by Ka'ohu Ah Yo

Summary

The Yang is my favorite Shoyoroll gi and is one of my favorite gi’s of any brand. The Yang is made of a heavy duty gi material that keeps you warm on the mat in winter and helps you sweat to make weight for those summer competitions.

The look is classic, simple… and murdered out. Each time I put on my Yang, I feel like a ninja and ready for battle.  This is why it's one of our Top 5 Shoyoroll gis of all time!

The Yang went for presale in May 2011 at $184.95. It was rumored that there were less than 200 of these gi’s made in varying sizes from A0 to A4.

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Introduction

The Yang was the last gi in Shoyoroll’s “Belt Series” signifying the BJJ black belt. The Yang was released along with the Yin SS, an all-white gi to signify the BJJ white belt. These two gi’s together were cleverly paired: Yin and Yang; white belt and black belt; the beginning and the end.

These gi’s were a limited release and were sold during the 2011 BJJ World Championships. Thankfully for those lucky few, gi’s that were not snatched up at the BJJ World Championships were placed for sale on Budovideos.com.

The remaining gi’s sold out in a matter of minutes. Just as any experienced Shoyoroll purchaser knows, I was quick to “Add to Cart,” enter in all payment information, and Submit.

Needless to say, I was stoked to see the Your Order Has Been Placed email. Even better, since it wasn’t a presale I received my gi in a matter of days.

If you’re having trouble getting your hands on those elusive Shoyoroll Gi’s, check out this article.

Fit

I’m a fan of the fit of the unique Shoyoroll size A3S. I’m 6’0” and 180 pounds. The Yang was slightly baggy in all areas prior to any washes. I wash my gi’s in warm water and follow up the first two washes only in the dryer on warm (Please see our guide on how to wash/shrink your gis here).

After the 2 runs through the dryer, my gi shrank perfectly to my body. Thereafter, I wash my gi immediately after training and hang to dry.

Design

I won’t be making any fashion statements at the gym with the Yang. It’s just simple and murdered out: black material, black stitching and all black Shoyoroll logos. Instead of the Shoyoroll’s usual rasta colors (red, yellow, and green) taping, the taping for the Yang is black, grey, and silver camouflage print. After over a year of wear and washing, the color has kept well with very minimal fading.

Jacket

The jacket is supposed to be of lightweight material, but feels like the thickest and warmest of all my gi’s. The collar is made of the standard EVA foam and feels thicker than the collar on Shoyoroll’s Golden State gi, which also has an EVA foam collar.

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Trousers

The Yang pants are 12 oz. drill cotton pants with a pearl weave gusset. The pants feel thick and durable yet soft and comfortable. The pants are thick enough to make it hard for opponents to get a firm grip when attempting to pass.

Rolling Performance

I would compare the comfort of the Yang to wearing pajamas. The soft pants are comfortable as I roll. The fit and cut of the Yang allow for maximum flexibility and mobility. I can stay on the mat for hours training in my Yang and not have to worry about tear or rips.

Conclusion

I think the select Shoyoroll fanatics that have the Yang in their collection will be hanging onto to this one. I hope to one day pair my Yang gi with my black belt. The Yang’s mysticism and limited release make it the most prized Shoyoroll gi’s in my collection… for now.

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Shoyoroll Yang Gi Reviews From Users

Mark says:

Got this gi at Worlds. The gi is different from any other SYR out there. It is quite a bit heavier. For sure a training gi. You wont see any of these out in competition. The pants did come very large. I am still trying to trade mine for an A1. All around a great gi to add to the rotation though. I approve!

Bgup says:

I have a SYR Yang. Im 5 8 160 and have an A2. Its a little baggy, technically Im an A1 in SYR but Im so worried if I actually buy an A1 it will shrink and be too small. My Mamba and Comp 450 both fit better. Maybe it just needs more washes. It feels a little heavier than my Mamba. Over all its a solid Gi and I didnt overpay so no sour grapes here.

Note: it is noticeably heavier than my Mamba.

Marc says:

Love my yang. Great fit. My fave gi.

Noble says:

I have a Yang and one thing I like is that the pants had minimal shrinkage so they are the perfect length for me (5’8″ 160) unlike the golden state pants which shrank a little too much and now feel a little too short. The only thing I don’t like is that the knee pads are still a little too low, similar to my golden state, they should raise them up just a little bit.

Other likes:
The fit of the gi top is great and the inside of the sleeves feels really smooth, much smoother than any of my other gis so it just feels comfortable on my arms (compared to my Atama, Fushida, SYR golden state, and Vulkan).

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Nick says:

The yang is a perfect fit for me 5″9 178, all the inner stitching is icing on the cake. The pants are nice and thick but not to heavy. The drawstring on the pants is great instead of the old shoe lace style on all other pants. There lapels are great, soft and flexible to wrap around the neck of other cats rolling in the average Gi. The price is very reasonable for the top quality Gi they provide. 10 out of 10.

Brannon says:

I would have liked to have seen white logos on the black Gi and black logos on the white but i bought the yang anyway. People seem to really like the straight black and the Gi fits great. Nothing but happy with this Gi. Get a lot of compliments on it.

Vincentvega says:

I have a yang and I don’t like it. I bought after trying on a friends mamba and really liked the cut. My yang has been worn maybe 3x, and I have no plans of wearing it soon. My favorite gi in cut, weight etc is my Ouano Competition gi. I could wear that every day.

I did order an Americana and compadre from SYR which I had bought before I got the yang. I’m hoping they are going yo be better cut and weight than the yang. I’ll know next month when I receive them.

The yang sucks for me cuz I overpaid plus it’s so heavy and the cut sucks.

Icon says:

I have the yang too but I dislike the cut of the gi. it’s the same cut as the old atama mundial 5 which makes it wear like a wizards robe.
I like the koral cut where the seam in the front of the gi is more at armpit level. makes a leaner cut.

This is the hard thing about buying gi’s from drawings. From the drawing it looked like the cut of the koral. it’s my first and last SYR.