This product review is courtesy of VJJBJJ contributor Elyse Goldberg*.  You can follow this bubbly BJJ Purple Belt on her blog @ www.gringabjj.com! 

A while ago I purchased a Gameness gi from my school as a backup. One to keep in the car for when my others were dirty. I ended up wearing it as much as my Keiko and Koral because it was high-time for my Kwon to be retired.

The Gameness top material is pretty soft, and the collar is very heavy-duty, making it difficult to grab. The pants are somewhat stiffer than my other pants, with a smoother finish. They don’t move quite as nicely, and the crotch hangs way too low, making them difficult sometimes. However, they are all-around too big, so I don’t get tangled up too much.

The Gameness shrunk alot when I put it in the dryer. The unfortunate part about shrinkage is it always affects length, not width. The result was that the pants are just barely the right length but too wide, still. The top is also still baggy but the sleeves are now much shorter.

Overall Fit: yuck

Color: white, black, blue, forest green

Patches: modest, “Gameness”

Stitching: so far, so good

Fabric: moderately rough

Pants: ok fit, fairly baggy in the butt; Drawstring: fabric style (as opposed to rope), slightly difficult to pull after washing, easily straightened to fix

Jacket: big, shallow lapels, stiff collar

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*Product reviews by our contributors are solely the opinion of the writer and are meant to provide first hand experiences with products for female grapplers.  Views and opinions may not reflect the views and opinions of VJJBJJ.com.

This product review is courtesy of VJJBJJ contributor Elyse Goldberg*.  You can follow this bubbly BJJ Purple Belt on her blog @ www.gringabjj.com! 

I love my Keiko Raca Gi. It is a “limited series” double weave gi in size A1. Don’t be fooled by the “double weave” title. It’s actually very light, breathable, and the fabric flows, meaning, it’s not stiff as a board, even after you wash it. This is my IBJJF competition gi.

The jacket flaps are cut nice and long, like the Koral so that they wrap around completely, but unlike the Koral, my Keiko is also nicely fitted on top. The sleeves are more narrow, and the fabric is softer. The only downside here is that the collar is not as stiff so it’s more difficult to defend chokes.

A word of warning here, many people find that Keiko Raca pants run very small — this is TRUE. They are SKINNY! But if you can get over looking like somewhat of a hipster, than it’s worth it because skinny pants mean that it’s harder for your opponent to grab at your ankles and knees! Skinny pants are great for women. Here you can see me and my super skinny pants (A1) with my friend Bethany McKee at the 2007 Mundials.

Still, the A1 pants are even too tight for me. Although they stretch slightly, they don’t have the same airy freedom as my Korals. [Edit: after another year of use, the Keiko A1 pants are now stretched enough that they fit me wonderfully after one use (wash-use-compete).] I was lucky enough, however, that a very good friend of mine, Michael Harmon, had an extra pair of Keiko A2 pants (which were much too small for him). They have plenty of room in the crotch for movement, but are still narrow around the knees and ankles. Compared to the women’s-specific pants of the CatFight Gear gi, however, they are too baggy and somewhat restrict movement. Unfortunately, you cannot buy the pants separately, but I think if you email the manufacturer, they will likely be accommodating.

Pros: Super light and soft, jacket flaps close hip-to-hip, love the black trim, looks great with my BJJU patch on the back, IBJJF regulation compatible

Cons: Pants maybe too skinny (chose size up), collar not as stiff

Overall Fit: great

Color: white, blue, black, red, dark blue

Patches: minimal, classy

Stitching: excellent

Fabric: soft

Pants: skinny, did not shrink length-wise (not too short); Drawstring: rope style, holding up well so-far

Jacket: good fit, sharp-angled lapels, tends to come undone easier than my others which can get a bit annoying

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*Product reviews by our contributors are solely the opinion of the writer and are meant to provide first hand experiences with products for female grapplers.  Views and opinions may not reflect the views and opinions of VJJBJJ.com.

This product review is courtesy of VJJBJJ contributor Elyse Goldberg*.  You can follow this bubbly BJJ Purple Belt on her blog @ www.gringabjj.com! 

I bought my Koral right after getting home from Switzerland. I realized I would need more than one gi if I wanted it to be clean for practice everyday (no longer with the ridiculously unhygienic habit of not washing it). This is when I did most of my research on gis and in the end decided to go for two — one Koral, one Keiko.

My Koral is size A1, classic weave. The jacket shrunk slightly, and the pants shrunk alot. The pants fit extremely well now with plenty of room for movement, but still fairly close fitting. They’ve faded, but are still pretty rough fabric. I love the Koral string — very easy to pull and stays tied pretty well. The collar of the Koral is really stiff and hard to grab, also good for defending chokes. Still, the Koral is very large across the shoulders and back. The jacket is thus pretty baggy and doesn’t stay on very well despite the jacket flaps closing all the way across. When you let the Koral air dry, it becomes extremely stiff and rough; however, if you put it in the dryer, it comes out nice and soft.

Shipping from Koral was pretty fast! Score!

Pros: decently sized after shrinking, nice color, patches, light weight, stiff collar

Cons: rough, still too baggy, pants fading

Overall Fit: pretty good, baggy in the chest/shoulder area

Color: white, blue, black, dark blue, dark green, red, etc.

Patches: pay more for more patches, classic Brazil competition style

Stitching: excellent

Fabric: soft, took about 1.5 years to break in

Pants: short fit, shrunk length-wise; Drawstring: fabric style (as opposed to rope), slightly difficult to pull after washing, easily straightened to fix

Jacket: mediocre fit, too baggy in shoulders/chest, long lapels close entirely hip-to-hip

*Product reviews by our contributors are solely the opinion of the writer and are meant to provide first hand experiences with products for female grapplers.  Views and opinions may not reflect the views and opinions of VJJBJJ.com.

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We met Gabby this past weekend at the Diamond State Games where she proved that you can pack a lot of punch into a small package!? At just 14 years old, Gabby? Falabella (Kill Jitsu) moves stealthily, constantly aware of her center of gravity, her limbs, and her opponent’s next move.? She’s? a firecrackerand lots of fun to watch.? Hopefully we’ll see her on the mats for years to? come!? ? Gabby’s? results from the weekend: 1st in Women’s No Gi Nov/Beginner Up to 129.9 and 3rd in the Absolute for that division, 1st in a Gi Women’s White Belt Up to 129.9 and 3rd in the White Belt Absolute.? ? Congrats!

Women’s Only? Open Mat this Saturday 6/13 at Richmond BJJ!

Co-ed class 12-2 with the women’s only open mat to follow at 2pm!? Bring a T-Shirt for the swap!? Questions – email me and I’ll find you the answer jessy@ vjjbjj.com