A Guide to Buying BJJ Belts and GIs

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been gathering a lot of popularity in the past few years, and is considered one of the best fighting techniques in the world. The many videos of little kids protecting themselves against bullies using BJJ that have surfaced on the internet are giving more and more kids and adults a reason to train BJJ. If you're considering enrolling into a BJJ gym, then great! You're in for a great time of bettering yourself physically and mentally. However, right after you'll go to the gym for the first time, you'll see that everyone there is wearing a BJJ GI and a belt, which the gym itself can probably sell to you. 

 

But buying a GI and belt from the gym you're training at might not be the best option, simply because some gyms high-ball the prices and you'll end up spending almost double of what a real GI and belt are worth. For that reason, ask whether you can buy BJJ belt and GI elsewhere, and if they say yes, start looking online. When you look to buy BJJ belt and GI online, there are a couple of important factors to consider.

The most important factor to consider when buying a BJJ GI is the weave. The weave determines how much material is used and how it's all put together. This impacts the GI's weight, durability and thickness. You want a GI that's light, thick and durable. The thickness is especially important, as it greatly impacts how well your opponent can grab and maintain a grip on your GI. Just compare how difficult it is to grip a thick leather jacket versus a thin t-shirt.

 

Further, you need to get the right size. BJJ GIs are usually sized A0-A6. The A stands for adult, and the number represents the different available sizes. The higher the number, the bigger the size. Children GIs follow different sizing, typically M0-M4 or 000, 00, 0, 1, etc. Besides size, you need to consider the colour. There are various different colour options - white, black, red, blue, yellow, pink, purple and more. For competition, you should either go white, black or blue, while for training, you need to check out with the gym you're going to train at.

 

The similar rules apply to buying a belt. You need to consider the materials it's made of, the thickness and of course, colour. The quality of the belt doesn't matter if you're just starting out, as you'll probably be pushing through the ranks faster at the beginning. However, once you start to reach serious levels, you want a belt that's going to last until you rank up for the next one. The belt size needs to be the same size as your BJJ GI. As far as colours go, white is the belt colour for beginners, blue is the second belt, purple is the third, then brown, then black.