Matt Jubera Opens Jubera Jiu-Jitsu in Broomfield, Colorado

Matt Jubera (center) with Xande (L) and Saulo Ribeiro.

Saulo Ribeiro Black Belt and Colorado's 2014 Black Belt of the Year, Matt Jubera, is opening up a new Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in Broomfield, Colorado in February 2015 - Jubera Jiu-Jitsu. Matt is a good friend of mine who I originally began training with about 13 or 14 years ago when he was a freshman at the University of Michigan. His intelligent approach to studying jiu-jitsu, along with his relentless drilling until perfection made him a stand out at the Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu main academy that we trained at back in the Toledo and Detroit days. Within a few short years of joining Saulo and Xande's academy, Matt was awarded his Black Belt.

Matt has always been a serious and accomplished competitor on the BJJ scene. He's a Master's World Champion, 3x Pan American Champion, Black Belt National Champion and a Black Belt No Gi World Medalist. Matt has a background in wrestling and is also a Black Belt in Judo. His experience makes him one of the most qualified instructors and coaches in Colorado. If you want to take your Jiu-Jitsu training to the next level and become a serious competitor, and you want to train with an educated and intelligent Instructor, you have to train with Matt at Jubera Jiu-Jitsu. 

Jubera Jiu-Jitsu is in the process of taking reservations and pre-enrollments prior to opening their doors this February. There will be Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes for both Adults and Kids as well as Self-Defense classes for adults. These classes will fill up fast so make sure you go to www.juberajj.com and reserve your first class now before the rush!

Website: www.juberajj.com

Address:

6821 W. 120th Ave. C,

Broomfield, Colorado 80020

Phone: 720-961-3704

Don't wait! Classes will fill up soon so contact them now!

~Jason

Rio de Janeiro to Host 2016 Olympics!

On October 2nd, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark the International Olympic Committe voted for Brazil to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

What makes this great for the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is that typically the host country can have influence on whether or not a demonstration sport will be held as an event at the games. I'm no expert on the Olympics or how a sport goes about becoming an Olympic event. I've just been reading this Wikipedia page. Technically, since 1992 demonstration sports have not been allowed. But, China was allowed to hold a wushu tournament at the recent Beijing Olympics. Also, with the removal of baseball and softball from the Summer Olympic program I think that BJJ stands a great chance at being showcased at the 2016 Summer Games.

For more info go here.

(Thanks, Adam, for the heads up!)

A Short Film with Saulo Ribeiro

Rick Ellis (a student of Roy Dean) made a short clip featuring a training session with Saulo Ribeiro and Roy Dean. (Ironically, Roy Dean made a little light fun of me a year ago when one of his former students moved to Iowa, took a free class at my academy, and wrote back to Roy about his experiences with me. Actually, Roy didn't make fun of me. He just made a light hearted comment about how hilarious the letter was and supplied the message board for the comment to be posted on the internet. The comment is still available here. It makes me laugh everytime I read it!)

The clip reminded me of how philosophical Saulo is about Jiu-Jitsu and how pursuing the art of Jiu-Jitsu is so much more to him/us than just learning a martial art or fighting style. Jiu-Jitsu is meant to change your life and make you a better person. Jiu-Jitsu brings out your true self.

I remember Saulo saying to us in class: "When I roll with person, then I will know the true them. Who they really are. You can not lie when you are rolling. You can not hide who you truly are."

What he meant by that is, just because the other person may be better than you means nothing. Saulo is a multi-time World Champion. The odds of somebody beating him are slim. So, it's not about whether his opponent can beat him or not during a roll session. It's how they handle themselves when faced with personal adversity. It is good to have a more skilled person push you and to test your resolve and skills. You must, under even the most extreme circumstances keep your cool. Stay calm and go about executing your game plan as best as you know how. If you lose, you lose. So what? Tap out and fight again. Never quit fighting and challenging yourself to improve. This is the core of this philosophy.

What he also meant by this philosophy was that there are a great many people who think they are tougher than they really are. If you talk or act tough, that means nothing. Let us roll and see how tough you really are. And by seeing how tough you are, it doesn't imply that if you lose you are not tough. That just means you lack some skills or made a mistake. What is more important is how you handle the process of losing. Do you realize the situation is lost and just give up? Or do fight to the bitter end in an attempt to survive? Once you lose is your resolve broken, or do your rebound back and give it your all for another match? Do you time and time again go into a match against an opponent that is much more skilled and still keep trying to win, or do you mentally quit before the match has begun?

I have personally seen Saulo and Xande roll against "tough guys" in the academy and make short work of them. The tough guys would realize in about 10 seconds of the match that they were outclassed. From then on their will was broken. Match after match, submission after submission. They would lose all hope and faith in themselves. Having been dominated in BJJ, they would scarcely ever return to the academy to participate in a class. They came in as tough guys, they left as little boys. They unfortunately took it too personal and forgot to leave their egos at the door.

