A gi is a martial arts uniform, the pajama-like outfit you see students wearing in karate movies and classes. Karate and jiu jitsu gis look similar to the untrained eye, and in fact both come from the same traditional peasant garb from Japan. However, the differences between these two styles of martial arts have led the jiu jitsu gi to develop some design features that don't appear on a karate gi.
Common Structure
Karate and jiu jitsu gis both consist of three parts. The uniform pants are loose in the groin and legs to allow maximum movement and come to about calf level. Participants wear a loose-fitting jacked over the pants that overlaps in the front and ties down near your hips. The third part of the uniform is a karate belt, color-coded to indicate a practitioner's time in training and relative level of skill.
Thickness
Karate competition involves trading punches and kicks and actually forbids sustained grabs of the gi. In jiu jitsu, grabbing, pulling and twisting the gi jacket is a common tactic and necessary to execute many techniques. A karate gi would tear under this abuse. For this reason, jiu jitsu gi jackets are significantly thicker than those for karate gis.
Quilting and Padding
To further reinforce the gi jacket in jiu jitsu, quilting is added. This can mean quilting to the entire jacket, or simply to the cuffs, lapels and sleeves -- the areas that sustain the worst treatment in a jiu jitsu match. Jiu jitsu uniforms also frequently have reinforcing patches on their elbows and knees, areas that receive a lot of friction while playing jiu jitsu.
Marking
Traditional karate gis have no marking or decoration, although some modern academies add a logo or student's name to the back or lapel. Traditional jiu jitsu gis often follow the same convention. However, Brazilian jiu jitsu uniforms are decorated frequently with the logos or names of the manufacturer and distributor of the uniform, the jiu jitsu school and other sponsors.
References
- "Century Martial Arts Catalog 2011"; Century Martial Arts; 2011
- David Coffman; Martial Arts Historian; Hillsboro, Oregon
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