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The debate on the practicality of BJJ Gi or No-Gi has been around for decades and is growing more intense with every passing day. The modern BJJ circuit is divided over the practicality of these forms of grappling. One school of thought believes that it is impossible to be good at grappling with only no-gi training as the traditional gi-based grappling is more effective.
Marcelo Gracia sums up this argument eloquently:
“An athlete who wants to be good in No-Gi must also train in the Gi.”
This argument is refuted by Eddie Bravo in his book Jiu-Jitsu Unleashed:
“They insist that to get good at no-gi grappling, you must be a master
with the gi, but this isn’t true.”
With this tug of war in place, it is natural to be perplexed and indecisive about which BJJ form should you train in? Some people train in BJJ to learn self-defense. While others want to compete in mainstream competitions and make a career in BJJ or MMA.
In this article, we will discuss and illuminate the self-defense and career-advancing aspects of Gi and No-Gi BJJ. We aim to help you decide which form of training is more practical for you and in consonance with your goals.
Gi vs No-Gi BJJ – Fundamental Differences
Uniform – The key difference between Gi and No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the uniform. To practice Gi jiu-jitsu you are required to wear a thick cotton jacket and cotton pants (traditional gi). The No-Gi gear is made of elastic material (spandex) and is a snug fit. Athletes can wear rash guards, T-shirts, or tank tops to cover the torso. For the lower body shorts or spat, pants can be worn. Male athletes can also go shirtless for No-Gi training.
Technique – In Gi BJJ, uniform grips are allowed. Athletes use these grips to acquire dominant positions or to execute takedowns and submission techniques. While in No-Gi training, uniform grips are not allowed. The only way to control the opponent is through wrestling-style body grips.
Speed – The Gi style BJJ is slower than No-Gi BJJ because the thick material of the Gis creates friction and reduces the speed and strength of the combatants.
Gi vs No-Gi BJJ – Which is More Practical in the Real-Life Setting?
Whenever real-life fight settings are discussed, the main focus is on the clothes. The Gi supporters argue that with grip training in place they can use the clothes of their rivals against them. Since people usually wear jeans and a jacket, their everyday attire is similar to a gi and that’s why training in Gi-BJJ is more practical.
While the No-Gi practitioners claim that since No-Gi training does not focus on the grips, they tend to rely on techniques and strategies to dominate their opponents. They forget that their opponent – who may or may not be a BJJ practitioner – might grab them with their clothes and not knowing how to break those grips can be a serious disadvantage.
The truth is real-life fights are unpredictable. You don’t know what your opponent is capable of. Therefore, training in both Gi and No-Gi gear is equally important to be prepared.
Which is More Practical for Self Defense?
Let’s further establish the above thought. The reason we believe that Gi training is more practical in self-defense is that wherever you go, your rivals would be wearing clothes. If you practice both Gi and No-Gi BJJ, you can change your fighting style based on your opponent’s clothes. Imagine you are walking down a dark alley on a chilly December night and, God forbid, you are attacked by a drunkard or a thief looking for a brawl. Now imagine his attire. It’s a cold night, so he is bound to be wearing a jacket. That small detail is enough to help you defend yourself. You can apply the numerous choking techniques, submission techniques, and throws using his clothes (Gi); a lesson learned in Gi training.
Lapel grips are great for takedowns and choke setups. You could use sleeve grips to protect yourself from your attackers’ punches. Pant grips are also a great way to set up grappling attacks on your opponent.
If you train only No-Gi, you would miss out on these techniques that are practical and relevant in uncontrolled and unexpected real-life situations.
Now let’s dissect the opposite phenomenon. What if you find your opponent in something similar to a no-gi uniform. Simple T-shirts, tank tops, and shirts are not durable enough to provide support against grips. You will end up tearing them or taking them off. In these situations, No-Gi training can be your savior. There is a reason many BJJ players end up losing in No-Gi environments; they are nothing without their grips. Don’t let that happen to you. Train equally in both Gi and No-Gi BJJ.
Now that we have covered the self-defense aspect, let’s discuss whether Gi or No-Gi style is more practical in competitions and for a BJJ career.
Which is More Practical for a Successful Career?
Most athletes start with Gi training and eventually incorporate No-Gi training into their schedules. In the early 2000s, the No-Gi was restricted to the local tournaments with the ADCC World Championship being the only well-known platform. Over the years, there has been a surge of grand international No-Gi competitions such as Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI), Fight to Win (F2W), and Who’s Number One (WNO). What’s even more interesting is that these competitions have a higher viewership compared to the traditional Gi-only jiu-jitsu tournaments which include multiple IBJJF and UAEJJF competitions. Jiu-jitsu fans find No-Gi fights to be more exciting and fast-paced and are bored with the traditional Gi-style grappling.
Furthermore, No-Gi stars are rising to dominate the Gi scene such as Ryan Hall, Gordon Ryan, and Craig Jones. With these elite No-Gi athletes, the No-Gi style grappling is evolving expeditiously. With the rise of UFC, more and more BJJ grapplers are becoming MMA fighters. One match is enough to tell you which side is UFC on.
So is Gi or No-Gi BJJ more practical?
If we analyze the growth of No-Gi style grappling and the inclination of star grapplers towards it, one can safely say that it is practical to train No-Gi in today’s BJJ world and age.
UFC is also a more No-Gi-friendly platform. UFC fighters are not allowed to wear gis or other articles of clothing in the Octagon. So if you train No-Gi transitioning from BJJ to MMA will come easier.
Final Verdict
Because of the foregoing, it is evident that Gi BJJ is more self-defense oriented and it has its advantages, so you should not completely exclude this grappling style from your training sessions. However, practicing No-Gi will not only help you in threatening situations, but they are a great way to carve out a lucrative career in BJJ and MMA in today’s era. For this reason, it can be concluded that Gi-BBJ is practical for self-defense while No-Gi BJJ is practical for self-defense and career advancement.
As Gordon Ryan said:
“In the next ten years, Gi-BJJ is going to be phased out. No-Gi is the way of
the future.”
At the end of the day, the decision is yours.
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