Thanks to Rick Ellis for making this short film. I look to seeing more videos from him.



~J

The Death Throes of Boxing

Boxing promoter legend Bob Arum takes aim at his competition - the UFC. Fanhouse's Ariel Helwani interviews Bob about Boxing, and then the subject of the UFC comes up at about the 3:55 mark. So just fast forward to that and sit back and laugh at the things that come out of Bob's mouth.



Video courtesy of Ariel Helwani

Steve Maxwell & Xande Training & Rolling

Steve Maxwell is a Saulo Ribeiro Affiliate in Philadelphia, PA. He runs Maxercise and is the guru of grappling fitness, strength and conditioning. Check out his YouTube page to see more of his videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/MaxwellStrengthCond

Holy Hell, Batman. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu on Cable!

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Targets the Masses with a Nation Wide TV Commercial

I have just finished watching one of the few television commercials that has ever left me feeling stunned, shocked, and initially completely confused. Basically, I am confused. Let me explain:
It's late, and I'm up shooting out emails and the television is on for some background noise. Dane Cook is doing his stand up routine on Comedy Central, but I’m not really paying attention. On comes a commercial the likes of which I have never seen. It is fast paced with a hoarse voiced commentator rattling off selling points. I look at the TV and I see old footage from the "Gracie In Action" videos on my TV while graphics of magazine covers about the Gracie family virtually stack up on screen. The announcer gruffly says, "The Gracie family has spent over 80 years developing the most effective system of self defense the World has ever known!" To see the commercial for yourself, go to https://www.graciecombat.com/flare/next .)
During the commercial, Rorion appears and says a thing or two about how he created the UFC to test Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (GJJ) against the World. Later in the commercial, Rener Gracie (who is kind of like the Shamwow guy of the Gracie family; ie, the “Gracie Juice Bag” video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0liQY4k4W4 ) and his brother Ryron are also on my TV talking about GJJ. They list all of the military and U.S. Government agencies that use “Gracie Combatives.”
The announcer says that, "The “Gracie Combatives” Course is based on the 36 most effective techniques of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu." It is then stated that the viewer/purchaser of said DVDs will be able to quickly learn and master what's on the DVDs from within their own home. What it boils down to is they are trying to sell “Gracie Combatives” to the general public as a means of personal and family protection. At this point in the commercial, I almost turned the channel. I found it hard to continue watching, but I did nonetheless.
Throughout the commercial are choreographed scenes of simulated street fights utilizing GJJ in a parking structure, in a sandy deserted lot, on a grassy lawn (no footage of a pony tailed Rickson fighting on the beach, though). Of course, there is the "infomercial" staple of having bona-fide testimonials from once “out of shape” and “weak” people who have since become empowered and healthy due to “Gracie Combatives”. Did they get this way from the DVDs? I don’t think so. My cynical side tells me that these are most likely testimonials from people training at the Gracie Academy, not in their homes using the DVDs exclusively. I could be wrong, though.

The commercial directs you to their website www.graciecombat.com . They will let you preview all 13 of their DVDs for one month for only $9.95 (followed by 3 monthly payments of $39.95 (not stated in the commercial)), or you can buy all 13 DVDs up front for only $119.85.
Returning to my confusion and uneasy feelings about this commercial; part of the allure to BJJ, for me, is that it is not a sport that many people are familiar with or participating in. It’s not an over hyped sport or martial art. It is a very real style with very real effectiveness. There are not watered down BJJ academies in every strip mall full of kids running around in black belts. My point being that it’s not your typical martial art. And seeing the Gracie’s television commercial elicited a gut reaction out of me envisioning just those same fears, and perhaps more. But my fears were a bit premature and irrational.
I am former military, but my tour was over before the Army switched to using “Gracie Combatives.” However, while I was in the Army and stationed in Hawaii I was enrolled at Relson Gracie's academy. Now that I am running my own academy in Iowa (under Saulo Ribeiro) I get current and former military coming through my doors that have been taught “Gracie Combatives” while in Basic Training/Boot Camp or at their units. These students have a head start over the typical new student, but it is evident that they typically don’t get the same amount of time to train as does an academy student. Personally, I think I can only remember one technique taught to me when I was in the military. The “Gracie Combatives” are obviously an abbreviated form of GJJ/BJJ. From the military’s point of view, they have to have a hand to hand combat program that can be taught to the lowest common denominator in the shortest amount of time. Perhaps that is why these “Gracie Comabatives” DVDs are the perfect video set to mass market to the general public.
We knew that this was bound to happen sooner or later, and the more I thought about it the more I realized that this GJJ commercial was probably good for all of BJJ in both small towns and big cities. This commercial shows that GJJ/ BJJ have potential to reach far and wide. This commercial would not have been made without some marketing research that showed there is a demand for such a product. If so, then somebody near you (that has probably seen the commercial) may purchase it and realize they need to join a BJJ academy or club to actually train what's on the DVDs. That's good for you, the academy owner or academy student. You get more bodies in your school to roll with, and the owner gets more tuition to pay those bills.

