great big GIs

[Guest49]

Right, I am starting martial arts after a big long break, as i am about to have a crack at trying a few karate styles in my area, i want to get a plain white GI, problem being i am a bit of a fatty at the moment, does anyone know where i can get a big size GI from in the UK?
or does anyone have a size guide that shows more than just the height of the suit?
:bang:

[Mitch]

I think they all go by height sickboy. You could always get a very "tall" gi and then turn up legs/sleeves if you needed to. Some styles shorten sleeves to make grabs more difficult anyway, so it's not unsual.

Make sure you check with whatever club you're going to start with first though, because some will insist on you buying a branded gi through them rather than turning up in your own.

Hope you enjoy getting back into MA! Swing by the Introductions forum and say hi to everyone if you get chance :)

Mitch

[righty]

I think they all go by height sickboy. You could always get a very "tall" gi and then turn up legs/sleeves if you needed to. Some styles shorten sleeves to make grabs more difficult anyway, so it's not unsual.


Mitch

Not really. Most brands sizing I have seen go by height and weight. And in my experience you usually want to go with the largest size that suits your description, which in this case is probably the weight parameters. You can always roll/sew up the pant legs and sleeves.

Some brands do half sizes that can be better suited to larger MAists.

Try then on before you buy if possible.

And +1 to talking to an instructor before you buy. They can give you advice on what size is suited to you and some have cheap gis they can sell you too. A decent school will let you do the first few classes without the gi.

[Mitch]

Not really. Most brands sizing I have seen go by height and weight. And in my experience you usually want to go with the largest size that suits your description, which in this case is probably the weight parameters. You can always roll/sew up the pant legs and sleeves.

Some brands do half sizes that can be better suited to larger MAists.

Try then on before you buy if possible.

And +1 to talking to an instructor before you buy. They can give you advice on what size is suited to you and some have cheap gis they can sell you too. A decent school will let you do the first few classes without the gi.

Cool. I've used Playwell and Black Eagle and they seem to just go by height. I need to broaden my suppliers by the sounds of it! Got any suggestions?

Mitch

[righty]

You generally have to look up the size charts and some can be hard to find. Saying that I don't think there is a huge amount of difference in the sizing conventions used between brands.

Here's an example of the Mizunos.
http://www.mizunomartialarts.com/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d19.html

I'm not that much help in terms of suggestions because I don't use Karate Gis anymore and honestly don't know what's available for you. And you could probably use other brands sizing charts anyway.

[Guest49]

To answer my own question, i emailed a lot of places that sell and a couple of manufactures in the UK. The problem being if your as big as me, even the very tall sizes do not go above a 42" waist. So if anyone else comes across the problem go to a few of the american stockists. They do them huge.

[Hatamoto]

Think I bought a size six or seven and sewed (weird word to type) the arms and legs up about two feet lol it's still tight around the gut because there's a fair bit of it there, it does nothing to flatter me, but the thing fits so what more is there? It's not a beauty contest, it's karate, get stuck in :) Way I see it, if I work hard enough eventually if someone calls me fat it'll be in the context of "He moves so well for a big guy!"

I got my gi from Blitz, btw, if it helps, through the dojo (instructor discount and cheaper postage) it cost a bit less, so it's worth finding a class and asking the teacher if they supply the gi. I've used Playwell I think twice and both times they were .... I'd need to swear to fully express how bad they were :/ Yet my friend swears by them. Maybe they just don't like wear I live or how much I order :p