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Choosing or selecting the appropriate judogi, according to our requirements and preferences, it is the alternative that many judokas face when it is necessary to buy a judogi among the many brands and models that there are in the market.
However, there are three basic criteria that must be taken under consideration when buying a good judogi, depending on the intensity of the work, be these for competition or recreational purposes.
a) If our interest is in competing, then it is convenient to check the rules of the IJF in order to be certain that what we will choose is within the regulations for competition.
b) There are judogis that are professionally finished, and others that show more simplicity in their making, this is a detail of elegance, and of good and harmonious presentation.
c) In order to make our comments, we will divide the gi of the judogi in two parts: the upper part of it, which includes sleeves, neck, upper lapels, under arms, upper back, and shoulders; and the lower part, that includes waist, lateral openings, lower lapels, and back part.
d) It should be examined the reinforcements in the critical areas, like lapels, sleeves, under arms, lateral openings, chest, shoulders and back; as well as the double seam in the whole border of the inferior cloth or skirt of the gi. There are judogis, when they are not made of a single piece, that have a vertical seam in the back "setsugi," from the neck to the waist, which gives more consistency to that area.
e) The lapels when crossing and closing should cover the chest fully, without leaving a pronounced opening in the chest, this gives advantages in combat. The IJF has regulated the measures for the lapels to 5cm wide and 1.5cm thick. Some manufacturers were making them too thick.
f) The judogis made of a single piece are strong, consistent, and very good looking; they are reinforced in the interior half part and outwardly, especially in the shoulders, chest, and upper back.
g) The reinforcements in the lateral openings of the skirt, or lower part of the gi, are very important, and it is a point neglected by many judogis makers; the reinforcement should be internal and in triangular form, especially in the vertex, and it should have multiple stitches.
h) The cloth used for reinforcements should not be thicker than the main one, because then it would reduce flexibility to the judogi, and it would attempt against the freedom of movements.
i) It is desirable that the superior part of the gi be around 60% of the size or total area of the judogi, and the cloth of the inferior part, that is to say of the skirt, be also thick and consistent, and its design, the traditional oblique squares.
j) The seams of the gi should be straight and very aligned, still in the curves; check those areas that require multiple stitches.
k) The cut of the gi, when crossing the lapels should have the "Y"form, and not an "X"form.
l) A good judogi doesn't have to be tight to the body, but fitted, with enough space for the bio-mechanic movements of Judo. The length of the gi should not be so short that its lower border is mounted on the Obi or belt.
m) Some manufacturers miss the details on the pants. A good combat pant should have between 8 and 14 ounces of weight, made of canvas of good quality, resistant, but soft to the skin; reinforced from the front knees to the border. The waistband can have elastic or a canvas string, or perhaps a combination of both. The bootlegs should be lightly narrower, and reinforced with a band of several seams.
a) The quality of cotton is appreciated in the generosity of the fabric made of it, in the softness of its texture. Good-quality cotton is soft to the contact of the skin, without roughness, wrinkles, or waves.
b) As the grapes from first crops are used for the best wines, the best cottons are those obtained in the first crops.
c) The cottons can be natural or whitened, with or without shine.
d) Cottons can also be mixed with other fibers, obtaining obviously smaller purity in the combination.
e) The makers of fabrics use treatments to obtain characteristics of softness, shine, resistance, and firmness on the cotton, besides its own natural characteristics.
f) A cloth made of good cotton has a flat fall when stretching it, and a natural resistance when pulling it, its texture is fine and consistent.
g) Good judogis, called double weave, have a thicker texture, the "grain of rice" texture is thicker; on the other hand, the simple ones are thinner and evidently, of smaller weight.
h) Considering that special cloths are required for martial arts uniforms, manufacturers of cloths know how to achieve good results in the relationship that there is between the weight of the cloth and the thickness of the strand of the cotton.
i) This way, fabrics made of thin strand of cotton, and with small grain texture can be hard, thick, dense and consistent, due to the number of strands per area used. On the other hand, utilizing thick strands, and with big grain texture, a lighter fabric can be obtained, more flexible, but even resistant, due to the quantity and the quality of strands used per area. Manufacturers have diverse designs and forms to knit and to obtain cloths of certain thickness, flexibility, hardness, resistance, and consistency in their textures.
j) It is important to observe very well the size of the grains, their orientation, and the thickness of the obtained cloth. This is also measured by its weight. In the judogis industry, the weights vary from 1000g, 850g, 725g, 625g, 550g, 530g, 500g, 480g, to 420g. These are the weights of the judogis that are in the market.
k) It is important not just the weight of the judogi, but also the quality of the texture of the cotton, soft to the skin, flexible, that doesn't shrink much, durable to the washing, resistant to the work, good capacity of absorption, and evaporation of the perspiration.
