Gi styles

It's funny how much martial arts uniforms are influenced by fashion.

I don't mean the people who wear Kung-Fu jammies, or even have gi in pretty colours. I am talking about folks who wear the traditional white uniform.

When I started Karate back in the early eighties, everybody wore gi that were white. The only adornment, would be a single, small manufacturer’s patch of maybe two square inches.

Even these simple garments went through cycles in style. The weirdest was when people started wearing them with jackets that went almost down to their knees.

In Jiu-Jitsu things are even more volatile. Even white gi tend to get all decorated with a plethora of patches, emblems, and writing. People seem to want to decorate more, but there is strong peer pressure to wear less. I prefer the cheapest and least decorated of the uniforms available through the Gracies. It has two small association patches on the upper arms of the jacket, and a couple on the pant legs.

This is all annoying enough, but there is also the actual styling.

Gi were invented by the Judo people in Japan, and when they did so they made them baggy. They were loose for comfort and for freedom of movement. It became a tradition, and they still like them that way.

I don't know if the newer type of styling in Jiu-Jitsu gi came from Brazil, of if it's an American thing. The new type is the same length as the old style, but much, much tighter to the body. Some people call them “skinny gi,” in reference to “skinny jeans.”

They are less comfortable, and have less freedom of movement. The pants are also cut with a low rise, and underwear shows out all over the place. Basically, they suck.

It's what the style conscious are all wearing, dumb as that might be.

There is even a technique, called an Ezekiel choke, that is much more effective with a baggy gi. It still works with a skinny gi, but is harder to sink, and is then only a trachea crush. With a looser sleeve it is easier to hide from the target, and faster across the neck. It can also be a trachea crush, but using the sleeve against the “other” side of the neck makes it a blood choke as well. You can put people to sleep.

Then, of course, there are the belts. They come in about a bazillion colours, but Jiu-Jitsu limits itself to five. These are white, blue, purple, brown, and black. So are there belt styles as well?

You bet. The three related issues are belt length, how it's worn, and what knot is used.

Length is usually a fluke. When we earn a belt with the Gracies, they ship one out from HQ. Our instructor guesses what size would fit best, but they seem to use a number of suppliers. It's a crap shoot. Most people end up with belts that have about 6 inches beyond the knot on both ends. My original blue belt was much shorter.

Overly-short belts tend to come undone more frequently, which is annoying. Mine was such a problem that I exchanged it for a longer one when I was in LA a couple of years ago.

There are three body locations to wear a belt on. It could go at the thinnest part of the waist, or below the hip bone, or just above. Only children ever wear their belts at the waist. This is due to parents dressing their kids. Located here, there is no slack, and breathing can be affected.

Below the hips avoids this, but the belt tends to move around a lot, which makes the knots loosen. Wearing the belt at the hips prevents the belt from slipping around, and doesn't impede breathing.

For some reason beyond my understanding, the same crowd that favours skinny gi seem to all prefer their belts down below their hips.

The knot can be tied several different ways. This doesn't even include all the many people who use incorrect knots. An incorrect knot is one that doesn't use a reef knot shape, or that fails to capture the inner belt wrap within it. It is remarkable that so many Jiu-Jitsu people (not Gracie students) cannot tie a knot. It's the first thing kids in Karate learn.

There are three basic knots. The first is a basic reef style. It is quick to do, but in grappling tends to untie. The second is a reef, with one of the tails routed between the two belt turns, rather than outside of them. This added friction keeps that end from slipping. Strangely, most people only do this to one belt end. The last method is the same as the second, but with both belt ends tucked inside. Mine has never, ever come undone accidentally.

This blog has gotten way too long, especially considering the topic. Therefore, I won't into the clothing options for underneath the gi jacket (bare chest, tshirt, sports bra, rash guard), or that are starting to appear hanging down below the pant legs (like a rash guard and called spats).

Perhaps another time.