Grappling gi without the stuffed lapel?

[Gerry Seymour]

As much as I hate to say who cares what you’re wearing as long as you train seriously and hard, I’m with you on the uniforms. Everyone wearing something different gives me a headache. I love @Buka ’s old pics of his crew wearing some crazy stuff, but I couldn’t handle it myself.

Both organizations I’ve been in, everyone wore the same thing - white karate gi, sleeves either all the way down or rolled up half way up the wrist, pants near the ankles. Same patches in the same places. My former organization even had everyone wearing the same sparring gear. Seido allows white or black only. Kaicho got tired of seeing people wearing crazy colors and patterns. I think the final straw was a guy who showed up with a different color for each piece - helmet and each glove and boot.

They’re called uniforms for a reason. Uniform means the same.

I wish I didn’t care. But I just can’t.

Rant over. For a few minutes anyway

Yeah, I really don't care, except when I do...which seems to be most of the time. So, apparently I care more than I think.

When I go someplace that doesn't use uniforms, it rarely bothers me (though I always feel under-dressed when I'm not personally wearing a gi), but I feel more at home someplace that uses uniforms. Like you, it's just what I'm used to. I'm even okay if my gi doesn't match their uniforms, so long as they're in uniforms and I'm in a gi. Which really makes no sense, even to me.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Bjj gi would be more versatile.

And you can get custom jobs.

And I've seen some I really, really like. My biggest problem is so many of them are covered with patches and embroidery. That just looks to busy for me. But I love some of the black ones with contrast stitching. I keep waiting for the perfect one to show up on BJJHQ when I happen to have the extra cash for it.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Uniforms, sure. But you don't necessarily have to be totally anal about it.
You can have some rules and still let people have some choice.
Require everyone to wear white or black. I doubt you'd really notice if some were wrap and some were pullover.

We require geup ranks to wear a plain white dobak. Sometimes people wear a karate-style wrap gi. No big deal. Not even a small deal.
Chodanbo (black belt candidates) can wear a dobak with a black collar.
Dan ranks commonly switch to black pants.
Personally, I like my diamond pattern dobaks. I usually wear white with black diamonds, but I also have black with white. And a red with black, that I wear for Valentines or Christmas or when I just need a little color in my life.
I keep meaning to get some green pants to wear with it for Christmas...

I'd honestly not mind much if one of the Karate students wanted to wear their white Karate gi (though my "uniform" standard is a black gi). And I don't care much beyond that (what style they wear, etc.). I just can't quite get used to the dobak. The belt always seems out of place to me, because I'm used to needing it to keep the gi top closed. That said, if someone showed up with a black dobak, I'd probably just let them wear it until it was time for their next uniform. And if I did that, I'd probably get used to it...but not enough to wear one.

I do like those diamond-pattern dobaks. If I wore a dobak, I'd want one of those.

 

[JR 137]

Yeah, I really don't care, except when I do...which seems to be most of the time. So, apparently I care more than I think.

When I go someplace that doesn't use uniforms, it rarely bothers me (though I always feel under-dressed when I'm not personally wearing a gi), but I feel more at home someplace that uses uniforms. Like you, it's just what I'm used to. I'm even okay if my gi doesn't match their uniforms, so long as they're in uniforms and I'm in a gi. Which really makes no sense, even to me.

We had a martial arts club in college. Run by students, and we took turns leading the “class” every week. People wore whatever they wanted, and some had zero MA experience. I always wore my gi. I couldn’t not wear it.

A bunch of guys I worked with back in the day used to get together and have “fight club” at a friend’s house. We were all MAists, and we just sparred every Thursday night. A bunch of guys from a bunch of different styles. And I always wore my gi. Actually, most of us did. I just had to.

When I’m hitting the bag or working out on my own, I never wear it. Why I needed to wear it in the two above mentioned settings? No idea. It just wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t. It had nothing to do with the belt or the uniform itself in a showing it off or anything else sense.

It is what it is. I guess I should see a counselor if I want to get to the root of my quirk. I’ve got better things to do though

 

[JR 137]

And I've seen some I really, really like. My biggest problem is so many of them are covered with patches and embroidery. That just looks to busy for me. But I love some of the black ones with contrast stitching. I keep waiting for the perfect one to show up on BJJHQ when I happen to have the extra cash for it.

I hate all those patches on the BJJ gis. Reminds me of NASCAR. I hate NASCAR. I also hate the concept of paying to be a walking (or I guess rolling?) billboard. The guys on their bicycles trying to look like pro riders, soccer guys either jerseys with ads, golfers wearing stuff the pros wear with the ads on it, flag football guys wearing Nike wristbands around their ankles to look like the NFL guys, and now the NBA with ads on their jerseys will work their way onto the jerseys sold in stores.

There’s a great reason why the pros look like walking billboards - they get paid to. I’d do the same thing. But I’m sure as sh!t not wearing that stuff and inadvertently advertising stuff for free because it looks cool or to show my allegiance to someone who’s famous and grossly overpaid. Even if I idolized say, Dale Earnhardt, that doesn’t mean I have to dress like him. He probably didn’t want to dress like that, but money is money. Nothing wrong with that.

Rant over, yet again. For now anyway.

 

[TSDTexan]

I hate all those patches on the BJJ gis. Reminds me of NASCAR. I hate NASCAR. I also hate the concept of paying to be a walking (or I guess rolling?) billboard. The guys on their bicycles trying to look like pro riders, soccer guys either jerseys with ads, golfers wearing stuff the pros wear with the ads on it, flag football guys wearing Nike wristbands around their ankles to look like the NFL guys, and now the NBA with ads on their jerseys will work their way onto the jerseys sold in stores.

There’s a great reason why the pros look like walking billboards - they get paid to. I’d do the same thing. But I’m sure as sh!t not wearing that stuff and inadvertently advertising stuff for free because it looks cool or to show my allegiance to someone who’s famous and grossly overpaid. Even if I idolized say, Dale Earnhardt, that doesn’t mean I have to dress like him. He probably didn’t want to dress like that, but money is money. Nothing wrong with that.

Rant over, yet again. For now anyway.

 

[TSDTexan]

Gpseymour... have a look.

Logic Kimonos | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi & Apparel

 

[drop bear]

Wrong post.

 

[drop bear]

View attachment 22102

That is basically the guardian angels.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Gpseymour... have a look.

Logic Kimonos | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi & Apparel

That is one very stuffed lapel.

 

[TSDTexan]

That is one very stuffed lapel.

i was hoping the minimalist graphics would throw you off.... and then you would like em stuffed. grin

 

[Danny T]

Fuji.
I have 2 and both have lapels that are just folded and stitched.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Fuji.
I have 2 and both have lapels that are just folded and stitched.

Thanks, Danny.