An Armchair Review of Two BJJ Clothing Companies: Submission Fight Co & Technically Sound

I know it’s odd, me posting on a Sunday, but there is a method to my madness, I swear.

So this has been happening more recently ever since I changed my twitter name from “thatclassybroad” to “SkirtontheMat” (huh, imagine that): companies that sell fight gear are following my account. Since I am not currently in the market to purchase any bjj gi’s and such (but of course wouldn’t mind a free sample…wink wink, nudge nudge) I took a look through the sites of two companies that started to follow me and this is what I think:

First up, Submission Fight Company (http://www.submissionfc.com/)

I’ve actually heard of these guys before but I have never tried their product. Their website is pretty easy to use, which is always a plus. On the front page they are currently promoting the “Hemp Sensation” gi, they sell replacement cords for gi pants, albeit pretty pricey, but hey, it’s nice to have that option.

Pros: they have an all right variety of product from kids gis to adult kimonos, and they apparently sell pants separately, which is nice.

Cons: Rash guard selection is pretty nil, especially if you are looking for a rash guard that can potentially work for an IBJJF event (aka, having your corresponding rank color on the shirt). Also a complaint about gi’s, but I’ll mention that toward the end.

 

Technically Sound Fight Gear (http://www.technicallysoundfightgear.com/)

They look brand new, or at least I hope they are due to their lack of product available. They seem all about the detailing, and I found myself staring and analyzing their design like I should analyze modern art instead of what I usually do – get angry and stomp away when it looks like it took less than a 1/2 hour to make (really? You got a piece of black sandpaper, drew what looks like cross between an F and a backwards 7, and it is now hanging as a piece of art?! GAH!) (true story, btw). They have two people in the middle of a jiu jitsu match, or fight, or whatever, in front of a pyramid, which I then began to theorize to mean that with a strong foundation you will achieve great heights and the pinnacle of performance?

See, I know how to read between the lines and stuff.

Pros: From what I can tell, they have some nice shirts and they talk a pretty good game. It’ll be interesting to check back in with them in about 6 months. But that’s the thing, they have a pretty limited selection, so we’ll see what happens.

I decided to intentionally post this on a Sunday where I will have the least amount of readers. Pretty mean of me, I know. But if anyone wants some prime real estate on this site they are going to have to offer something in return. I can’t generate income on this site, since I would then have to apply for a business privilege license (thanks, Philadelphia!), so it’ll have to be free samples of stuff for me to review during the week, when more readers visit my site.

Ah, and now for my complaint regarding gi manufacturers- I may be (read, probably)  totally off about this, but it never seems lik anyone posts the dimensions of gi’s, for example:

I have a short torso, which is why I really like Atama Kimonos (http://www.atama-kimonos.com/) – they are crazy expensive, but their tops are long enough for competition, but not so long that they cover my butt to the point where it becomes an impediment.   I just noticed they also have judo gi’s available, which would be interesting to test out.

If I could find something with comparable length of the Atama top at a much lower price, I would probably be convinced to cheat on my favorite gi company to try out a new product. But I never know, and would rather not shell out a hundred dollars to go through the trial and error of finding that out.

So, in closing, those are my thoughts to fighting clothing companies: send me samples, I will review them where they are more likely to be seen, someone offer some size dimensions, and Atama if you could send me free things I will continue to proclaim how much I love your gi’s.

If anyone is actually willing to take me up on this crazy proposition, contact me through my blogging email, thatclassybroad at gmail dot com, and we’ll work something out.

 

New Site: GiFreak

Megan from The Tangled Triangle has been working on a new site which I think looks pretty cool: it’s called GiFreak.

The premise from a quick search is showing you what different kinds and brands of gi’s there are out there, along with different reviews from people.

Awesome! My only request is an explanation on what precisely the different weave names mean. I understand single weave vs. double weave but gold? Pearl? Hybrid? Whenever a gi describes themselves as something other than a single or double weave, I tend to pretend like I know what they are talking about, but if I were being honest I would just stare blankly and just say “okay.”

Go check out the site!

 

Gi’s: A Taste of What’s Out There

This post is just going to be quick and dirty, because we got home late from training and I want some extra sleep.

I want to talk about gis. You know, the outfit everyone will call your Karate uniform which you will then have to explain are too thin and yours is more suited for wrestling. Or, you just smile and nod.

But really, where’s the fun in that?

There will be a lot of hits and misses when it comes to trying out different brands, and eventually you will find one or two brands that you prefer over the others, whether it be due to fit, fabric, etc.

Here is a list of what I have experienced so far:

Machado: cut well for broader shouldered, or more ‘endowed’ ::ahem::. The only problem I had with Machado was that I used Oxyclean to clean it, which acts a lot like bleach to a gi: it destroys the cotton fibers. The next thing you know someone’s gripping your collar and suddenly you both hear a loud ripping sound. The Machado I had was actually given to me, but just the jacket so I can’t really say anything about the pants.

Atama: I like the fabric, and can even deal with the cloth drawstring, but one of the seams on the jacket bothered me. I think I bruised a part of my back from where the middle seam met with the skirt seam. This it outweighed however by the fact that it looks like they actually asked a female what she would like a gi to look like, and maybe even ::gasp:: measured one, because they have women’s sizes, leading to a more comfortable fit.

Koral: I used to feel like I was training in a quilt-not anymore, but I have a short torso, and the A1 covers my butt. Defnitely not a bad thing, but it makes it a little awkward when trying to close. I feel like I’m either hiking up the bottom to properly wrap around, or I have trouble closing the lapels if I pull the bottom over my butt.

Vulcan: VERY light but rough texture on the inside. Not the gi to buy if your instructor is a fan of having you pull your body across the mat with only your arms. I had ENORMOUS, bleeding gi burns on both of my elbows after one session. And then we put New Skin on them. YOWZA! It’s like pouring rubbing alcohol on your wounds. Take it from someone who knows.

Gis I have not worn, but would be interested in trying out:

Dragao: They seem pretty standard, but sometimes it’s better to not mess with the classics.

Lucky Gi: They don’t look like gi’s that are suited for serious training, but would be interesting to take a roll in.

Krugan: The name sounds cool. That’s really my only reason for wanting to try it.

And finally, when I get my black belt…someone’s really going to have to talk me out of wearing this color gi on the mat:

Man oh man that is yellow!