As the CBJJ and the IBJJF move closer to the goal of making BJJ an Olympic sport, and as America gets more BJJ black belts starting their own academies, the competition for students will amp up in the coming years. Commercials such as this could determine all of our fates in this sport. Like it, love it or hate it, in the end this Gracie commercial is a good thing for BJJ in the long run.

Cool Training Song

I was listening to Pandora Internet Radio while I was working today, and this cool song came on that I had never heard before. It was called "Way of Life" by Dead Prez. Paying attention to the lyrics I get the impression the song is about Jeet Kune Do or some other martial art. But, they mention grappling in there some where, so it works for me. It's a pretty cool song that you can find on the internet.

When I searched Youtube and Myspace I couldn't find an offical video. But, I did find a video that a high school wrestler made for his Media class, and... it's pretty cool! Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvCSdf_Phlc or below:



I'm always looking for cool songs to make new training CDs. If you have any suggestions for good songs to train to, feel free to leave them in the comments section of this post.

~J

Break Falling is B.S.

About two years ago I started training in Judo. As I am in the medical research/genetics field, I tend to seek out and absorb any type of research reports that revolve around martial arts training. I simply log on to the medical research literature database and search for terms like "Judo", " Martial Arts", "MMA", "Jiu-Jitsu", etc. To make a long story short, there are TONS of manuscripts in the medical literature about Tai-Chi and Judo. Very little about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and MMA. Most of the Tai-Chi manuscripts center around how it benefits old people. Most of the MMA manuscripts talk about concussions and the lethality of the sport (which is a moot point as no one has died as a result of the activities of the sport).

When it comes to the Judo focused manuscripts in the medical literature there is much emphasis on the diet and cutting weight, comparing Olympic level atheletes to average atheletes, the effects of outside stressors on competition, the color of the uniform on competition results, etc. But, there are a couple of manuscripts that study the actual benefits of proper breakfalling techniques. That is to say, how important is it to break your fall when thrown or falling by landing a certain way and slapping the mat with your hand or hands, in order to "distribute the shock/impact of the throw" and not seriously hurt yourself. I am sorry, that due to my haste to write this post, I am unable to furnish you all with the actual references to these papers. Perhaps in the very near future I will edit this post and provide you with the references and/or actually post links to the PDFs of the papers.

What it all boils down to is that there was a published medical manuscript that came to the conclusion that teaching old people at a nursing home to fall with Judo breakfalling techniques did not curtail the number of injuries incurred during falling incidents of the residents. There are some more recent manuscripts that say that the number of "hip injuries" are reduced by the elderly when they have been taught Judo breakfalling techniques. But, the study did not elaborate on what other injuries might have been incurred by the elderly in the study.

Furthermore, if you watch high level Judo competitions you will almost never see a competitor breakfall properly. Why? Because the thrown competitor is trying to make him/herself not land in a position that will give their opponent a scoring point or ippon. The thrown opponent with brace the mat with their arm, or voluntarily land on their head, etc; anything that keeps them from landing on their back. Sometimes by bracing with their arm to prevent a throw, their arm breaks or hyperextends. Bottom line: watch or compete in a local Judo competition and you will see that not even local Judo black belts break fall properly when thrown or falling. High level judokas know how to fall propery, they just choose not to inorder to win their match.

What does this all mean? Bottom line, breakfalling is bullshit. Sure it helps in some ways. It helps to learn how to flow with the throw. It helps to provide psycho-comfort to the thrown opponent that "it's okay to be thrown, if you land a certain way." Without convincing students that breakfalling will "save" them, I doubt Judo and BJJ would have as many followers as it does today. Some people might just "puss out", when it comes to the grappling arts.

What does all of this have to do with this post? Well, just tonight, I slipped and fell in my kitchen. How did this happen? Well, I put some ice cubes in a cheap tupperware dish and let my puppies chase it around my kitchen. The ice cubes made a rattling noise in the dish, they chased it around the kitchen and tried to get the ice cubes. Unbeknownst to me, the puppies had punctured the dish and the ice cubes had melted to leak water all over my kitchen floor. Walking in to the kitchen in my flip flops I slipped, my feet kicked out in front of me and I fell straight on my ass and lower back.

Did I breakfall properly? No, I did not. One second I am stepping on to the tiled floor in my kitchen, the next mili-second later I am on my ass. Breakfalling didn't even cross my mind in the 1/100th of a second it took me to go from happy-go-lucky with my pups to flat on my ass in my kitchen.

How did I land? I landed by reaching backwards with my hands and hitting the floor ass first as my palms hit the floor. My arms were straight and my elbows were nearly locked out. Can you think of a worse position to land in? After I landed I realized nothing was broken, and I was thankful that I kept my chin tucked to my chest and nothing but my pride was bruised; even though nobody but the dogs saw it happen - I confessed it to my girlfriend out of the sake of comedic value. I think it's funny to make fun of myself.

