Judogi's

Recently, when I was lined up for a competition on two consecutive weekends, I took the decision (which seemed easy at the time) to buy a competition Gi.

I already own a Blitz Gold and a Blitz Olympian, but after losing 15kg in the past year or so, they feel a bit big on me now.

So to the purchase.  Where do you start?  For me, it has to be price point and that is probably the case for most people out there.  You don't want a cheap Gi that falls apart, but by the same token, spending £300 on a Kosukura Gi isn't going to greatly improve my judo ability.

So after trawling the Internet, I find a bargain, great news Kicksport has a sale on.  Credit card in hand I phone up to check the size with the salesman, we arrive at the correct size, I check the stock on line and they have my size, order next day delivery so it arrives in time for the competition.

Excellent.  Easy.  No....

5 hours later I get a phone call from the same salesman telling me they haven't got my size.  Unfortunately it's a computer glitch, but luckily I can order a full price suit for a sizeable amount extra which they do have in my size.  I politely decline this fantastic offer, as the next price suit is an Adidas, and I haven't come across anyone yet with anything good to say about the Adidas Gi's.

So back to the internet.  After several hours looking at Gis and trying to size them, I basically gave up.  Lets face it, they aren't cheap for a decent double weave, and every site you look at gives you a different size chart, telling you that you need a different size Gi to the one you thought.  Add in delivery costs, the problems in trying to send them back, and the myriad of Gi's available and by the end of it you feel totally lost and confused.

I might go back to it when I start competing again, but in the mean time if you have any thoughts on Gi choice, your opinions would be appreciated.