The Gi | History | Main Colors | Why the White Gi?

In this video, I explain the three main Gi colors for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), and discuss a little bit of the history behind the Gi (aka Kimono). Jigoro Kano, who is the founder of Judo, was historically the first person to incorporate the system of wearing a Gi for his practitioners. I also talk about why I think white is the way to go. Enjoy!
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[@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595]

I like blue Gis the most because from what I’ve seen, they’re exclusive to grapplers(Judo and Bjj) If you have a patchless white or black gi, it could be anything, but in my mind at least, if I see someone in a blue gi, it means they’re a grappler.

[@ExperienceMMA]

Yes, very much. That is very true that it is differentiated mainly in Judo and BJJ. And on top of it, it looks absolutely great!

[@marcelozerbini5411]

Same. I have all three colors and my black gi has the most patches, exactly to let it be very clear that I'm BJJ

[@fraught2602]

Understandable; but keeping hidden identity can help you keep an advantage on your opponent. If you do wear blue, they will know what to expect, even before you enter the ring-

[@shiishani3302]

I was going to write "Team White", but then I realized. Nope. Team White GI!

[@blackpsalmmusic9180]

I lol’d

[@Texasmilitarydepartmentvid9654]

When i went to Kenpo we wore white. The Judo class beside us wore blue so there was no confusion between us .

[@alphanoob9041]

Nice save

[@shiishani3302]

@@alphanoob9041 I bought a black one tho 💪

[@MaharlikaAWA]

I heard the original dogi (do = way of martial arts) was off white as in a natural cotton color. So the cheap gis you can get when you sign up are sometimes off white and not bleached. Later it went pure white. This is what I heard and I could be wrong. The white gi is an asian cultural traditional as white means purity and also ready to die. White is what people wear at funerals in many Asian cultures. So if you prepare for death you wear white. So training in martial arts is like a warrior thing as you are willing to fight and give it all you have got. So this is why Karate adopted the gi from Jigaro Kano as many Karate masters knew him and had shared training with each other sometimes. Later Korea adopted the gi because of Japan's occupation so the Taekwondo dobok (gi) is also supposed to be white. Of course commercialization makes people want to wear random and crazy colors in all of these martial arts. I am like you and agree that the white gi in the way to go. BUt I own one navy blue gi as well because I got it for free and it does look nice.

[@ExperienceMMA]

I think we all own colored Gi's! Lol They look too cool not too! Agreed, and thanks for watching.

[@MaharlikaAWA]

@@ExperienceMMA I guess but to me white always looks the coolest.

[@ninjamaster7724]

I don't like it when academies make everyone where the same type of gi.

[@JustSujC]

I like it, it makes you feel more united.

[@ninjamaster7724]

@@JustSujC each to their own.Feeling united is all about respect and attitude,not appearance.Part of the beauty of bjj is individuality and expression.When academies force you to only wear their gi,they are profiteering.

[@CervC]

IMO It’s nice if an academy has uniform everyone can wear but also lets guys wear whatever gis they might already have. Always requiring their brand though, gives me culty cobra kai vibes no offense to anyone from those academies

[@Daniel-ze1sl]

makes it feel like a cult

[@oscarrivas5851]

@@ninjamaster7724 most acadamies like police fire and even ems have uniforms for a reason. Theres a psycological component mate. This is not new.

[@gunthervanbost3726]

I've done traditional ju-jitsu for 20 years and a white gi was mandatory. It's refreshing to have a black gi (and white belt) after years of a white gi (and black belt).

[@momentum8640]

It's why I'm buying a lot of gis so I'm not at the laundrymat everyday. I train 2 to 3 times a week. I've been training since December 2023 and I now have 9 gi. I'm going to buy a new gi ever other month.

[@ExperienceMMA]

Always a good idea to have multiple Gi’s! Plus, you’ll preserve them way longer since you’ll be rotating them and not just using the same one.

[@momentum8640]

I totally agree. While I understand why people wouldn't want to wear the traditional color, I definitely understand why some schools require it. I agree with what he said in the video. I think it's also important to have a gi that's comfortable. That's another reason why I'm buying so many gis because they all feel different. I just bought the Aeroweave ultralight gi from Gold. A friend of mine in my school just got one and they're super light; Plus they have the rip stop.

[@techrakatt]

White is hands down the coolest colour for me. My bias comes from Street Fighter's Ryu though hahaha

[@chaslee]

I really don’t care what the color requirements are as long ppl wear clean gi’s and the Professor’s instructions get through my tchick skull.