l) The judogis should be washed with cold water, and hung to allow them to dry; if detergents are used, these should be soft and of good quality, in order to avoid damage to the texture of the cotton. The laundry cycle should be selected for delicate cloths. The use of bleach and the use of the dryer are not recommended.
m) Depending on the activity in the dojo and the frequency of tournaments, it is advisable to have more than one judogi, to alternate them in the use.
n) The blue and reversible judogis are very showy, but the fabric wears off, and the color washes away with the time. When it is a blue, choose that of better quality. Especially the reversible ones white-blue, they fade more than the solely blue ones. The norms advise to use Pantone 18-4051.
o) For the time being, it is allowed to use the judogis in natural, white and blue colors, after having been maintained the tradition of the natural and white colors rigorously for many years. The strong market for Martial Arts articles makes one think that some day more colors will be adopted for the judogis, the same as for the belts.
p) Cotton is a fiber with the particularity of being a good perspiration absorbent, and eliminator of it; this characteristic is not possessed by the synthetic fibers.
q) There are fabrics that are treated previously against the shrinkage, they are called “sanforizadas” (sanforized); but in general, it is expected that a judogi shrinks between 8% and 15% of its size when it is washed for first time. It is also known that the whitened judogis shrink less than those of natural color. The makers usually design the sizes considering this shrinkage factor.
r) Regarding the whitened judogis, it is a matter of taste. Some like to have theiir judogis white as the snow; others prefer the raw or natural color of the cotton - close to beige and yellow.
s) In regard to the belt (Obi), its color depends on the color of the rank of the student. It may be made either of bright or opaque cotton fabric. The length may vary from 1mt. to 3.5 mt. and the width from 1.5 to 5 cm. It is important to consider also the number of seams because this gives the required firmness to the belt; the seams can be in arrays of 8, 10, 12, or 14.
a) The offer of judogis in the U.S. market as well as in Brazil, Asia, or Europe presents a wide variety of price options.
b) The prices of judogis depend on different factors as quality, the use of it, if it is for competition, training, or only for recreation.
c) There are famous brands, and not very well-known ones, as well as judogis made by hand by true artisans.
d) If we speak of simple judogis, they can be bought in the local market of the U.S. between $35.00 and $60.00, depending on sizes and colors. These are judogis for children, youths, or beginners. They are very simple, without strong reinforcements, logos, labels and embroideries in the sleeves or in the front inferior border, or in the pant. Some famous brands also manufacture judogis for this level of consumers.
e) Now if something is looked for medium or serious students, then we will think of those judogis that are doubled reinforced, and medium weight. The price on these goes from $60.00 to $90.00. They are of great demand, and have famous brands, and usually are sold between $110.00 to $160.00. They are bought in the U.S., although the manufacturers are in foreign countries.
f) Advanced students of judo, competitors, and instructors are generally in the demand sector for judogis of high performance, with the best characteristics. Obviously, the range, image, and type of work require it. Some of the following factors should be analyzed: quality of the cotton, manufacture quality, presentation, durability, price, model, origin, resistance, comfort, lightness, weight of the fabric, color, logo, shrinkage percentage, good absorption, thickness, and the manufacturer prestige.
g) These judogis are manufactured in general in Asia and Europe, and the prices are in the range from $180.00 to $360.00. There are judogis made of hand-made fabric. They are very scarce, and the price range is $600.00 - $900.00; these truly are works of art, and they come in cotton of natural color.
h) There are many judogis in the market that are not of well-known brands, but whose manufacture and cotton are excellent, perhaps comparable to the best; these judogis are made in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, China. Some well-known brands have their judogis manufactured in these countries due to the low cost of the labor.
i) In Japan there are small factories that make articles and weapons for Martial Arts, their judogis are of excellent quality and very reasonable in price. The problem is to contact these companies in order to buy directly from them. The shipment freight cost is usually as same as the price of the judogi.
The offer in the market of products for Martial Arts is very vast and varied. We will only mention (as a brief reference) some of the most famous brands of judogis that can be purchased in USA, Brazil, Europe and Asia. Without doubt, even more are surely to be found on the Web.
- Brasil: Dragao, Howard, Kagi, kagi, Koral
- Canada: Toraki.
- Finland: Sjfam Norris.
- Germany: Danrho, Budonord, and Adidas.
- Great Britain: Blitz.
- Japan: Mizuno, Mitsuboshi, KuSakura, Tozando, and Tiger.
- Korea: Pine Tree and Activ.
- Pakystan: Asif Ali, Five-B, Kabir.
- Spain: Tagoya.
- Taiwan: Olympus, Twin Power.
- USA: Bear, Century, Pro-Rank, Dragon, Ronin, HSU, Hayashi, Golden Tiger, Pro-Force, and Ki.
Autor: Néstor Figueroa
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