So here's the skinny on this post. If you are an average Judo Black Belt, or an above average BJJ player, when you fall in real life - out of the blue; the odds of you properly breakfalling are slim to none. Now, if you are on the mat or in competition, you may be more ready for it. Breakfalling may even help you get through a training session where you get tossed around a 100 times or more. But, when you slip and fall off the mat your training will most likely not kick in and save you. But don't worry, the science is in your favor, unless you are over 65. Proper Judo breakfalling techniques do not mitigate falling injuries during Judo competions (in the young/middle aged) or everyday life (middle aged/elderly).

After the fall, come up with a cool "manly" excuse to explain your concussion and broken wrist. I suggest that when asked, you tell people that a rabid Jackal charged you and you were forced to break it's neck by suplexing and pile driving it to death. Hence the bruises on your ass.

R.I.P. Grandmaster Helio Gracie

The Gracie family just released that Helio Gracie died Thursday morning on his ranch in Brazil. According to the family, his last words were, "I created a flag from the sport’s dignity. I oversee the name of my family with affection and nerves of blood." He was 95 years old.

I'm still here

First of all, I'm still alive. I often think of the authors of these various blogs that don't post for several months (5, in my case) and think to myself, "Jeeze, did they die or something? Did they get in a car accident? Did they have cancer? Man, I hope they're okay."

Here's the deal on why I've become so silent on this blog. It's pretty bland, actually. First and foremost my adventure at starting a new Saulo Ribeiro BJJ association in Iowa has taken up so much of my time (and $$$). I started the association about the same time I dropped off the face of this blog. So far things are going slowly but surely with this endeavor.

The other major thing that might be most relevant to this blog is that I have incurred significant interest in my product reviews. I have been solicited by several companies and television shows to write reviews on their products or to promote their shows on my blog.

Apparently (judging by context of the emails that I get) there's a whole marketing push by certain combat sport oriented "reality television" programs to solicit bloggers to talk/write about their show. I'm not talking about "The Ultimate Fighter" contacting me, although that might be cool. I'm talking about their competitor (hint = boxing). While I might like to watch certain boxers (most of which are historical and irrelevant today) I am oblivious to modern boxing champs. How can I possibly comment on boxing when I don't have Showtime or HBO and could care less about the outcome of a boxing "reality" show? Especially when John McCain was once in the pocket of a bunch of boxing commission bigwigs and tried to outlaw MMA in Arizona.

As far as product reviews go, as soon as I get an email from a gi or other company about reviewing their product, my response is usually along these lines:

"I appreciate your interest in my thorough reviews of BJJ and MMA products. I am a scientist by profession, and my reviews are unbiased and reflect my honest opinion in light of your company's intentions of soliciting me for a review or compensation. However, time and circumstances may change my opinion of a once high rated product as better and more affordable products become available to the public.

I am not in the business of making money from writing product reviews for companies that make a substandard product appear to be something more than it is not. If you still choose to send me a product to review for your company, you can be assured that it will be unbiased and compared to other products that I either already own or have been sent to me in the past. As other companies willing send me products to review, I may revise my original review of your product in light of theirs to keep my reviews current in context."

Now, in my opinion, I am being straight up honest that if you have a substandard product I am not your boy to help you sell it. But, if a company thinks it has a good product, I am more than willing to give it a test drive. To be honest, I will give special priorty to "locally grown" products, as the U.S./global recession makes this an obvious point of economic consideration.

Okay, new BJJ school and fending off these people that want me to write them up good things for their companies that I know nothing about have been taking up most of time. What else has been happening with me and my non-contribution to this blog?

It's a long story, but I've started (along with my girlfriend - sorry ladies) to be a foster home for rescued German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs). Since August we've fostered 4 GSDs. Long story short, having one rescued GSD in your house can take up quite a bit of your time, let alone two or more. Now we've adopted our 3rd foster GSD who is named Denali. In about 5 weeks from now we will also be taking home our GSD puppy that we have bought from our breeder here in Iowa.

So, between starting a new BJJ school, rescuing German Shepherd's and having a full time job, I've been a little bit busy to follow the BJJ scene and post regularly on this blog. Not to mention all of the solicitors who back off once they realize that I won't kiss their ass just to get a free gi or something else and write a review that pimps their product. If it's good, I'll tell the public. If it's not, I will tell them likewise. Put up or shut up.

I will try to do better about posting on this blog and keeping up with the BJJ scene, or else I should probably just delete this blog and forget about it. I don't want to do that, but why have a blog if you're not going to post on it? I know like people like my product reviews, but I'm not exactly Kid Peligro as far as BJJ news goes.