[@ryansylvan9277]

Kramer wore a white one and was top of his class.

[@Infernalcx]

I train in shotokan karate, so I have a white traditional gi for that. I want to start bjj very soon and to distinguish between my two gis I plan on getting a blue bjj gi.

[@momentum8640]

Great video. My favorite colors are white and blue; Although I have black and other colors.

[@ananda_miaoyin]

No one said anything but the Sensei was wearing black and the students where rocking the blue. I got the blue even though the black looked cooler - how presumptuous would it be to show up in black?

[@ExperienceMMA]

It'll always depend on the school's policies. If they sell black Gi's, then you're fine. But you can simply ask the Professor where you will be training at to know. The Gi policy is really a matter of discretion at every academy.

[@anthonypetrillo841]

Definitely ask. Nobody said anything, but when I asked the coach if I could wear blue, he said “No, we only wear white.” Even the instructors only wear white.

[@Texasmilitarydepartmentvid9654]

Some Ju Jitsu Dojos everyone wares blue while the Grand Master wares black.

[@ExperienceMMA]

Thank you Bernardo! Will do! 👊

[@brianmerritt5410]

The US military has white uniforms, too. Even though they are doing work that WILL get their clothes dirty, keeping a sparkling white uniform against all odds is part of the discipline.

[@ExperienceMMA]

Exactly!

[@anthonypetrillo841]

You mean the semi-formal summer Navy uniform? I get the point you’re trying to make, but the working uniforms are pretty much always green, tan, dark blue etc.

[@Nethezbet]

I hate wearing white. I wash every time I wear, but white bothers me lol.

[@VictoriaStobbie]

“When you have a black gi, some people hide behind that” Me: *winks*

[@bloodyririslefttesticle297]

Your showing off so much positivity and knowledge and even history, this is great! Love the videos dude, I’m trying to get into a taekwondo class myself, I’ll see how it works out.

[@ExperienceMMA]

Thank you for the kind words! And thanks for watching my videos! 🙏

[@wikiwikiwee1]

I like black because it doesn’t show stains as much, yes i keep it clean

[@ExperienceMMA]

Black Gi's look super nice!

[@andrejpetrovic8240]

My favorite color is white! The only hemp Gi that i've bought from Flow is white, and my team made a team costume made ViN Gis and the coaches gave me one as a gift and it is white! Love my coaches! I've got black hayabusa(strong as fuck!) but it's black, dark, cool but dark. White is just a pure color. I love white but from time to time I like to be the Darth Vader!

[@warhawksmemories3071]

Finally started my BJJ journey. I will choose my colour gi next week 😁

[@tacticalministries3508]

I understand what you mean about the traditionalism of the white gi, but even after washing immediately after class I feel like white is a color that just shows dirt and grime too easily. I have the white gi I was first given by my coach but I feel I look better in either my blue or my black one

[@ExperienceMMA]

You can use a scoop of Oxi Clean powder along with your laundry detergent when washing your Gi and it will remain crispy white. It's what I do and all my white kimonos are super white. Also add some vinegar every few times to make sure to kill any bad odors from those hard rolls and stinky teammate smells that can get on your Gi. But I agree with you that a colored Gi looks nice, but you can't spot the dirty Gi's when they're black or blue! 😄

[@brianmerritt5410]

Yeah, OxiClean works wonders. I've made horrific stains disappear. I often air mine out on the line to get rid of odors, plus the sunlight is a natural whitening agent.

[@ExperienceMMA]

@@brianmerritt5410 True.

[@reginatay4524]

U can oxi clean a white gi to maintain the color, but for Colored gi ,the colors fade after awhile and it shows.

[@nerdymom2]

Danny Fung hey do I have to do no gi arts like muay thai and no gi bjj classes? Or will I be fine just training in a gi? I don't like shorts so I'd rather train in a gi

[@stefanpecevski]

Black top, white pants, brown belt.

[@Thetravelingmonke]

Im here because my sister did taekwando for two weeks on a free trial and said i suck at martial arts cause i didnt know what a gi was but i did kung fu and tai chi -_-

[@HansDavidian]

I also love the white gi the most.

[@ExperienceMMA]

Definitely a classic!

