To Gi or Not To Gi

[couch]

To a newbie of BJJ and having a few years into Wing Chun...

I would love to hear the advantages or Gi or No Gi and they're "practical" application.

Is No Gi...shirtless such as in a MMA comp? Isn't Gi more applicable to everyday life then, etc?

Help me out,
Kenton Sefcik

[LeeCasebolt]

Yes. Particularly if the "NS" in your location refers to Nova Scotia, you should be training with the gi for self defense.

[yenhoi]

Training in a gi has many benefits, but if you are training for some no gi competition then you need to be training no gi of course.

[Dragonzbane76]

They both have there ups and downs. If you are training for competition then i suggest no gi. For street defense I would say to work with one for the experience of using clothing for chokes and such.

[David Jamieson]

Gi = more choke by your own clothing

No Gi = less choke by clothing, more choke by nice techs.

[bodhitree]

I suggest both, most bjj places train both.

[AmanuJRY]

Basically, no-gi means using your opponents limbs and body for holds and chokes. A must-do training method for MMA comp.

Gi training is good for holds and chokes using the opponents clothing. Good for streetfighting and requires some ingenuity to translate to comp.

Bottom line...If you're going to compete in a ruleset (MMA, etc.), you must be able to work without a gi, one way or another.

[stricker]

dude if you're coming from wing chun no gi will make sense quicker than gi.

i think the real answer (to be a complete martial artist) is always both.

learning collar (gi) chokes is handy, as (to steal from andrewS) most people wearing leather jackets need choking out anyway

oh and if i could only do one OR other, i'd go no gi...

[Nick Forrer]

I train both but as a newbie you should focus on Gi.

The Gi makes it harder to escape submissions and positions due to the added friction and so forces you to be more precise with your movements. Its easier to sweep with the Gi so your base becomes better to defend. Also it is slower so you will have mroe time to think about what you are doing. And there is the street factor too. All the best no gi guys spend the majority of their time in GI (Marcelo Garcia, Roger gracie, Jacare etc.) Its also more uncomfortable and claustrophobic so it makes you mentally tougher as well.

JMO.

[couch]

Thank you so much everyone.

I believe that in the near future I will be supplementing with Gi training.

Obviously I'll try out both flavours down the road and see what I enjoy best.

Thanks for spending the time to respond. It's funny...I asked this question on a grappling forum (albeit a small forum) and the "kung-fu" guys answered quicker!

Lee, what the heck does Nova Scotia have to do with it? I just recently moved here from Calgary, Alberta...maybe it should be the other way around? LOL

Best,
Kenton Sefcik

[LeeCasebolt]

Lee, what the heck does Nova Scotia have to do with it? I just recently moved here from Calgary, Alberta...maybe it should be the other way around? LOL

Because up north, people wear clothes.

If you lived in, say, Florida, you'd run into less-clad people, as a rule. Gi techniques don't work (without significant modification) on naked people. Most of your problems are more likely to be wearing jackets, sweaters, or other heavy clothes, though, which gives you more options if you train the gi.

For self defense, no-gi is only for people in tropical climes. For competition, follow your ruleset.

[couch]

Because up north, people wear clothes.

If you lived in, say, Florida, you'd run into less-clad people, as a rule. Gi techniques don't work (without significant modification) on naked people. Most of your problems are more likely to be wearing jackets, sweaters, or other heavy clothes, though, which gives you more options if you train the gi.

For self defense, no-gi is only for people in tropical climes. For competition, follow your ruleset.

That's hilarious...and quite true at the same time.

Thanks much!