~J

Obtaining the Judo Black Belt

This past weekend I passed the test to be promoted to Black Belt (Shodan) in Judo. After having accumulated enough points in competition I, and one of my teammates, had to go through the motions in front of a state promotion committee. We first had to demonstrate the first 9 throws of the Nage no kata (a choreographed ritual that has a total of 15 throws). Then the committee asked us to perform various pins, chokes, armlocks and throws. Lots and lots of throws (obviously). Throws by themselves, throws with set ups, throws in combinations, counter throws, throws to your weak side (left, in my case). The whole test took about an hour and a half (I think). It was hot, I was sweating buckets, and bodies were flying through the air. Below are some pics from the session.

Me throwing with an Uki Otoshi, the first throw of my Nage no kata.

Me throwing with an Uki Goshi, the 4th throw of my Nage no kata.

The promotion committee is asking us to perform various pins, chokes and armlocks.

I can't remember what throw I was doing here. I think it is the miserable drop Sode Tsurikomi Goshi where I dropped my partner on his head. The Sode is one of my favorite throws, but I lost control mid-throw. Not all of my throws were picture perfect!

But this throw comes darn close! The Kata Guruma, one of my favorite throws. Right side or left side, the KG is coming for you!

In the end, I got this. Well... not really. I have to buy my own belt, so I guess I really only got permission to buy it and wear it! It's all good.

Well, I'm glad that this is done and over with. For the last couple of months we have been practicing and studying for this exam. Now that it is over I can go back to training hard and doing more randori!

Best of luck to you if you decide to start Judo, but don't do it for the belt. Do it for the throws!

Update from (flooded) Iowa

Sorry for the lag in posts. I've been working on writing up a review of the Padilla and Sons Single Weave and Hybrid Weave gis, and then WHOOSH! A flood hits my area and throws everything in to disorder. I can't complain, though. The only thing that happened to me was that I lost my internet connection at home. Even though I live only 300 meters from the Iowa River, I'm on a big hill at least 50 feet above the water line. Others had it FAR worse, and I hope for the best for them. The first night of flooding my girlfriend and I were helping those down the hill from us sandbag, but I can tell you, what we did wasn't nearly enough. Such a shame. I posted some pics we took so you can check them out here: Jason's Flood Pics . I also took some video that I will upload to Youtube as soon as I can. The good news is that the water is beginning to recede.

Also, some of you may know (or not) that when I left Michigan for Iowa last October I had a goal of opening a Saulo Ribeiro training association. Well, the time has come and July 8th is the first class. I am the first SRJJA affiliate in the state of Iowa! You can check out the temporary website over at http://agogebjj.blogspot.com/ . The first post has the Grand Opening flyer. And that's my logo at there up above. Thanks to my girlfriend and Phil from Taproot for helping me design it.

That's all for now. I will try to get that gi review up as soon as I can. Bear with me!

Xande Ribeiro 2 Golds at the 2008 Mundials

Xande Ribeiro wins 2 golds at the 2008 Mundials held in Long Beach, California.

Xande defeated Alexandre Souza by a score of 3 x 2 for his first gold of the tournament in the Heavyweight finals. Xande then went on to face his rival, Roger Gracie, in the Absolute finals. It seems that Xande focused on his takedowns/Judo as he scored 2 takedowns to Roger's one sweep. Final score: 4 x 2. (Photo at left: Xande is carried on the shoulders of Saulo Ribeiro and Jacare after defeating Roger Gracie. Photo courtesy of The Fightworks Podcast.)

Also, Rafael Lovato Jr. took 2nd place in the Super Heavyweight division!

Congratulations to Xande and Rafael Lovato Jr on kickin' butt at the Mundials!

As I become aware of the results of other SRJJA competitors I will post them here.

Padilla & Sons Kimonos Review: Single Weave & Hybrid Weave

Padilla & Sons Kimonos, Single Weave gi, retail $70. Hybrid Weave gi, retail $75. Both available at http://www.matrat.us/ .

A while back I said that I would write a review on these two gis as a follow up to my first review on the Padilla & Sons (P & S) Kimonos Gold Weave gi written almost a year ago. In that review, I compared the Gold Weave gi to 2 other high end gis and even a Judo gi. If you're not familiar with P & S Kimonos, I suggest reading the first review where I give some background information on the company. In short, the company is owned by Joe Padilla in Long Beach, California. He is a BJJ brown belt (Rigan Machado) and a Judo black belt, and he is making some of the best damn gis in the sport.

In this review I will be breaking down the features of the P & S Single Weave and Hybrid Weave gis. I am only listing the features of each gi side by side and not directly comparing them to each other. As I am running out of non-Padilla & Sons gis to compare to, you can refer to my comparisons in the previous review here.

To restate my criteria for judging the quality of a gi, the areas I look for are (in no particular order): 1) Weight. I am not a fan of heavy gis. 2) Comfort. I don’t want a gi to be too abrasive or stiff. 3) Fit. The gi obviously needs to fit just right and be comfortable on my feet, in my guard, etc. And, lastly, 4) Construction. I want a gi that will last me years wearing it 3 times per week or so if need be. It should also be reinforced in critical areas with strong material.

