Back to what I started talking about—they changed the rules, again. They have a tendency to change the rules every 2 years; that’s the pattern I’ve been seeing, anyways. So, “why is this a major reason judokas are broke?” you may be asking. Well, instead of just telling you why, I’ll use my circumstances as an example. Maybe you’ll get an idea after reading it…
I started competing at the national level about 2 years ago, so I needed a somewhat decent judogi to compete in; nothing fancy, just something a little sturdier to get me through the competition. Mind you, we don’t need 1 gi…we need 2: a blue and a white. This wasn’t a huge deal, as you can purchase a somewhat decent gi for $150 (at least enough to let you compete at the regional, state, and possibly, the national level).
Total: $300
**For example, some gis are a made a little bit stiffer than others. This makes it more difficult for an opponent to get a decent grip on you, thus making it harder to throw you.**
Since these gis are of a better quality, of course, they are a bit more expensive. So I purchased two “good” quality judogis (blue and white) that met the IJF requirements for 2014.
These tournaments also require that you purchase back patches to verify your name and country for which you’re competing. These will run around 10 Euros ($12-15) per back patch. That’s not a big deal, however, the shipping cost will kill you. The only places that develop these “approved” back patches are oversees. The shipping will cost another $25-$30.
Wait! That’s not all…there’s more! You also need something to hold your gi top closed—a belt! Of course you can’t use the one you bought when you got promoted by your club…it has to be IJF approved. The belts will cost another $25-$80, depending on the brand.
Back Patch: ($12 X 2)+$25=$49
Total: $499
**Yay**
You guessed it…it means another 2 judogis and back patches! (As of right now, I believe the belt we used for the 2014 season is still approved to use in 2015 competitions).
Back Patch: ($12 X 2)+$25=$49
Total: $449
**Rant Over** :)