[@Texasmilitarydepartmentvid9654]

Different color Gi's are supposed too be worn when your compteing in a tournament. Because there's multiple Dojos competing against each other if everyone was wareing the same color Gi it would make it pretty difficult to figure out witch team and Dojo they represented. You don't want to ware a white Gi during competion because of blood stains.

[@AlexTheProdigy]

Amazing video papa!!! Nice his! Where did you get them 😁👍👌✌✋👊☝

[@Texasmilitarydepartmentvid9654]

I have seen White , Blue , Black & Red .

[@COACH_ANTHONY_MMA]

I prefer the blue gi out of the 3 colors. But I made sure I have a pair of all three colors.

[@ExperienceMMA]

Yes, blue looks great!

[@beargrylls7399]

Also has pink gi the girls like it hehe !

[@ExperienceMMA]

😄😄

[@SanTenChan]

*Very intresting!*

[@ExperienceMMA]

Thank you!

[@SanTenChan]

@@ExperienceMMA *You're welcome!*

[@jdmitchell2]

Thanks for the thoughts

[@ExperienceMMA]

You're welcome, thank you

[@leoalcaraz6153]

I don’t have a preference; started in a traditional white gi and switched to blue after it got really messed up from bloodstains but what I don’t like are the patterned gis; im startingto see people wearing the black gis with the red lapels and cuffs or the camo gis; everyone is starting to look like some bad 1980’s ninja now a days

[@ExperienceMMA]

Couldn't agree more!

[@oreocarlton3343]

Keep in mind that traditonalism almost killed "martial arts" and turned them into a cult, grappling in general and BJJ played a big role in reversing that.

[@ExperienceMMA]

The cult of traditional martial arts systems weren't defined at all because of the colors of their Gi's... it was simply made up due to all the mysticism of the so-proclaimed "masters" of the supposedly dark and dangerous arts. Nothing to do with Gi's. Some Death Touch masters teach their stuff in their jeans. To address further, some of the best MODERN BJJ and Grappling academies on the planet such as ALLIANCE, ATOS HQ, AOJ, and GRACIE HQ all have a White Gi ONLY policy on their mats for classes. I'd differ that they are "killing" "martial arts" and turning BJJ into a cult.

[@oreocarlton3343]

@@ExperienceMMA white gi is definetly the best hygiene wise, not traditonalism wise, so I support their decision, but for comps the idea of Blue vs White gi seems smart. Youll probably disagree but the belt ranking system should go away, it brings nothing but drama.

[@brianmerritt5410]

Receiving recognition only causes drama if the people involved are already prone to that type of thing.

[@ExperienceMMA]

Agreed

[@gensunasumus101]

@@ExperienceMMA Thank you very much teacher Fung for creating this content and sharing various viewpoints. Please don't mind me as it appears to me that our version and continuation of (Kano) Ju-Jitsu today is focusing dangerously more and more on the grappling aspect and forgetting the self-defense/warfare truth behind Ju-Jitsu; the ongoing debate on how most schools should teach. IBJJF is dangerously close to doing to most Ju-Jitsu schools what IJF rules have become/done and quite a lot of schools just like with most Kano Ju-Jitsu schools today are teaching the verify limited parts of the art that will be portrayed in competitions under IBJJF/IJF rules. Our Ju-Jitsu that supposedly has seen further evolution in curriculum development in Americas and Europe is pre-WW2 Kano Ju-Jitsu for the most part. However, thanks to IJF-rules competitions majority of (even) modern Judokas themselves do not understand Newaza as much as they should and do not study the self-defense enough. I just hope that majority of Ju-Jitsu schools today do not become IBJJF-rules-oriented schools, but are more broad in their teaching. Thank you once again.

[@zyncarla]

Can I mix match I like blue top black bottom lol

[@v-man5269]

the black GI is my favourite

[@xXGt90demonspeedXx]

why jiujitsugi's are so slim?

[@horizonseason2475]

I’m having a bit of trouble. I’m starting jujitsu and I need to buy a gi my coach said it’s fine with whatever gi because anyone in the gym can use whatever gi they want. I’m ok with buying any kind just don’t know what size I am, would you please help me. I’m 15 214 pounds And I’m 5’6 Pant size(if that helps) 28x29

[@ExperienceMMA]

Will always depend on the brand. From your description, you should be fine in a Gi size A-2H. But not all companies make the H sizes and will be pretty standard, so my advice would be to ask and confirm before you order! Happy you started Jiu-Jitsu and let me know how it goes! Oss!

