NVMJJ or Non Violent Movement Jiujitsu - A Gi review.
I've always been far more attracted to the simple, slick designs when it comes to gis. White is the preferred colour but I'm not completely averse to black and some shades of blue. Nathan was kind enough to forward two models for me to review, one in white (Death of the Ego) and one in navy blue (Order & Progress) and while there are outwardly stylistic differences, these weren't enough to warrant two separate reviews as I'd be repeating myself a lot. I thought it'd be more interesting to compare and contrast the two models in one, more thorough, piece so here we go.
First, a little reminder about me: the reviewer:
I am 177cm or thereabouts (5ft10) and my weight hovers around 81kg (178-179lb). Training Jiujitsu is, by far, my main form of exercise so while I have good tone all round, I'm not really on the "hench" side for my frame.
Why am I saying all this? Because I've never, ever owned or even bothered to try on an A1 size gi. What's the point? You look in the size charts for the various gi brands and my height and weight automatically slot me in as right in the centre of the size spectrum for an A2 gi. With that in mind, I asked Nathan for two A2 gis to review.
Here is a breakdown of the measurements of the two gis fresh out of the bag(s):
Here is a breakdown of the measurements of the two gis fresh out of the bag(s):
Order & progress
Jacket:
Cuff: 18cm 7inch
Height: 85cm 33.5inch
Width: 56cm 22inch
Span: 165cm 65inch
Trousers:
Waist: 53cm 21inch
Outside: 95cm 37.5inch
Inside: 74cm 29inch
Cuff: 22cm 9inch
Death of the ego
Jacket:
Cuff: 18cm 7inch
Height: 84cm 33inch
Width: 55cm 21.5inch
Span: 165cm 65inch
Trousers:
Waist: 53cm 21inch
Outside: 98cm 38.5inch
Inside: 72cm 28.5inch
Cuff: 22cm 9inch
I don't think the pictures convey how beautiful these two gis are. Death of the Ego (white) is a bright, shiny kind of white with a few tiny details of colour that allude towards the more colourful and flashy interior adornments.
A red line here, a branded hem there. Very elegant.
The two centre-pieces are:
1. The huge, bright, beautifully designed rash guard lining occupying the inside centre of the gi jacket.
2. The branded hand-grenades embroidered both high up on the pants near the right hip, more or less hidden by the wrap-over of the gi jacket, and over the left deltoid.
Other than a soft-curvature to the outer edge of the gi skirt and a tiny "nvm" embroidered on the calf of the pant leg and one of the sleeves, this gi is as slick, simple and traditionally white as they come. 10 out of 10 for aesthetic appeal.
"Death of the Ego"
With that said, I took Death of the Ego with me on my most recent trip to LA to train at the Gracie Academy. Staying at a hostel, I made sure I only packed the necessities, which meant no more than 2 white gis. I trained a total of 20 hours of jiujitsu in the week I stayed in LA. This lead to Death of the Ego getting washed and, I shudder to even say it, tumble-dried a couple of times or I wouldn't have had a clean, dry gi to take to training. As you can see from the photo above with the awesome Jake Ellenberger, it shrank beautifully and quite a bit of the excess material around the shoulders and the arms disappeared.
These two gis are now amongst my favourite teaching / seminar / grading gis. The softness of the fabric and exquisite, yet discretely placed, artwork is just that good. However, due to the generous cut and the extra handles it would afford the opponent, I wouldn't use them yet to compete.
My thanks goes to Nathan and the team at NVMJJ. Definitely a company to watch and I can't wait for what they will release next!
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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!
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