Gi vs No Gi - Which is better?

[@DCJiuJitsuGeelong]

As a skater and a surfer as well as a Jiu Jitsu practitioner we used to have a saying when we were kids if you’re a true skater you can skate on anything. If you’re a true surfer you can surf on anything and if you’re at Jiu Jitsu you can do it in anything. NOGI is amazing but let’s remember that Nogi is not Jiu Jitsu. It is submission grappling as soon as you take off the uniform you are no longer practising Jiu Jitsu you are using Jiu Jitsu principles in a submission grappling setting. The debate is more keen to do you like snowboarding or surfing? Better both use the same concepts and principles but the application is different. No one would call snowboarding surfing and surfing snowboarding. They are not the same even though they both use a board and they are both on water.

[@donnieortegojiujitsu]

Well said 🙌🏻

[@andymax1]

Depends on the health of your fingers.

[@Will-S]

😂So true!

[@Pacopaco888]

Jiu jitsu life cycle as a kid use the gi as a adult no gi as a senior back to gi

[@michaelm9710]

Why and what age is senior? I’m almost 50 and having fun doing no gi. It’s not so bad when you’re a 225 lb meathead. Even though the other guys are fast.

[@thesecurityguardchannel]

I’m a 46 year old white belt and appreciate the Gi. I also work private security so the lapel control and sleeve work is applicable to what I do daily.

[@adammcnamara5027]

Im 53yr old brown belt and only do no gi, gi os slow and boring

[@cesaralvesdemoraes3187]

Gi has more techniques, it is not more technical. Important distinction.

[@ninjaml1011]

They just compliment each other. One fills the holes of the other. Love both

[@seanl904]

Each has their place. Do both and have fun

[@alex.sand1r]

Love these pods! Keep them coming!

[@owent159]

Personally a fan of the gi, especially when developing a more technical defensive base in the first bit of your jj journey. At the purple-brown when you're refining attacks/chaining techniques I think no gi is great. But at the beginning when learning how to escape sticky grips and distance maintenance it's important instead of being able to slip out of anything

[@thedialectic6831]

James nails it with the distinction between martial sports vs. martial arts. I despise the sport/entertainment aspect of BJJ where you have young kids looking up to clowns like Craig Jones as he makes a joke about being on steroids, doing coke, drinking alcohol before matches, etc. The martial arts are not about popularity or financial gain, it’s much more about becoming a better, stronger, more competent human being.

[@dariusrana8487]

Great post. My thoughts exactly.

[@adammcnamara5027]

Martial arts are dead and belts system is a scam

[@gnqan00]

I’ve never understood the reasoning by thoughts like this. It’s not everyone’s responsibility to be kid friendly or their role model. Craig is building a brand geared towards adult humor. It’s your responsibility as a parent to censor what your kid watches. Bjj isn’t a kid only sport. It’s for everyone. That’s means there’s going to be some kid friendly and not friendly content. I get if you don’t like his humor…it can go 50/50 for me. I’m a black dude from the south…he has that weird sus white dude humor that is not acceptable in black culture lol.

[@adammcnamara5027]

@@gnqan00 Craig will end up being the best thing for the sport as far as athlete’s are concerned for the money and sponsorship. These crusty old traditional grump’s forget they were young, the traditional garbage is over as we all pay a fortune to do the SPORT it’s not ancient China where this is handed down ITS EXPENSIVE. So these old fashion gym’s are gunna get left behind and be closing there door’s soon, just the cold hard truth. If u dont like Craig dont watch but just stop bitching because he’s sensing people through ur door whether u like it or not.

[@plyguard4life]

2024 ADCC winners all have a kimono background. Felipe, Kanyan, Giancarlo, Mica, Babyshark just to name a few. Crossover from kimono to nogi much easier then Nogi into kimono.

[@BPchadlite]

"I had a couple of white belt friends" - Why is this bloke always trying to humanise the prey?

[@bulletproofforbjj]

🤣

[@jk-tn8ry]

Having done both gi and no-gi on and off for 25yrs , now a rickety 52 yr black belt i much perfer the gi nowadays. What i've observed in the past, is the athletes, wannabe tough guys who used to take up boxing , or people with aspirations of doing mma are more likely to take up no-gi without going the gi route. There is a lot of amazing technical no-gi players that have never done gi but there is also a lot that only get by with athletic gifts and get frustrated when put in a gi now having to think and forward as they play the game. Not really giving it the time because they can't get good at it straight away. For what it's worth i believe every gi player should do not gi evey so often to keep their just jiu jitsu honest for the chaotic nature of really combat. I know myself nothing hard of my body that spazzy white belt to tidy my game up.

