When it comes to jiu jitsu, you will need to wear a gi. The martial arts’ Brazilian jiu jutsu uses gis in fights and in practice. You may need to shrink your BJJ gi if it doesn’t fit properly or you lose weight. In the following article, we will explore how to shrink your gis in four easy steps:
1. Use Hot Water
When you put your uniform into the washing machine, set it on hot. If there are two rinses, then you should go for hot/hot. Using this hot water should help your uniform to form into a smaller setting. Hot rinses are always what you should use if you want to shrink clothing. If you don’t have a hot setting on your washer, then you can just use warm water. Use the highest temperature that you possibly can when given a choice.
2. Pull the Wet Gi out of the Machine and Try it On
This will be uncomfortable. If you catch the cycle right after it’s finished, your gi should be nice and warm. Think of it like crawling into a hot tub. If you catch it when it’s cold, it will be like taking the polar plunge. To avoid this, you can take your bathtub and fill it with hot water that is enough to immerse the gi. This should warm it up and help you feel more comfortable with this process. You will be doing this so that you can see how it fits you now that you’ve washed it in hot water.
3. Hang Dry
If you’re happy with the fit, then all you need to do is to hang it to dry. This will ensure that it keeps its fit and doesn’t get any smaller with the dryer. You should feel like you can comfortably do your moves in the gi. You don’t want to put it in the dryer at all anymore if you are satisfied with the fit. The dryer could shrink it further and make moving in your gi uncomfortable.
4. Put it in the Dryer
However, if you feel that your gi could use a little more comfort fitting, then you will want to throw it into the dryer. When you put it into the dryer, you will want to check on it every five minutes. You cannot just let your dryer run and expect your gi to come out sparkling clean and fitting. It will be clean, that’s for sure, but it might be so small that you can’t wear it. You will have to try it on in five-minute intervals.
This babysitting process will be worth it because eventually, you will come out with a size that works for you. When you are happy with the fit, then you should hang it up to dry. Hanging your gi up to dry will make it so that you retain the shape and comfort until you’re ready to use it.
