Women's Gis

[Redcat]

I had no idea such a thing existed until I came across THIS (http://www.doshinmartialarts.com/juka_Dia.htm) during a web search yesterday. I'm wondering if anyone had any experience with gis made especially for women in general and this brand (with which I'm unfamiliar) in particular.

I've been on a quest for a reasonably good fitting, heavier weight gi and I find at my size, (bit under 5'3, 113#) they are not easy to come by. In a lighter gi, I can get away with a size 3 but in a heavier gi, the bottoms in particular are ridiculously large. Some manufacturers don't make anything smaller than a 3. I'm getting tired of the try and return game and was wondering if anyone had any luck/experience with uniforms for smaller chicks. (BTW, we wear karate cuts and white only.) TIA for any input!

[wildwills]

I had no idea such a thing existed until I came across THIS (http://www.doshinmartialarts.com/juka_Dia.htm) during a web search yesterday. I'm wondering if anyone had any experience with gis made especially for women in general and this brand (with which I'm unfamiliar) in particular.

I've been on a quest for a reasonably good fitting, heavier weight gi and I find at my size, (bit under 5'3, 113#) they are not easy to come by. In a lighter gi, I can get away with a size 3 but in a heavier gi, the bottoms in particular are ridiculously large. Some manufacturers don't make anything smaller than a 3. I'm getting tired of the try and return game and was wondering if anyone had any luck/experience with uniforms for smaller chicks. (BTW, we wear karate cuts and white only.) TIA for any input!

I had gotten that very same gi for my wife when we were in Kenpo Jujitsu. She said the pants fit better than regualr gi pants, especially around the hips and were not as "saggy" in the crotch. She said the gi top was better than most gis, but if you're large in the bust or have real broad shoulders, it might not fit any better. But for most women of average size, she said it fit really well.

[wildwills]

You can also get it directly from Juka at, http://jukadragon.com/uniform/diamond.htm

Bujin, also makes some very nice gis for women too. You might want to also check them out at, https://bujindesign.com/womens-c-22_41.html

[TonyU]

While I can't speak for the women dogi, I do have Juka dogi's and I love them.
I compare them in quality to Shureido, but without the steep price.
I was just recently thinking I need to get new ones and I looked up the site again as I am ordering them again. On that note I prefer the gold label.

[Redcat]

Well, um, bustiness isn't really a problem of mine...

Thank you both!

[wildwills]

Well, um, bustiness isn't really a problem of mine...

Thank you both!

LOL...No problem.

My wife's biggest complaint always centered mostly on the fit of the pants. She didn't have too much trouble finding a top to fit properly...she always seemed to "swim" in the pants.

I got her the Bujin pants with the zipper and she really liked them.

[Jaclyn]

I had no idea such a thing existed until I came across THIS (http://www.doshinmartialarts.com/juka_Dia.htm) during a web search yesterday.

Great to know there are women's gis around. My hips have definitely posed problems in finding well-fitting gi pants. :rolleyes:

[Eliz]

Amen to swimming in the pants! I haven't tried the womens Gi's yet, but I am getting there QUICKLY!

I am tall/slim and wear a 3 top and 4 bottom. Depending on the manufacturer, the pants can be too long, too baggy, too saggy, or even in one case - too short, baggy and saggy altogether. That one was a firstl :rolleyes:

I think it is ProForce that offers 1/2 sizes. I always did well with the 3 1/2 heavyweight.

[Defined]

You can also get it directly from Juka at, http://jukadragon.com/uniform/diamond.htm

Bujin, also makes some very nice gis for women too. You might want to also check them out at, https://bujindesign.com/womens-c-22_41.html
From what I have heard and from experience, the pants are more of a problem than the top.

Not that I have tried them, but be careful of the Bujin women's gis. If you read the small print, they have the women's designed top, but the pants are the normal unisex ones.

[Redcat]

Tokaido makes 1/2 sizes in one style - I have a 2 1/2 of theirs and it's an OK fit; wearable but I wouldn't mind a HAIR more room all around - but the next size up, I'm swimming again. I didn't know Pro Force did half sizes; I asked at our local shop and he said he only had whole sizes. Hmmm...

I am going to try the Juka; I'll report back afterwards. If it fits well and I like it, I'm buying ten of them and being done with it! :laugh: I hate shopping.

[AikidoLady2005]

From what I have heard and from experience, the pants are more of a problem than the top.

Not that I have tried them, but be careful of the Bujin women's gis. If you read the small print, they have the women's designed top, but the pants are the normal unisex ones.

I can vouch for the Women's gi top. I am bustier in size at the top and they definently fit a lot better. They are also made like a karate gi with the ties at the hips. I prefer this over the regular judo gis worn in aikido. I get coverage across the chest and the ties keep it in place. I can't wear a regular judo gi that fully crosses in front unless I buy one in a very large size which ends up hitting at my knees.