I will also add a new 5th point of judgement that has come about due to my increased training in Judo over the last couple of years: 5) Cross over capability. I prefer BJJ gis to Judo gis (mainly because they are lighter and fit better), but many BJJ gis can't be worn in Judo class or Judo tournaments for several reasons (illegal dimensions, too many graphics/patches, poor construction, etc.). A BJJ gi that can also be worn to Judo class or competitions is a plus in my book.

Weight

The Single Weave gi (American Size 5) weighs about 6 lbs. and the same sized Hybrid gi weighs about 5 lbs. The Hybrid, afterall, is meant to be a strong lightweight gi for warm weather training.

Feel



Out of the package the Single Weave gi is soft and bright white, and has a traditional single weave pattern. The Hybrid gi, on the otherhand, only comes in black (as of this writing) and is a smooth weave of heavy canvas twill. This heavy canvas twill is smooth to the touch, but is a noticably stiffer fabric than that of the Single Weave gi. The first thing I did to both gis was to wash and dry them to fit. I have found that the Padilla & Sons Single Weave gi stands up to going through the dryer quite well with minimal secondary shrinkage (continued shrinkage after the first drying). This might not be recommended by Joe Padilla, though, and will definitely shorten the life of the gi. As for the Hybrid... Well, it says on the label not to put it in the dryer, but I thought doing so would help soften it up some, but the heat from the dryer caused the fabric to get shiny in spots. So, definitely don't put the Hybrid in the dryer!



Fit




The fit of the both gis is comfortable and non-binding through the chest, torso and armpit areas. There is great range of motion when moving the arms, and the slightly longer skirts of the gis (as compared to the Padilla & Sons Gold Weave gi) keeps the gi tucked into the belt nicely.


On the left, the Padilla & Sons Single Weave gi (also available in blue). On the right, the Padilla & Sons Hybrid Weave gi (only available in black. Both gis fit exceptionally well and are nicely tapered from the armpits to the waist. From here on out, click any of the pics to enlarge.


Both gis when properly sized will conform to regulation measurments. What is noticeable is that both gis have narrower sleeve cuff than the P & S Gold Weave gi.

Construction & Dimensions: Gi Jacket


What you can see here is that both gis have the girdle seam that separates the upper part of the gi top from the lower, a feature that the Padilla & Sons Gold Weave doesn't have. Does it matter? Comfort wise, no. There is no difference in feel in gis with or without a girdle seam. But, it does matter in terms of strength. The weakest part of a gi will always be where two pieces of fabric join. But, as I'll show below, this seam is strongly reenforced in these gis.


The lapels of both gis are approximately 1 - 7/8 inches and have 5 stitch rows to provide firmness. The collar is identical to the Gold Weave gi in fit and feel.


Opening up the jackets to expose the interiors, you can see that both jackets have a 'T' shaped reenforcement through the shoulders and down the spine. In the Hybrid Weave, this reenforcement is made of Single Weave gi material. This combination of Single Weave fabric and smooth fabric in the jacket, is where the Hybrid gi gets it's name.


Close ups of the spine seam 'T' reenforcement. It is slightly wider in the Hybrid than the Single Weave. This close up of the Hybrid shows more clearly the combination of the two fabrics.


The girdle seam is reenforced on both jackets and is approximately 1-1/4 inch wide. Notice how this reenforcement overlaps the bottom edge of the spine reenforcement, making a possibly uncomfortable seam edge smooth and wearable.


One of my favorite features on the Padilla & Sons Gold Weave gi was the attention to detail that was put into reenforcements, such as the inside collar edge. This reenforcement is more commonly seen on only Judo gis, and is not a typical feature on BJJ gis. Above you can see that both jackets are reenforced in this area with a a 1 inch band. This band starts at the junction of the girdle seam, and loops around the neck to finish at the other girdle seam in a continuous unbroken reenforcement. This feature allow could add a year or more life to a gi jacket.


Another high stress area - the armpit. A look inside shows that both jackets are reenforced in the armpit areas with a large oval of Single Weave material. What can also be seen in these photos is that the seams leading into and out of the reenforcement patch are themselves covered and reenforced with a 1 inch wide band of fabric. This makes the insided of the sleeves smooth and comfortable.


Hip split reenforcement. Here is the only spot on either gi that is less reenforced than the Gold Weave gi. Here the split is reenforced with a 3 inch triangle of Single Weave material on the Single Weave gi, and with smooth canvas twill on the Hybrid jacket. Is it adequate? It would seem so thus far with the Single Weave gi, as I have been training in it (BJJ & Judo) for 10 months now. The Hybrid gi has seen far less mat time. Only time will tell, but if I were to pick a weak point in the construction, this would be it.


