi seems like it is just Starpro gi with Ippon Gear logos embroidered on it.
Two months later
This gi actually has pretty good fit and decent feel on the mat. I am 178 cm, 68 kg and wearing A2. I belive I can recommend this gi.