[@tylerroach2081]

Blue

[@vickikay241]

I prefer black. White gets dirty fast I currently have black. You can see your belt stand out. Say you are a white belt. And you have a white gi. People can't see it that's why i like black.

[@ExperienceMMA]

One day you'll become a black belt, then you'll rather the white Gi! 💯

[@225jay7]

Or blue

[@asifquraishi8429]

Very informative 👍

[@ExperienceMMA]

Thank you! 🙏

[@vanesamaeledesma7338]

Character In the video It's great, I like it a lot $$

[@DaSoto21500]

I appreciated this video, based on this I think I’ll stick with the basic white, blue and black options. Just started jiu jitsu about two months ago with a white gi, been trying to decide in my next color choice.

[@donaldmott4213]

Not gonna lie I thought only black belts were allowed to wear black gi's

[@andrewelie8687]

Thank you for the explanation. While your video was clear, it started become repetitive. Your insights were helpful to me.

[@ExperienceMMA]

Thank you Andrew! Appreciate the feedback! 🙏

[@mustachejoe9344]

"Nah, don't do that."

[@ExperienceMMA]

Mustache Joe 😂😂👍

[@oreocarlton3343]

Why? It looks cool, why the fetish on traditonalism?

[@MaharlikaAWA]

Why the fetish on being random and NOT traditional? You don't like it go join a wrestling gym...but then they would want you to wear a traditional singlet. Just go to a random MMA gym with ZERO belt ranks, ZERO ranks period and if you want to wear a bikini and roll go ahead. but stop knocking traditional martial arts. BJJ IS A TRADITIONAL martial art.

[@oreocarlton3343]

@@MaharlikaAWA every martial art is actually "traditional". Western boxing is actually a traditional western martial art, as is Greco Roman wrestling which is far older than Karate. Muay thai is a traditional Thailand martial art etc. Distinction between traditonal and not traditional is a fake distinction.

[@liammulligan7041]

@@MaharlikaAWA Who gives a shit if someone where blue pants with white top? XD

[@tonysuyetsugu3805]

WhT about patches. Traditional gis did not have patches

[@ExperienceMMA]

No they didn't. Originally, the inclusion of one's name one their Hakama (pants), Dogi (jacket), and Obi (belt), was done only through embroidery. In Japan, it is even sometimes imposed by the teacher. Embroidering one's name is considered as a mark of humility (it means that you do not consider yourself worthy enough of interest for the teacher to remember your name). Beyond that, embroidery, whether on martial arts equipment or not, is an important part of Japanese culture. Patches only came about in the last few decades as a means to promote schools, lineage, teams and brands (and eventually sponsors).

[@neiloconnor7776]

Im getting a white gi

[@ExperienceMMA]

100%!

[@JamaaLS]

4:38 🤔

[@kob3178]

Shhhhhh.

[@snortunboxreview9810]

white get dirty super easy to it's less practical for long term. it is look better for my opinion too. my favorit is navy blue

[@ExperienceMMA]

Although true about the white, that's why you have to wash your Gi! It is the nicest version by far. But yes, navy blue also looks great!

[@skulldiravia3479]

Where’s the orange

[@ExperienceMMA]

Unfortunately, no orange here! But it could look cool for some!

[@reginatay4524]

Mandatory gi policy

[@Blitzo2876]

Black gi all the way!

[@ExperienceMMA]

Thai Hoang Definitely a favorite to many! 👍

[@junichiroyamashita]

Red gi, a la Paul Phoneix

[@James-sm1lh]

Such a money grab making students buy your guys specifically

[@kingkong5483]

What I want to know is, why train in a uniform/Gi when nobody wears them in real life situations? Nothing is going to be ‘uniform’ when experiencing a real surprise attack, out in the world! I for one am not going about wearing conveniently loose clothing for someone to grab onto, pull me around or choke me out with!😄

[@unegirafe8692]

King Kong because bjj is an art, it’s not always about self defense and real life situations, you can’t go to a bjj gym with the mentality that you’ll be able to fight, it’s so much more than that and if you think it’s just about real life fights you won’t be promoted to a high level just because you won’t have the determination to get there.

[@mathewgriffin2274]

If got a jacket on buddy I’m choking you the fuck out with your jacket or even shirt... it def related I like to think of it like this- Nogi = summer Jiu Jitsu / gi= winter Jiu Jitsu not exactly but you should be able to see what I’m talking about

[@caiobarreto1589]

ALWAYS white!