One of the other women in my dojo has found women's karate gis that are also sold on Century.com She wore one to the dojo today and it is darted at the chest and the material is very soft.

The thing with Bujin is that they provide a size chart and if you are any where within their measurements it will fit you. You have a selection based off of not only height and weight but also girth which regular Japanese style dogi do not provide.

Bujin also has a women's hakama. I wore mine for years before it start to wear out. It's designed to fit a woman's hips.

[Redcat]

I finally received the Juka gi. It is interesting, to say the least. Much, much better fit than I'm used to getting - no miles of extra fabric at the waist, which is sweet, and the fabric has a nice feel. My only problem with it is the apron/front part is much longer than I'm used to. It almost feels too formal to get all sweated up.

:rolleyes: :laugh: I guess I could get over that... eh. Crap.

[wildwills]

I finally received the Juka gi. It is interesting, to say the least. Much, much better fit than I'm used to getting - no miles of extra fabric at the waist, which is sweet, and the fabric has a nice feel. My only problem with it is the apron/front part is much longer than I'm used to. It almost feels too formal to get all sweated up.

:rolleyes: :laugh: I guess I could get over that... eh. Crap.


I believe the cut of the apron is a "tournanment" cut. I perosnally have the Juka Emerald which is tournament cut and my wife's Juka Silver seems to have the same apron cut. Glad to hear you otherwise like the fit.

[Jeff C.]

This will be seen as a stupid question I'm sure, but I am curious: why do people have a problem swimming in their gi pants, or with a low-hanging crotch? In almost 30 years of martial arts interacting with hundreds of people in various styles of gi, I have only seen one pair of gi pants that were outrageously large circumference in the leg with a crotch down by the kneecaps (from some small company in Pakistan - I hope that is not an indication of the build of Pakistani martial artists!). Are y'all having a problem with function, or a problem with looking stylish?

Jeff Cook

[Eliz]

This will be seen as a stupid question I'm sure, but I am curious: why do people have a problem swimming in their gi pants, or with a low-hanging crotch? In almost 30 years of martial arts interacting with hundreds of people in various styles of gi, I have only seen one pair of gi pants that were outrageously large circumference in the leg with a crotch down by the kneecaps (from some small company in Pakistan - I hope that is not an indication of the build of Pakistani martial artists!). Are y'all having a problem with function, or a problem with looking stylish?

Jeff Cook

Not a dumb question at all. We wear mens clothes, just come on out and wear our clothes for a while.....:laugh: Only meant in the best of humor, Jeff!

Waist lines slipping, hip lines hugging....I am not built like a man and yet I dress as one every day of the week. It is a pain in the backside! Now lets talk jackets gapping.....:eek:

[Jaclyn]

Now lets talk jackets gapping.....:eek:

Oh man... Now that's a major problem! :frown: I sometimes feel like just sewing on a snap on button on that thing. :rolleyes:

[Jeff C.]

Gapping? So what? Surely you all wear t-shirts and sports bras under your gi tops!?

Jeff Cook

[Eliz]

Gapping? So what? Surely you all wear t-shirts and sports bras under your gi tops!?

Jeff Cook

Ya think?! :laugh:

I think the bottom line is when a practitioner is slipping/hugging/gapping/sagging and so forth, you don't know what to grab for first. The jacket falling open, the pants falling down.... ?! get the picture? I wear underpants or shorts too, but that doesn't mean I want to show the world.

The next size down HUGS!!!! Too much so. Need room for the hips. Sooo, do I spend my day adjusting or suffocating?

[Jeff C.]

I get the picture; all these years I thought that was normal. ;) I do a lot of grappling as you know; I am ALWAYS re-tying my pants, and I wear drawstring pants. I have found, oddly enough, that the thicker and better-quality pants material, the more likely they are to need re-tying. It seems that the stiffer material is harder to cinch-up real tight. As far at the top falling open, that is considered normal and desirable for judo and jujitsu folks - in fact, whenever someone wears a top with the ties, I tell them to intie them, as they will inevitably get torn off the top from all of the normal pulling and tugging.

Jeff Cook

[Redcat]

Jeff - I don't expect to look fashionable - I just want the damned thing to fit! I should, theoretically, be somewhere around a size 2 or 3 gi, depending on cut/manufacturer. And a size 3 in many gis (often the smallest size available) seems to have approximately twice the amount of material needed to go around my waist. Which leads to problems tying them tightly enough, plus annoying extra material all bunched up once they are tied. I suppose you could approximate the effect by wearing gi pants two sizes too big.

This isn't as much a problem in lighter weight fabrics, but in, say, a 14 ounce fabric? Yikes.

[AikidoLady2005]

Jeff - I don't expect to look fashionable - I just want the damned thing to fit! ...

I'm with Lesley, here, too. It's not about being fashionable. I just want my gi and hakama to fit. I have the problem of being busty. As a result, the size gi that fits for my height doesn't fit for my breasts. My Sports bra doesn't fully cover the cleavage so I have to wear a CoolMax/HeatGear/UnderArmor type top with a crew neck underneath, too.