This is the inside of the Hybrid Weave jacket to show the combination of the Single Weave material and the smooth canvas. Here, the Single Weave material is being used to reenforce the chest and shoulder of the jacket. The same construction is used to reenforce the Single Weave gi (photo not shown). I have never seen a smooth gi reenforced in this way. It is very cutting edge.


Sleeve cuff width. This was a point of contention on the P&S Gold Weave gi with sleeve cuffs that were about 7-1/4 inches wide. Some people wrote me saying that this feature alone was making them hesitant to buy the Gold Weave. But, with both of these gis above, about an inch of material has been shaved off. Both gis have sleeve cuffs that are about 6-1/4 inches wide, which is more on par with the rest of the industry. Does it make a difference? Appearance wise it looks a little nicer, a little more "tailored". But, functionally, does it matter? To me, I like to be able to use the Ezequiel choke from many different positions, so I don't like cuffs to be too narrow. But, 6-1/4 inches isn't too narrow. Many BJJ players will gladly give up the ease of getting an Ezequiel choke as long as they feel protected from being dominated by a low sleeve grip. These sleeve cuffs reach a middle ground between those who like them narrow and those who don't (or don't care).


Sleeve cuff reenforcement. Both cuffs are reenforced with a 1 inch band.



Construction & Dimensions: Gi Pants



The gi pants, are very different compared to each other. The Single Weave pants are more similar to the pants of the Gold Weave gi. The are soft, have a triple belt loop, and the knees are reenforced from crotch to ankle. The Hybrid pants, on the other hand are much more stiff because they are made of a heavier cotton twill. But, this doesn't make them uncomfortable because they are at the same time quite smooth to the touch. Like the Single Weave pants, they have a triple belt loop and the knee is reenforced from the crotch to the ankle.



There's something different about the triple belt loops on these pants compared to the P&S Gold Weave gi. The top portions of these loops hang free. It's hard to see on the black pants, but I am pulling the middle loop away with my index finger. I was rather unsure about this feature when I first encountered it, but I have yet to find that this unique feature is any less effective than a more traditionally sewn on loop.


The crotch on both pants is reenforced just like the pants of the Gold Weave gi.




The four pictures above show the front (top two pics) and back (bottom two pics) triangle reenforcements on the inside of the pants crotch. The white Single Weave pants are the 1st and 3rd pics, the black pants are pics 2 & 4.


Pants hip split reenforcement. Again, neither pant is more reenforced in this area than the pants of the gold Weave, but these little details are what comprise the differences between Gold Weave gis and Single Weaves.


Pant knee reenforcement goes from the crotch to the ankle cuff hem seam.


The ankle cuff of the Single Weave is slightly more narrow (9 inches) than that of the Hybrid Weave's pants (9-1/2 inches).



Ankle cuff reenforcement for both pants is approximately 3/4 of an inch.

Opinion


Admittedly, I am biased regarding these gis. I am a traditional gi wearer at heart, and have a hard time slipping on a smooth woven gi like the above Hybrid Weave. I also don't like to wear non-traditional colors (colors other than white and blue). Why am I like this? What is my aversion? Is it because I feel like I'm wearing a karate gi? Do non-traditional colors make me feel like I'm being too flamboyant, or pretending to be a ninja? I answer yes to all of the above. But, I qualify this answer with I only feel this way in regards to myself, and not when others are wearing these non-traditional gis. What they wear is up to them and it doesn't bother me in the least.


These questions have been in my mind since I was in the market for my first BJJ gi years and years ago. It's obvious that my biases are based on what I was brought up with in my first BJJ academy. But, I have always been a little curious about why BJJ (or Judo) chooses to use the uniforms that it does. While writing this review I was flipping through an old Gracie Magazine and hit upon this article: "The 25 Great Mysteries in Jiu-Jitsu", by Marcelo Dunlop, Gracie Magazine #126 September 2007; pages 28 - 37. In the article 2 questions were asked about BJJ gis:


The first was "Mystery #19": Why does no one use smooth gis in Jiu-Jitsu anymore, apparel that disappeared from academies during the 1990s? The answer: 'The smooth gi, with long sleeves like an invitation to the opponent, started to see its days counted in our Jiu-Jitsu with the arrival of the new woven and thick gis coming from Japan. "When we started training with the judo guys, I remember the guys had started wearing Mizuno so tight and thick it weighed about 3kg," recalls Sylvio Behring. The novelty quickly caught on with practitioners of the gentle art, as the tighter sleeves made gripping more difficult, but also - and mainly - the thick collar made choking harder. "The smooth one really did make manipulating and controlling your opponent a lot easier. But, to this day in my academies I encourage the kids to use the smooth gi," says Behring.'


