My name is Mark and I am a BJJ Gi addict....

When I got my first Gi, I couldn't wait to get home and have a try of it! Like a child in a sweet shop I rushed home and changed, ripping the plastic covering off and jumping in. My first thoughts on it were it felt OK, a bit on the heavy side, but I accepted that it would need to be like this due to the stress put upon it. The trousers felt fine too. After my first session I thought it would be best to wash it before the next class, because the last thing I wanted, being the newbie was to turn up with a smelly Gi. So I had to have a look on line for some info on washing. I found what I was after, washed the Gi, ironed it and folded it ready in my gym bag for the next day. I did this for a week before realizing I couldn't go on like this. Luckily it wasn't raining as it usually is in my part of the U.K so my Gi dried pretty fast, what would happen when it was autumn or winter and the heavens were open? I decided it was time to get a couple of new Gi's. I did some surfing, had a butchers on Ebay (which was a bit flat, I even saw jiu jitsu spelled juditsu!) and eventually found a couple of decent sites. My preferred site is WWW.grapplestore.co.uk . They advertised a good spectrum of Gis and belts and a very reasonable pricing range too. If you were loaded then you can obviously pick and choose what you want/need. Some people though, might find themselves on a budget. The cheapest Gi being sold here is £49.99. Ideally priced for someone on a budget although I am not sure on the quality of the Gi offered for this but beggars cant always be choosers. Sometimes I think spending a little extra will save in the long term. So I loaded my cart with a Valor white belt, a Blitz Lutador BJJ Gi and on advice from someone from Gracie Barra Plymouth a rather fancy Keiko Raca Ultra Light. It took roughly a week for the package to arrive and once again with great glee I rummaged into the bag and pulled both Gi's out, tried both on, went to class that evening and tested one out. But it was too late...the next week I was looking for the next Gi like some kind of addict. A training partner form the club mentioned Tatami having a sale on, the Nova basic was being sold for a song! Here was my chance to have well known brand and not break the bank, and like the addict I now was, I forked over the cash...

Like the title says, "My name is Mark and I am a BJJ gi addict...."