Recycling dead gis

**oplus** · Posted On: 5/05/2011 4:00am

What can you do with critically damaged gis? Can you use them to patch other gis but keep them competition legal? Make great towels? Halloween costumes? Bulletproof your shirts? Share any uses you've had or thought of.

**judoka_uk** · Posted On: 5/05/2011 4:22am

You can't patch a gi noticeably and have it remain contest legal.

Depending on the extent of the damage you could donate it to your club or you can use it to do gi pull ups with.

**Snake Plissken** · Posted On: 5/05/2011 10:37am

There was a soccer program, called the Kickback Program
http://www.soccerpluscamps.com/educa...ack/index.html
that would donate old, used soccer gear to underprivileged kids in developing nations.

Is anyone aware of a similar program with old MA supplies?

**Twobits** · Posted On: 5/05/2011 1:00pm

I dunno about any groups specific to recycling MA stuff like that, but I knew with kendo we'd often pool together all the old armor/gis in a given dojo/state federation for the kids (since they grow out of it in like 2 seconds and it's a waste to spend 1k on a new set).

Shouldn't be too hard to find a way to recycle, especially since Judo dojos (if I'm not mistake) also tend to be part of a larger "X Judo federation". Maybe your instructor knows something?

edit: If the gi is too ripped to be used and it isn't just cosmetic...maybe it could be used as a badass worn in karate gi?

**Permalost** · Posted On: 5/05/2011 1:54pm

Put it on a BOB training dummy to closer simulate fighting a karateman.

**Vieux Normand** · Posted On: 5/05/2011 6:44pm

Soak gi with water.

Go up to subject tied to chair.

Towel-whip subject with soaked gi.

Repeat until you're happy.

**Vieux Normand** · Posted On: 5/05/2011 6:45pm

Soak gi with water.

Go up to subject tied to chair.

Towel-whip subject in face with soaked gi.

Repeat until you're happy.

**Tom .C** · Posted On: 5/05/2011 6:54pm

Originally Posted by Permalost

Put it on a BOB training dummy to closer simulate fighting a karateman.

That's just mean! I have a couple of old gi that I loan out. I've lost two good ones that just walked out the door and two battered ones that did the same. The good ones hurt because they were broke in and in good shape. The old ones, it was easier than throwing them away.

**Keej613** · Posted On: 6/06/2011 8:48am

A lot of gear and apparel companies sell stuff made out of gi materal for a fortune. RVDDW sells a gi material baseball hat for around 100$ US. Another company (I forget which) makes gi material duffle bags. If you know someone with a strong enough sewing machine, you could get creative and make a bit of loot.

(At least in my area) A lot of BJJ, JJJ, Judo (etc) schools aren't too concerned with competitions so they let their students wear whatever gis they can afford. (These are usually schools that are run out of community centers, school gyms, church basements, etc.) If you have these types of schools in your area, I'm sure they'd appreciate the donation of a busted or patched up gi because they can lend it out to their noobs.

Alternately, you could patch up the tears on your gis with flashy popular MMA or BJJ brand patches and sell the gis on Craigslist, Kijiji, etc.