I thought this would be a good time to write about the different types of BJJ kimonos, or gis as some people call them. I decided to write this due to all the questions I get at Ivey League MMA about “What Gi should I get?â€.
First thing first, what is a kimono? It’s a type of uniform that comes from Japan and is very common in more traditional martial arts. You see it in Karate, TKD, Judo, BJJ and in Kung Fu.
The type of kimono depends on the type of martial art you do. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo are grappling styles with a lot of grabbing of the kimono. They tend to be thicker because of all the grabbing, hence they tend to cost more then Karate gis. At the same time a good BJJ/Judo kimono will last you years (some of mine are 10+ years old!).
Lets talk about the cut of a BJJ gi. The cut and thickness of a kimono can vary a lot depending on the maker. For example, Howard Combat Kimonos (HCK) are a tighter cut than let’s say a Keiko Sports. Tighter cut kimono brands are HCK, Ouano, Lucky and War. Looser gis are Mizuno, Keiko Sports, and Koral.
Thickness – You have single weave, which is pretty standard on most kimonos. Double weave is much heavier and thicker, not as common (not even close). Now-a-days you have the ultra light weight gis which are just a step up from paper. Ultra lights are made for guys and gals that compete and need to weigh in with the gi on.
Kimono pants can all have different cuts as well, take the KF fighter gi pants for example. When I got a pair of these I put them on and I had a plumbers crack going on! So kimono pants can be an issue if you have a big butt like myself. I like baggier ones myself like HCK and Mizuno.
Alright so now lets get to the meat of it, which type of kimono does Danny Ives like??? I LOVE HCK’s and Mizuno’s. I like the looser kimonos and those are by far my favorites. Again, everyone has their own tastes. Miss Teresa likes the KF fighters. Master Lloyd Irvin likes the Adidas kimonos. The key is finding a brand you like and sticking with it.
I hope this helps everyone pick out a kimono they love. Below I will include a list of websites to get some nice kimonos at.
http://www.howardliu.com Great Kimonos at a great price.
https://www.hatashitasports.com/index.php Another great place to get Kimonos. Fuji and Mizuno. Ask for Lia Hatashita