I was mortified one day in class while practicing seated kokyu-ho and my partner kept taking peaks down my sports bra. :o The first time he noticed he just said, "Woah!" It's funny to think about, but it really can be an unnecessary distraction. And sorry, taking little peeks is not cute behavior from a practice partner.

I like Bujin's dogi top because I get enough room in the shoulders to grab so my "girls" don't get grabbed; it's tailored through the waist so it doesn't gap there either; and I have room in the hips so the dang thing will actually wrap around me without being huge and down to my knees.

It's funny and I see the humor, but it's just a fact of training, really -- that we are usually stuck wearing men's clothing.

[Jaclyn]

I was mortified one day in class while practicing seated kokyu-ho and my partner kept taking peaks down my sports bra. :o

:eek: Seriously? :eek: Is he a close friend? :confused:

[Jeff C.]

I'm with Lesley, here, too. It's not about being fashionable. I just want my gi and hakama to fit. I have the problem of being busty. As a result, the size gi that fits for my height doesn't fit for my breasts. My Sports bra doesn't fully cover the cleavage so I have to wear a CoolMax/HeatGear/UnderArmor type top with a crew neck underneath, too.

I was mortified one day in class while practicing seated kokyu-ho and my partner kept taking peaks down my sports bra. :o The first time he noticed he just said, "Woah!" It's funny to think about, but it really can be an unnecessary distraction. And sorry, taking little peeks is not cute behavior from a practice partner.

I like Bujin's dogi top because I get enough room in the shoulders to grab so my "girls" don't get grabbed; it's tailored through the waist so it doesn't gap there either; and I have room in the hips so the dang thing will actually wrap around me without being huge and down to my knees.

It's funny and I see the humor, but it's just a fact of training, really -- that we are usually stuck wearing men's clothing.

I'm getting the picture. Thanks for explaining it to me ladies; you know how dense us men can be! :laugh:

Here's an odd thing: I have had to TELL females to cover their cleavage with a t-shirt or other undergarment. I even had one female wear a gi to class with NOTHING ON underneath! Unfortunately some females try to use it as an attention-getter. I don't need those kind of problems in my dojo.

Jeff Cook

[Eliz]

Thread revival

I have had a few inquiries as to the whereabouts of this thread, so I dug it back up and revived it.

As this thread is somewhat outdated, if members have additional information or recommendations, please add the links to this thread.

[JWhiteSensei]

I was just reading through this thread. Although I have no clue what to tell the ladies here on the board (the snap idea to prevent gaping seemed good) it reminded me of one of the funniest, or saddest, things I've ever seen in my life.

I was at a very large open martial art tournament in Pueblo, CO. several years ago. There was a lady there, a school owner, who was competing in weapons forms. She had her entire school there competing. Someone had mentioned "well endowed". This lady was indeed that. She had actually had some work done in that area and was very proud of the results of her investment. Myself and my Sensei at the time were watching the competition as we didn't compete unti later. They called this lady's name and she stepped out on the mat, bowed to the judges, and said,

"Judges! My name is (we'll say Jane Smith). My style is (her style). I proudy represent (name of her school). My kata is (she named her bo kata)" Then came the shocker when she followed up by saying "Before I begin, with your permission, may I remove my uniform top?" I think myself and every male in the room that had passed puberty simply hung our mouths open. The judges were so shocked they didn't have a clue what to say. Finally the center judge after getting several nods from the other judges told her to go ahead. Off came the top revealing a black sports bra and she went on with her kata. I have no idea how she placed. I really don't think anyone who was there could remember.

[doubleouch]

Don't know if this site will benifit anyone. http://catfightgear.com/ Training gear for women, by women. Good quality stuff. I've seen it firsthand. May be too flashy for some traditionalists though.

[EliElfassy]

Hi,
I am a man and I do not wear these Gi's.
But I sold one and I wanted to know if you as a woman feel a big difference or an Improvement with this Gi. And if you have any reamarks that might help me understand the Gi better.
If you can tell me your hight and Gi size (if it is possible) and if it fits.

Have a good day.

[Koshu]

Some women I currently train with have been discussing this topic, so since this thread came back to life relatively recently, here's an update regarding Bu Jin Design (which provides aikido- / light-grappling-weight gi) mentioned earlier in this thread. The online store was shut down awhile ago, and therefore Bu Jin's women's gi have not been available for some time. Late last year, Bu Jin began a partnership with a company called Aikido24, and the Bu Jin product line will reportedly be available again at some point in time --> http://www.aikido24.com/bujin-design.html.

Also, here's an updated link to the Juka Diamond women's gi --> http://www.juka.com/uniform/diamond.htm. Again, this is advertised as a karategi vs. a grappling-weight gi, but does anyone know if it is durable enough for light grappling?