Keiko USA Kimono Gi Review (Overall 8/10)

I am 5'7.5 and I weight around 137-144 lbs.

Keiko USA Kimono (AKA The Keenan Cornelius Gi)

I give this Gi an overall score of 8.  The Jacket itself to me is a perfect 10.  But the pants… eh. 

Ok so unless you are a complete “noob” to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, you know Keiko Sports rings bells.  It’s an awesome brand (made in Brazil), that has a reputation for making good looking, tough, durable, double weave gis.  Keiko gis are known for their very thick lapels, and their fit which a lot of people say are meant for lanky/tall athletes.

My first Keiko gi was the “Limited Series” gi, and I agreed that the fit was for longer limbed athletes.  I bought a size A2, and thought to myself hmm.. I could easily fit in an A1.  And I was right, A1 was PERFECT! Now recently Keiko has updated their sizing charts on their main store Keikousa.com.  So an A1 in this gi might be too long! Other sites still have their old sizing charts!!! So be careful when buying a Keiko gi!!

Here is the sizing chart from their store:

Ok on to the gi:

I saw Keenan wearing this on his Concepts DVD and was instantly draaawnnn to it. 

The GOOD:

This gi is definitely built to last, and is made for a lot of rolling. 

I bought a size A1 and the gi jacket and the pants fit PERFECTLY!
(AGAIN! Keiko's size chart has changed, and they are pretty accurate so be careful.)

The inside of the gi feels nice and soft.

There are no hard tapings on the sleeves, so it is very comfortable on the wrists. (No scratchiness).

The Lapel is VERY THICK! And is annoying for your opponent to control.  This thickness also helps you choke out your partner/opponent.

The lapel is long.  This also helps my lapel chokes.

The gi is said to be 650gms Double Weave, but feels VERY LIGHT! Matter of fact it is .10 pounds lighter than their “Summer Gi”.

Of course the American Flag embroidered on the arm is super cool! As well as the patches.

Re-enforced stitching on the armpits and stress areas.

The overall simplicity of the Keiko design is very good.

And lastly, the cotton drawstring!!!.. ITS GOOD! The more it gets wet, the harder it is to come loose.

Rip stop pants, they breathe and are light.

Knee re-enforcement goes all the way down.

Good for competition weight ins.

The BAD:

The gi only comes in white.

The long lapels are good offensively, but terrible defensively also, and can be used against you.  Especially by guys that have been infected by the “WORM” and “LAPEL” guards. 

It doesn’t come with the USA patch on the back. The patches were sold separately. :(

  

And lastly, WHY DOES IT ONLY COME IN WHITE?

The UGLY:

THE PANTS!

SMH. I do like that it is rip stop.  But the design is TOTALLY OUTDATED!

Too baggy.

They are flimsy.  Not at all like the Atama Mundials 9 or CTRL ripstop.

The pants are just boring and need to be updated.

Rolling in the Gi:

I love it.  It’s very light and fits good. Feels kind of slim cut, but does not constrict my body movements.

This is one of my go tos for training and competition.

Here is a sexy guard pass for you :)

Overall I love this gi and would have gave it a perfect 10 if the pants weren’t so “eh”.

This gi will not let you down.  After a year of competing and rolling in it, the only thing to come apart was the patch on the pants, 

THAT’S IT! No other complaints.  Very well made gi.

If you like this Gi, you can purchase this here: KEIKO USA KIMONO

Rodolfo Vieira Highlight *Jiu Jitsu World Champion* *Pressure*

Everybody has a different list and on mine, Rodolfo Vieira is one of the top 5 greatest jiu jitsu competitors of all time.  He is very humble, and then he just turns it up! Awesome highlight video.

Jimmy Santiago's Technique Of The Week

After some hard training, Jimmy Santiago brings you another technique of the week!  If you love 'Reverse De La Riva' and 'Leg Lasso', you will enjoy this.

Shoyoroll X Undefeated

All the pics I'm going to show, because the hype is real.

I'm kidding. More pics on the blog after the nerd talk. 

So I am a proud supporter of Shoyoroll. I love their kimonos and all around style. As a BJJ practitioner, (excuse the next word I'm about to use) It's "swag" to wear one on and off of the mats. To me the brand has grown to become and represent the "cool" in jiujitsu. Like Jordan sneakers to urban fashion, or Commes Des Garçon to modern fashion. It's a cool thing to wear for us BJJ guys and girls.

A lot of people dislike the hype, and the limited batches. But really, if they were to start selling Shoyoroll gis at every damn BJJ/MMA store would it still be so cool?

Gameness air gis are just as light, and sell for half the price. But every store sells them, so that kind of takes away the "exclusive" part of it. 

At the end of the day, it does not affect your BJJ skills. Just makes you dress cooler. 

Personally I like Shoyoroll, hype and all. 

Recently I bought the Shoyoroll X Undefeated hoodie. Because it's cool and I have a buying problem! 

