How to Buy Your First BJJ Gi (Sizing, Weave and Fit)
Buying a gi is the first real purchase in jiu jitsu, and it is the one people get wrong most often. The sizes are letters instead of numbers, the fabric gets described in grams per square meter, and every brand's chart says something slightly different. Then it shrinks. Here is the whole thing in plain English: when to buy, how to read a size chart, what the fabric numbers mean, and what you can safely ignore for now.
You Probably Do Not Need to Buy One Yet
Most academies lend you a gi for a trial class. ARMA, for example, states plainly that it provides a complimentary loan gi for your first trial session. Plenty of gyms do the same, and some hand you one when you sign up. So before you spend anything, call the gym and ask two questions: do you have a loaner for my first class, and do you have rules about gi color or patches.
That second question matters more than people expect. Some academies require white for beginners, some require their own patch, some do not care at all. Finding that out costs one phone call and saves you a gi you cannot wear. Buy your own once you know you are coming back, not before.
How Gi Sizes Actually Work
The letter tells you who the gi is cut for, the number tells you how big it is. A is the standard adult cut, F is what many brands use for women's cuts, and M and K show up on youth and kids sizing, though those labels vary between brands.
Adult sizes usually run A0 through A5. A0 and A1 are smaller frames, A2 is the most common size on the mat, and A3 and up move into taller and broader builds. Then there are cut variants: Tall or L adds sleeve and pant length without adding torso width, which is what you want if you are lean and long, and H, for husky, adds chest and shoulder room without turning the pants into stilts.
One thing worth burning into your brain before you order anything: A0, A1, A2 and F1 are starting labels, not measurements. An A2 from one brand is not an A2 from another. Never assume your size carries over.
Reading a Size Chart Without Guessing
Here is the order of operations that works. Weight sets the size. Height fine tunes the sleeve and pant length, which is what the Tall and L cuts are for. If you land between two sizes, size up, because you can shrink a gi that is slightly big and you cannot un-shrink one that is slightly small.
To make that concrete, a few rows from our sizing chart: A1 covers 5'4" to 5'8" and 115 to 150 lbs. A2 covers 5'8" to 5'10" and 165 to 200 lbs. A2 Tall keeps that weight range but stretches the height to 5'11" to 6'3". A3 covers 5'11" to 6'3" and 195 to 230 lbs. Notice how much the height ranges overlap. That is normal, and it is why weight goes first.
Whatever brand you buy from, open their actual chart and match your real numbers to it. Do not order off what a friend wears.
What a Gi Looks Like When It Fits
The competition rules are a useful fit guide even if you never plan to compete, because they describe a gi that moves properly. The IBJJF uniform rules say sleeves must come no more than 2 cm from your wrist with your arm held straight out, and pants should reach no more than 2 cm above the ankle bone. The collar runs about 1.3 cm thick and 5 cm wide, and the gi has to be woven cotton or a cotton-like fabric.
In everyday terms: sleeves end at the wrist bone, pants sit just above the ankle, the jacket covers your thighs. If the sleeves ride up your forearm when you reach, it is too small. If you can fit a second arm inside the sleeve, it is too big, and everyone will grab the slack.
Weave and GSM, Without the Jargon
Weave is how the fabric is made. GSM is grams per square meter, which is just fabric density. Higher GSM means heavier and usually more durable, lower means lighter and faster drying.
Pearl weave is the modern default and it is what most gis on the market use. One buying guide describes it as the best balance of light weight, strength and price, with gold weave being heavier, very durable and warmer to roll in, single weave being light and cheap but quicker to wear out, and double weave being extremely tough, extremely heavy and mostly a judo holdover now.
For numbers, that same guide puts 350 to 450 GSM in the light and cool bracket, 500 to 550 in the mid weight bracket, and 650 and up in the built-like-armor bracket that will cook you in July. Pants get described in ounces instead, and ripstop is the common choice because it is light and hard to tear.
For a first gi, pearl weave somewhere in the 350 to 550 range is the answer, and you do not need to think harder than that.
Shrinkage Is the Part Everyone Forgets
Cotton shrinks, and how much depends on the weave. One sizing guide puts pearl weave at roughly 3 to 5 percent, gold weave at up to 10 percent, and ripstop at 1 to 2 percent. Our own chart flags up to 2 to 3 inches of shrinkage in the pants waist and 1 to 2 inches on the jacket.
Two practical consequences. First, that is the real reason to size up when you are on the line. Second, how you wash it decides how much of that shrinkage you actually get. Cold water, gentle cycle, hang dry, and keep it out of the dryer, because heat is what does the damage. We went deep on this in our guide to washing your gi, and it is worth reading before the first wash rather than after.
A gi that says it is pre-shrunk will move less, but pre-shrunk is not the same as never shrinks. Wash it cold anyway.
Color, and Why White Is the Safe Answer
Competition allows white, royal blue and black, and the top and pants have to match. Your gym's rule is the one that governs your Tuesday night, though, so ask.
If nobody has told you otherwise, buy white. It is accepted everywhere and no academy is going to turn it away. Black and blue make great second gis. They are just a slightly riskier first one.
What to Spend, and How Many to Own
Prices land in fairly clear tiers. One beginner guide breaks them out as roughly $50 to $70 at the low end, $90 to $120 as the recommended range, and $120 to $180 for premium, with most beginners best served in the middle bracket.
On quantity, keep it simple. Training once or twice a week, one gi is plenty as long as you wash it after every session and it dries overnight. Once you are on the mat several days a week, a second gi stops being a luxury and starts being a laundry solution.
The Other Things You Will Need
Some gis ship with a white belt, so check before you buy one separately. If yours does come with one, you will want to know what to do with it, which we covered step by step in how to tie a BJJ belt.
Under the gi, the standard is compression shorts and a fitted shirt or rash guard. Nothing loose, nothing with zippers or pockets. Then flip flops for walking off the mat, and a water bottle. That is the whole list. If you want the full picture of how the class itself runs, our guide to what to expect from your first BJJ class covers the rest.
On Brands
We make gis, and we are still going to say this: buy the gi that fits you and fits your budget, whoever makes it. There are a lot of good companies doing good work in this space, which is why we have written up our favorite gi brands before and will again. A well-fitting gi from a brand you like beats a badly-fitting one with a better story on the label, every time.
When you are ready for something with a bit more personality, our current chapter is the Sphynx. Fair warning, it is a pre-sale that ships late October, so it is not the answer if you need a gi for class on Thursday. Bookmark it for later and get something on your body now.
The Short Version
Borrow one first. Ask your gym about color rules. Match your real weight to the real chart, size up if you are between, and pick pearl weave in the middle of the GSM range. Wash it cold and hang it dry.
Your first gi does not have to be your forever gi. It has to fit, it has to be legal at your academy, and it has to be clean. Get that right and it will quietly do its job for a year or more while you get on with the actual hard part, which is learning to use it. See you on the mats.