[@Shikami85]

Are you saying No Gi emulates more real combat ?

[@jk-tn8ry]

@Shikami85 well I've never had a confrontation where I was only in a skimpy pair of shorts and I have used gi grips on everyday clothing to defend myself but I would say no-gi re-enforces the use of good fundamentals that are needed when keeping simple with urgency of real fights. I believe in a Carlson gracie approach when it comes to doing both

[@justonlittle9786]

Gi for winter, no gi for summer, i have seasons hear

[@Jeffro5564]

What about spring and autumn?

[@theblishknovk]

​@@Jeffro5564still wearing hoodies/jackets in early spring and late autumn.

[@donnieortegojiujitsu]

Awesome discussion 🤙🏻

[@Ed7501]

Depends on what other arts you train in. If you train muay thai and boxing and wrestling, then yeah, choose no-go. Or gi. But if Jiujitsu is your only thing, then might as well do both.

[@jerryh2954]

Both are needed if you want a tight game. The GI is harder ( Harder means you can't just move around under the guy like you can with no GI and the GI can be used as another tool you don't have in no GI) and so more people tend to go with no GI, All of the top guys other than Gordon do both. I tend to gravitate to no GI if I do both, so currently I'm just doing GI for a while then I will switch back to no GI. I train in an elite school with killers.

[@spanishflyftw7213]

I'm a 44 yo purple belt, and a former hs wrestling coach. I just find nogi more fun and exciting. I train gi once a week and nogi 3 times a week. I feel some people will stall more in gi vs nogi, which makes the game alittle boring. I do love both but I'm definitely team nogi

[@OhYaSure]

1 stripe white belt here. Why does my opinion matter? Lol. But I like both really. I find myself doing more no-gi in the hotter months tho. I burn up in my gi on a hot California day. (I am getting an ultra light gi, so that helps) I do find no-gi to be more realistic for self defense, but Gi still teaches a lot. It’s a different game for sure. I love both. I love that there’s two ways to play. So fun

[@OhYaSure]

Also, while most people don’t on average have a grippable top, they almost always have grippable pants.

[@Jeffro5564]

I was wondering with gi and no gi what was easier to remember techniques? I found it hard to remember stuff in gi but in no gi it was easy but that cos I had different instructors who had their own way of teaching

[@bulletproofforbjj]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion brother. Plus this is the internet anyone can say anything so please say whatever you like!!

[@Jiu-JitsuJourney257]

We train both. I think it’s important.

[@Bucket70]

Hey guys, best Jiu Jitsu podcast out of all of them by far. Thanks for the frequency and the great content. In my opinion, I think no gi has helped jiu jitsu popularity. I predict that Gi Jiu Jitsu will be an Olympic sport at some point but no gi will not make it. Due to the wrestling similarity.

[@AceBoogie_]

You gotta do both, especially as a white belt. Now if you want to specialise after blue/purple belt, I think that's fine too.

[@kylelemon4230]

Depens on how many pyjamas parties you go to

[@cohenyoel83]

Just spoke with a new guy in my gym and he asked me same question… and told him exactly what you guys said there is difference but bjj is bjj and you have to be technical and quick decisions in both 🤙

[@cebsone]

As a beginner, GI feels alot more dangerous as the chokes and attacks are so much harder to see coming in a GI.

[@michaellynch8021]

Just reinforce the distinction between BJJ and Luta Livre. Problem solved. Two different martial arts. Only reason they call it no-gi jiu-jitsu is because the Gracies are better at marketing.

[@Jeffro5564]

Don’t forget no gi was populise by Eddie bravo and then everyone hated no gi till Eddie defeated a Gracie and 10th planet came lol and now everyone starts doing no go even ones who didn’t like it hahaha

[@michaellynch8021]

@@Jeffro5564 very true. But the Gracies being business savvy as they are pivoted once they saw how popular no-gi was becoming and capitalized. It wouldn’t be as big as it is today if it was just 10th planet is what I’m saying.

[@rc-1983]

#1

[@user-tp3rc3gw5l]

I'm so uninterested in watching gi, that I don't even want to watch a discussion about gi... lol

[@blertaer4692]

Then listen

[@user-tp3rc3gw5l]

You can't make me... lol

[@Highcaloriegrappling]

Nogi BJJ is just a light verson of Catch As Catch Can. Nogi guys think they figured some new shit out that catch wrestles have been doing since the 1800s. There's a hot take for yeah.