First of all, I can only assume that in those days the BJJ boys and girls were wearing smooth gis more along the lines of traditional karate gis, and not like the P&S Hybrid Weave. The Hybrid Weave is a smooth gi with a BJJ cut and collar and is reenforced with Single Weave material. But, what the above answer eludes to is that the smooth gi was commonly used in BJJ in Brazil up until the 1990s. So, it's "rebirth" in the more evolved and better designed P&S Hybrid Weave is perhaps more "traditional" than we typically give credit. And, granted, it should be a little cooler while training in warmer weather than a traditional weave.


The next gi question comes in "Mystery #23": Why was the gi traditionally white? The answer: 'Older than fighting facing forward, the white gi is one of the oldest traditions in martial arts. In Japan, the attire was always worshipped, in and out of fights, for the notion in the country that white was a noble color, pure and chaste. The adoption of the with gi for all had the further function of dressing people of different economic classes the same, be them noblemen or peasants. One need only inagine how classic Japanese judokas were peeved when Olympic champion Anton Geesink suggested, in 1986, that the color blue be adopted for the keikogi ("training uniform" in Japanese, from where the word "gi," in English, came about). Not even the force of tradition, though, could keep color from becoming popular, and nowadays in Jiu-Jitsu we see a profusion of tones - making it easier for fans and referees. A study by the University of Halle, in Germany, concluded that with fighters wearing different color gis scoring errors fall by 20%, thanks to the drop in referees' eye fatigue."


So, a blue gi isn't that traditional, and wearing a different color gi could help you in a tournament. Well, assuming you have a color of gi that the particular tournament allows. Both Judo, and now some BJJ tournaments are only allowing blue as an alternate color. And in Judo, it has to be a very particular color of blue.


The answers to the above 2 "Mysteries" helped me reconcile my traditional mind towards non-traditional BJJ gis such as the P&S Hybrid Weave gi, and slowly, I will incorporate it more and more into my training rotation.


Summary:


Back to the review. In terms of judging criteria for a gi stated at the top of this article, I would break down the scoring of the two gis like this:


Weight: Both gis score high for being light weight, 5 stars each (out of 5). With gi jacket and pants, both gis weigh in at 6 lbs or less.


Comfort: The Single Weave gi is soft out of the box and stays soft even when hang dried, 5 stars. The Hybrid Weave, because it is made of a different material, is stiffer than the Single Weave and other traditional gis. That's not to say that it's uncomfortable, though. The fabric is very smooth to the touch and is non-abrasive. Give it some time to loosen up from wear and wash, and it will come around. 4 stars.


Fit: Both gis fit like gloves, and seem to be tailored to fit. They have nice tapers from the armpits to the waist. The sleeve cuffs are not too big or too tight and there is plenty of range of motion in the arms. 5 stars each.


Construction: When talking Padilla & Sons Kimonos, you're talking about light weight suits of armor. The construction of P&S gis is absolutely second to none. Hands down, they are toughest gis in the 5.5 - 6 lbs range. So, in that context, both of these gis get 5 stars. However, if I were to compare these two gis to the P&S Gold Weave, then they only get 4 stars. The Gold Weave is just better reenforced and lacks girdle and spine seams (weak points). But, that's why these gis are less expensive than the Gold Weave.


Cross over capability: This is not that big of a deal for most people reading this review, because these are BJJ gis, and were not intended to be used for Judo. But, if you can kill two birds with one stone, why not? The Single Weave has great cross over capability into the Judo dojo and competition ring. Not only is it built tough enough to handle the abuse, it has limited graphics, is the right color and has dimensions that should pass inspection at most state and regional tournaments. For that it gets 5 stars. Additionally, I'm not fond of my Judo gi due to it's weight, and prefer to wear the P&S Single Weave to Judo class. As for the Hybrid Weave... while it is constructed well enough for the rigors of Judo, it is the wrong color and the wrong weave. For this, I can only give 2 stars (for the construction alone) in this category.


Omitting the Cross over category and comparing the gis only to non-Padilla & Sons gis, the Single Weave scores 20/20 stars (100%), and the Hybrid Weave scores 19/20 stars (95%). The strong point of both gis is in their construction, reenforcements and light weight. Pound for pound and stitch for stitch, they are the best Single Weaves and Smooth Weave gis out there. Not to mention their price! Whether or not you prefer a traditional weave to a smooth weave is up to you, and you may score the Hybrid Weave either higher or lower than myself based on your preferences. If you are open to the smooth gi, I strongly recommend the Hybrid Weave gi as reviewed here. If you are in the market for a traditional gi for training or competition, you will love the the Single Weave gi. It is by far and away the best Single Weave on the market. Just compare the price of these gis to similar gis on the market and you will see what I mean. Padilla & Sons Kimonos are better constructed than their counterparts from Atama, Koral and others, and on average will cost $30 - $40+ less.


Again, the Padilla & Sons Kimonos are available from Joe Padilla at http://www.matrat.us/ . The customer service is the best around and if you have questions, Joe answers them personally either by phone or email.


~Jason