Why a gi is a bad thing to guess at
BJJ gi sizes have nothing to do with high street sizing. They run from A0 to A5, they cross height with weight, and two models from the same brand do not always fit the same way. Add first-wash shrinkage and everyone's own preference for a loose or a close cut, and the odds of getting it right without asking are slim.
But asking someone their size gives the present away. That is the paradox a gift card solves.
The belt, the one present never to buy
There is a trickier mistake than sizing. In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, belt colour is a rank, and a rank is awarded by an instructor. Giving a blue belt to someone still at white makes everybody uncomfortable, including the person who bought it in good faith.
A gift card lets them buy their belt the day they earn it, which happens to be one of the purchases people look forward to most.
When to give one
There is no shortage of occasions in a training life. A promotion, which calls for a new belt. A first competition, which calls for a gi that meets the rules. The start of a season, a birthday, or simply the point where the old gi has done its time.
What it can buy
The card works across the whole shop: gis, belts, rashguards, grappling shorts and everyday wear. They choose what they need, when they need it.