I got this hoodie at retail ($69). Right now it's selling on ebay for $150. And in a couple of years those who keep it in a bag that long will sell it for even more. Ridiculous! Stop this! It makes no sense! It's a hoodie. The same good quality as a "Champion" hoodie, but it's not that serious lol.  You will be paying an extra 100$ for the Shoyoroll print on the side of the hoodie. If you do this, you have bigger problems than me my friend. 

Good day people. Train Hard!

Jimmy Santiago's Technique of The Week

Stuck under somebody's side control?  Your opponent on top of you goes to 'reverse scarf-hold' to attack the kimura... Here is a nice back entry from there. Enjoy! Train Hard!

Keenan Cornelius vs Eduardo Telles

Jiujitsu has evolved so much these past couple of years.  I love the worm guard and now I love what Eduardo Telles has done with the turtle position.  He has evolved it into A GUARD!. THE OCTOPUS GUARD! Enjoy the action.

Combat Warrior Gi by Combat Skin Review (Overall: 7/10)

Overall Rate: 7 out of 10.  It's a good looking gi, but it gets hot FAST!  I haven't rolled in the gi enough. When I do i will make another review of it.

I am 5’7.5 ft. and I weight around 137-144 lbs.

Combat Warrior Gi Size: Size 3 A1

I first heard about Combat Skin earlier this year when I saw pictures of their spats and rashguards on the internet with Meerkatsu’s Qilin (A Chinese unicorn!!! Oh!).  They also sponsor up and coming athletes like Jaime Sterling and Taylor Guerra. So right away I thought Combat Skin was a pretty cool brand. 

OK! Enough jiujitsu nerding around… heres my take on this gi!

At first sight:

Oh! Cool bag…

A lot of good great fightwear and gi companies give you shi**y flimsy gi bags with eh.. weak heat transferred logos and what have you, but Combat Skin’s Combat Warrior Gi bag impressed me.  Meerkatsu’s Qilin is embroidered on the bag, and it’s a just a really cool looking bag.  Just as cool as CTRL bags!

The inside rashguard LINING!!! Awesome!  White gi, red trim, no cross color stitching just the right amount of flash.  Embroidered Qilin on the front bottom left lapel and on the top of the back, a lot of room for team and sponsor patches.  Gi pants look nice. Oh! I like the logo on the side.

Here are the specs from Combat Skin’s site:

Jacket

·       550 GSM lightweight pearl weave

·       One piece jacket with no back seam

·       EVA foam collar

·       All outside artwork 100% embroidered

·       Inside artwork sublimated on light rash guard lining for maximum comfort whilst not increasing  weight

·       Triple stitching for durability

·       Heavy reinforced seams at pressure areas such as the underarms and vents

·       Tape lining used to increase comfort

Pants

·       12 oz canvas cotton (rip stop)

·       Rope drawstring

·       Full width drawstring loops keeping drawstrings in place for maximum comfort

·       Heavy reinforced seams

·       Cowboy style knee pads for better movement (diagonal across pants)

If you want to check out more pictures, specs, especially the detailed measurement of this gi check out Meerkatsu’s awesome review on this gi!

The gi jacket is long, almost to my thighs.  It fits very loose, and is almost box-like.  To me the jacket is suited for a stocky guy or a woman.  There is a lot of room inside.  If you prefer a loose fitting gi jacket then the Combat Warrior Gi is perfect for you. 

The collar is soft and rubbery, and is of ripstop material.  The patches on the arms front and back are embroidered.  There is a lot of room for patches.  It is a flashy gi, but they keep it at a minimum.  The inside though is very flashy and colorful.  The Qilin is very noticeable, especially when rolling around and your belt unties, very cool.  The artwork is on a rashguard material.  The gi is well re-enforced on the stress areas around the armpits sides and wrists.  The sided are re-enforced with ripstop material (interesting).

Now moving on to the pants.  Wow! These are gi pants.  They are fitted, and they feel nice.  The first thing I noticed (love at first sight) about these pants are the belt loops!  They go all the way across the front of the gi pants. They make sure the strings won’t get away from you! Very cool.  Then the cowboy style knee pads that go all the way to the bottom ensures coverage.  And hold up! The inside of the kneepads have this smooth gi weaved fabric (something you have to personally feel). I love it! Another thing I like about the pants is the combat skin logo on the side.  Very Tatmi-ish, I like it.  I am absolutely in love with the gi pants.  All stress areas are well re-enforced. 

Rolling in the gi:

I have only rolled in this gi once, so my take on this is very brief.  The gi jacket gets hot, and fast.  It feels very heavy as it absorbs all of the sweat through the rashguard lining.  Other than that it feels good on the skin.  This is a good gi jacket for training in the winter.  I would not compete in this gi, but will definitely be using it in training a lot.  I will try to break this gi, train more in it, and review it again by 2015. I will let the mats judge, but from what I see this gi is of superior quality and is built to last. 

If you are interested in buying the gi check out Combat Skin

Here's a little clip of some Animals MMA flow rolling in the Combat Warrior Gi with my coach and good friend Ariel: 

For more pictures of this kimono, peep my previous posts.

Also check out my coach Jimmy Santiago's Technique of the week.

Some Drilling