Gi Vs. No Gi

To Gi or not to Gi, that is the question, and an old one at that. Why would I want to try and hash out what may very well be a topic that's been beat to death? Because I can. Seriously though, there are a lot of new folks to the game and it can't hurt to point out my point of view on the subject.

The first few years of my Jiu-Jitsu training were strictly with a Gi. I had no idea of the vast differences between the two styles of fighting. When I began training once a week without the Gi...wow! What an eye opener. Frankly, I resisted it at first, preferring to train with the Gi. The Gi was what was familiar to me and I was fairly good at it. I didn't understand a lot of the reasons at first as to why I was shunning the No Gi workouts. But I continued, and learned, and eventually climbed on the bandwagon.

One of the things that always stuck in my mind was a time when I was wearing a Gi and my partner was not. It became real apparent real fast that he had a distinct advantage over me. This was my first introduction to the reality of having handles when you wear a Gi. It's one thing to grapple with someone when you're both wearing the Gi or both not wearing a Gi, but when one is and the other isn't, the differences are as plain as day. To put it bluntly, the No Gi partner has all kinds of material to grab and hold onto in order to hold the Gi wearing partner in place. Conversely, The partner with the Gi has a much more difficult time holding onto...well, nothing.

Thus the evolution of learning begins. Without a Gi, one must now learn the different ways to hold and control an opponent. All of the Gi chokes are gone, as well as a list of submissions you used to be able to pull off with the use or aide of the Gi. So you must learn a new way to pull off those submissions and a host of new, No Gi submissions. And the list goes on.

For me, it was like a light bulb came on and I suddenly felt like I knew absolutely nothing about Jiu-Jitsu. I think it was at this time in my Jiu-Jitsu career that I started to say, "the more I know, the more I realize how much I don't know."

By the time I started to teach full-time, I had instituted a regular weekly schedule that included Gi and No Gi classes. I knew full well the importance of learning Jiu-Jitsu with a Gi, so wasn't about to throw that to the wayside. I also realized there had to be a fair mix of both in order to truly build a well-rounded Jiu-Jitsu fighter.

So what are the pros and cons of each? I've read quite a few reasons over the years as to why one is better than the other, or why a person prefers one over the other. I say, keep an open mind to both. Once you close your mind and decide you don't like one way or the other, you limit yourself in so many ways.

There are plenty of schools out there that strictly train either with a Gi or in No Gi, and that is their way. I don't have an opinion one way or the other as to whether or not that's a good thing or a bad thing for them. It's really of no concern to me. What I care about is how we train and how we utilize our valuable training time to mix these two styles of training.

Now here comes the rant. I'm sure some of you knew it was coming. At the end of the day, it comes down to this. At Roseberry's, we train in both Gi and No Gi. I see the value in both and will continue to train in this manner. What does this mean to my students? On Gi days, wear your Gi. My lesson plan for the day is built off of the idea that we'll be learning how to use the Gi to our advantage. On No Gi days, don't wear your Gi. Yeah right, like that ever happens.

Here are some things to think about. Wearing No Gi clothing while grappling with someone who is wearing a Gi is unfair. If you think you're a good grappler because you tap out your Gi wearing opponents, think again. If you don't like wearing a Gi because it's restrictive and you can't move very well, guess what...you have just identified a weakness in your game.

Now comes the challenge. Use the Gi days to build your skills for the No Gi classes. If you can learn to move and dominate while wearing a Gi against a No Gi partner, how do you think you'll perform without the Gi? A lot better I suspect.

Now don't get me wrong. First and foremost, I'm happy that my students are coming to classes, that they're learning, and having a good time. The other side of this is that my students should have a certain level of trust in my knowledge and ability to teach. Trust that I am making decisions about their training that will benefit them. When students take it upon themselves to not wear a Gi on Gi training days, this can sometimes be in conflict with the training for the day. I understand that sometimes your Gi didn't get cleaned or dried, or it was left in someone else's car, or you forgot it was a Gi day, or you didn't know you had to wear a Gi because you saw other people not wearing a Gi, or you loaned it to Garrett and he never gave it back, or your dog ate it. But seriously, let's all try to come on board with this.

I wish I could say that I'm open to suggestions or am flexible on this subject, but I'm not. It's non-negotiable.