There are several types of Karate Uniforms available, from light-weight to heavy-weight that suit different styles, weather conditions and how much we weigh. But, most Karate schools and clubs (dojos) allow any type of white Gi but require you to attach their particular badge on the Gi.

Most sports wear a uniform. Karate uniforms are called Gi's (pronounced "ge") and most are somewhat impractical to wear during training.

We tend to continue the wearing of these uniforms through tradition not practicality. These uniform for most players are made from cotton, however some are made from a much heavier drill material, generally refered to as canvas.

The traditional Gi comes in 3 parts jacket,pants and belt. The belts are commonly dyed colours to indicate the students level inside the dojo (training hall).

Sensei(instructors)generally have a dress code for the dojo. Things such as the belt should not be worn outside of the dojo, whilst travelling to and from training.

A lot of modern martial arts clubs are now going to more practical training gear like shorts and singlet(tank) tops.

You will see many Kickboxers in silk shorts and no shirts or tee shirts when they train or compete.

When purcashing a Gi you should always ask yourself how hot will it be. I have seen martial artists over the years collapsing in dojos due to extreme heat.

So if you live in a hot area you may wish to purcahse a much lighter cooler uniform.

The Judo uniform is extremely sturdy and designed to be able to cope with a lot of pulling and tugging before succumbing to abuse. The Judo Gi is also very hot in summer months though.

So what uniform should I buy. Ask yourself what you want form the uniform.

Do I want it to be light?
Do I want it to be tough?
What color am I looking for?
How long does it need to last?
What cut are you looking for?
What price do I want to pay

Well on research I found two companies Gi's to be outstanding quality.

Firstly KWON they make a large variety of different uniforms for various martial arts
Professional high-tech product development promises functional high quality products for the martial arts. Our Quality-Securing-System has ensured steady and high quality throughout the years.

Adidas Uniforms are equal to the Kwon Uniform with a name that has been around in sports equipment for decades you can't go wrong with either the Adidas or the Kwon uniform.

The Coloured belt system
The color belt system was said to have begun from the Japanese Karate system. It began with Judo and was soon adopted by the mainstream karate systems.

The belt colors represent rank and seniority. The belts are an external representation of a martial arts student's training, education and skills. The Kyu or number rank system goes from 10 -1 and then moves up from 1 - 10th Dan. The belt colors are as follows:
White
Yellow
Red
Green
Blue
Brown
Black
Black Belt 1st Dan
Black Belt 2nd Dan
Etc..
Black Belt 10th Dan

Traditionally, belts were dyed into the darker colors as the Karate Student gained higher rank. They did not buy new belts. Times were tough then and new belts were expensive propositions, so they gradually dyed them into darker and darker colors. Other myths imply that white belts were gradually allowed to grow darker and darker, until they eventually became black. This is the theory that belts represents a students length of training and devotion to the art.