[@xhxpe8004]

catch wrestler don't know shit about Dela riva X guard bud

[@profd65]

A bullsh*t take for you, more like. "That catch wrestlers have been doing since the 1800s"??? Catch wrestling died out in the 1920s, bud, when it devolved or evolved into WWE-style phony wrestling. The popularity of BJJ is the only reason anybody (including you) has even heard of "catch wrestling." People who practice or sing the praises of "catch wrestling" nowadays are simply individuals who have a weird grudge against BJJ, many of whom are probably former high school wrestlers who don't want to associate themselves with the "nerds" who do BJJ. I've got some news for you: catch wrestling didn't invent grappling or joint locks, nor did BJJ evolve out of or usurp the position of catch wrestling. Objectively, catch wrestling is nothing but a very unsophisticated BJJ.

[@techniquejiujitsu8832]

Are we still arguing about this?

[@victurchen]

If you wanna do something hard, why not do Judo or Wrestling?

[@sirpibble]

It's kind of a contradiction to say well the gi is much more technical and takes longer to get good at, by the way if a world champion in the gi goes no gi then white belts can start slipping away from him So which one is it? Sounds like nogi is harder if the world champion can't hold on to the beginners as easily anymore It sounds like the gi did not actually develop his grappling ability and it was simply a crutch he used to gain control over people But to another point just use your own eyes, look at the gi classes and it is full of over 40 boomers and the nogi class is full of 25-year-olds Old men are not choosing the harder sport, they play slow pitch softball and flag football for a reason They need that crutch of being able to just grab on to someone's clothes to make up for their technical inability to physically control their body

[@profd65]

Your argument cuts both ways, buddy: Yes, it IS harder to hold onto to somebody who isn't wearing a gi, but that's just another way of saying that it's easier to escape from holds and bad positions if you're not wearing a gi. Do you see where I'm going with this? The most important thing to learn and get good at in BJJ are escapes, and the gi makes it's harder to escape. And what you should be trying to do in a street self defense situation is escape and run away, not fight.

[@sirpibble]

@@profd65 not really because the game we play isn't who can run away better, its a game of controlling someone as it leads to a submission, and the person able to do that under more difficult circumstances is better Look at it another way, there's Teo carpenters and they make the same table but one uses basic hand tools and the other uses all the modern conveniences There's no question which is the more skilled craftsman, it's the one doing the same job with fewer tools The modern guy might cope and say well look at all these tools I know how to use and you don't But this isn't a contest to see who can operate a band saw better, the contest is building the table To apply it to jiujitsu again, the guy that can choke someone out when it's slippery and fast and there's nothing to grab on to is objectively more skillful than someone who needs friction, handles, and lapels to get it done

[@michaelm9710]

I’m over 40 and only train no gi. Also know some great over 40 guys who train no gi. We get a lot of purple belts from gi BJJ gyms who are making the switch. I’m not sure what that says about your argument. I’ve never been to a gi BJJ gym, so maybe you’re right that all the guys are older and weaker. It’s true most of the guys I’m grappling against are in their 20s but I assume that would be true in all BJJ classes.

[@michaelm9710]

@@sirpibblethat last thing you said makes sense to me. If you’re able to get a man to the ground and then choke him out when you’re both drenched in sweat and you have to grab their arms, hands and legs with your own hands etc, that’s a skill I want.

[@profd65]

@@sirpibble You didn't even follow what I said. I was talking about self defense, and the only game worth playing in self defense is to escape the situation. "Controlling someone as it leads to a submission" doesn't make much sense if the guy you're facing has a knife in his pocket. Most pocketknives people in America carry these days can be opened with one hand, which makes them easy to sneak into fights and use. These knives should be illegal, but they aren't. You insist on talking about jiu-jitsu tournaments: "To apply it to jiujitsu again, the guy that can choke someone out when it's slippery and fast and there's nothing to grab on to is objectively more skillful than someone who needs friction, handles, and lapels to get it done." But I can (and did) say the same thing about escaping, and the guy in the gi is OBJECTIVELY MORE SKILLFULL at escaping from holds and bad positions because the gi guy has "friction, handles, and lapels" that are helping to keep him prisoner. It's a lot easier to escape when you're sweaty and half naked.

[@JEFFMAN90]

The Gi is way better then No Gi. No Gi is overrated