In autumn 2014 Tatami decided it wanted to do some serious research into the female gi market in order to improve their offer. They asked for individuals to participate as gi testers and over a 150 women were selected. I was one of those lucky women and received a gi earlier this year to test and feedback which really cheered me up when I received it unexpectedly!

I was sent the women’s F4 Nova Basic Gi. The first impressions was that it was a very soft and light gi. Weighing in at just under 2Kg it was brilliantly plain with minimum patches and branding. My instant thought that this could be my ideal gi for competition or for traveling and visiting other gyms. Nothing more exciting than getting a new gi and it instantly having a purpose in your rotation!

The gi has many of the technical specifications you’d expect. Triple stitching at the stress points, rubberised collar and double reinforced knees. Best of all is the rope drawstring which not only makes tying your pants easier but as we know helps them stay up!

In terms of initial fit the pants fitted my straight out of the bag resulting in me sending a little pray to the gi gods that they wouldn’t shrink too much! However the jacket was slightly too big to the point where I couldn’t get straight on the mats in it. I roughly needed to lose an inch off the sleeves and the body. So it was definitely a case for operation tumble dryer!

Gi Vital Statistics

As you can see the tumble dryer was a success as the gi shrunk pretty uniformly enabling me to give the gi and good test run at a seminar that weekend!

On the mat the gi has performed particularly well. The softness might be problematic when trying to break my opponents grip but it felt very nice even after air drying it wasn’t too stiff and felt very comfortable. However it is not my best fitting gi that I own. A few of my friends did comment that the jacket looked baggy on me despite the length and sleeves fitting. I am quite tall and reasonable slim which means I don’t have significant curves so this gi may fit a curvier grappler better.

After 4 months of being in my gi rotation. The gi is holding it fantastically and it is one of my regular training gis. Post testing Tatami sent an email to all the testers regarding their findings proving that they genuinely listed as a gi company. Over the next few months their female gis will be altering slighting including importantly slightly longer pants, a F4L size for taller slimmer girls and the ability to mix and match sizes if purchased on the tatami site (which is fantastic news for me!). As soon as the new styles come out I will definitely be looking at getting hold of one!

PS The gi is currently reduced in the Tatami Sale so get one whilst you can!