Hi all! Ok, first post, first thread - did search the forums but did not find this particular issue addressed. Ok, so after doing quite a bit of "pure" MMA training with almost no prior martial arts experience, i've decided that my ground game needs some extra technique, and so i'm starting BJJ classes. I've tried it out, and now i need to buy a gi. In my opinion, white gis tend to look not so nice after a couple of years, they get this brownish sweat patina around the seams whether you wash them or not, it seems, so i'm considering going with a black one. Would a black gi w/white belt look ridiculous? I mean, will i look like a noob that bought the coolest looking stuff to be pimp? Or is black gi on a whitebelt pretty common in BJJ? (Nobody has a black gi at my gym yet, all are white, blue or pink)
I always felt noobs should wear the traditional white gi with no patches, just one mans opinion but if you do use a black gi make sure to wash and dry, hang dry inside out to keep the color from fading.
Might as well draw a big noob bullseye on your back. Makes you a walking target, I enjoy walking targets.
Go white. By the time your Gi gets unwearably tattered and ugly: 1. You can bleach it and it's back to pure white 2. You've probably worn it out and should buy a new gi 3. Are good enough and train enough to own more than one gi.
do what u want man. its your money. i have a white and blue atama gi. im a few weeks shy of my blue belt.
Thank you for all the input guys, that's pretty much what i thought - sticking out isn't all that clever when you can't back it up. I'll go with a white koral.
My personal opinion is that you should do whatever makes BJJ more fun and exciting for you. If that means buying a colored gi, then by all means do it. Just bear in mind that not everyone sees it that way though, and so you may find yourself a target even though your intention wasn't to call attention to yourself.
I started BBJ about a yr and a half ago. My first gi was white but after a few weeks i needed a few more cause i got tired of washing the damn thing every nite and hoping it would dry. I got a blue and a black one. Nobody acted like i had a "bulls eye" on my back. Hell one of our new guys got a red gamness cause it was cheap. Wear whatever color you want.
Geez guys nobody said the most important thing. CHECK WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR. He may have a preference. Some places do not mind students wearing colored gi's. While others say Blue and White is acceptable but black is not. Do a little research on the Gi's here if you are going to get one. I have a Koral and I like it but it significantly more expensive then some other Gi's. Padilla and Sons, Vulkan, Gameness, Ouano are all great Gi's and would come in white or blue and all would be cheaper. All of them have great reviews on this site.
I would see no problem with that. However, you could always ask your instructor for advice since you will be training under his guidance.
As mentioned above your instructor may have a preference. Some schools are a little more mellow and people wont really get on you about it. We have new guys/white belts with black gis. I suppose it depends on your personal conduct as well; just act like a normal student and your gi wont really matter
Saw my first purple/pink gi the other day. Not sure of the gender of the owner, since I saw it on the floor.
In my dojo, you cannot wear a black gi until you become a black belt. You can wear black pants starting at brown belt, so I'd ask your instructor first, as some other posters have mentioned.
