Since the creation of Judo in 1882 by the Japanese Kano Jigoro, it became one of the most practised and popular martial arts in the world. Judo is appearing in several different international sport competitions and it is one of the toughest and physically most demanding sports. Most of the throws start by grabbing the opponents uniform. Therefore it is very important to wear a high quality judo uniform, also called judogi, to prevent damage and tearing.
Most Judo uniforms are made of 100% bleached white cotton. Cotton is a natural fiber that is well known for its absorbing capacity, which can be 24-27 times its own weight. Cotton has a very tight weave, and when it becomes wet and heat dried, cotton fibers tend to tighten up and shrink. The shrinking is usually only during the first few washings, but is still recommended to wash your judo uniform in cold water and let it dry in the open air, not in a drying machine.
The judo uniform consists of three pieces: the belt, the pants and the jacket. The jacket has an extra thick quilted collar and has wide sleeves. On both sides of the jacket there are two short splits, which are reinforced with extra cloth. Securing of the jacket is done with a belt, which has to knotted tightly around the waist. The color of the belt is depending on the level on which the judoka is performing. The pants feature an elastic waist belt and extra wide legs for easier movement. Several parts of the uniform, like the shoulders, knees and collars of the uniform are exposed to a lot of pulling and friction. Those areas are reinforced with extra padding and extra strong seams.
The difference between a training and a competition uniform lies in the variety of used cloth. For a training uniform, usually a lighter, single weave cloth is used.. The weight of the uniform to be used depends on the age, skills and weight of the judoka. More advanced judokas usually opt for the heavier uniform. The weight of the judo uniform can vary from about 7 to 40 ounces (or 198 to 1150 grams)
For the thicker and heavier competition uniforms, normally a double weave cloth is used. Those judogi’s are not only more durable, but also more expensive than the single weave training uniforms. While the training uniforms are white, the competition judo uniforms can also be blue colored.