Did you start with 10th Planet or transition from another school?

[NotReady]

What made you start with 10th Planet or make the switch?

If you started in gi heavy jiu jitsu, how was the transition?

Reading some threads on other forums and it is amazing to me how in 2014 there is still so much misunderstanding or faulty logic about no-gi jiu jitsu and the supposed necessity of training in the gi to become technical.

-Brendan

[Jason Mallory]

Rickson Gracie -> Aaron Briley -> me.

[Jason Mallory]

I should say that Renato Magno gave me my blue belt before I started training with Eddie who gave me my purple.

[Greg W]

started in Pedro Sauer affiliate, transition was slow, and it just happened to me, as opposed to me choosing to make it happen. It was so slow that I barely noticed it happened. Not like one day I woke up and said, "I'm going all no-gi starting today". I do remember the video (2005?) that started me using the lockdown in the Gi and started me on the eventual 10p road. Because I was using lockdown in the Gi, the times when the gi was shed became easier and easier for me. P.S. I do wish I could find that vid again!

[Kurzy]

I started with 10th Planet in Peterborough under Stewart Landry and I am 10P4L.
I have much love and respect for our Gi affiliation as well, but I am in love with Jiu Jitsu because of 10th Planet.

[David Rosado]

Started 10th planet under Coach Herzog.

Sadly, since leaving Rochester, my training has fallen off so bad due to my refusal to wear the gi, limited no gi classes IN THE WHOLE DAMN STATE OF MASS, and work schedule conflicts.

I'm 10thP4L no matter what. I still train with my Empire shirt everywhere I train. But the rust build up is a bitch. Takes me 2 weeks to break the rust, but then I'm off for another 2 weeks due to work schedule conflicts. So I'm finally biting the bullet and taking gi classes JUST to get some training in.

Basically I'm a hypocrite because I preach any mat time is better than no mat time, but whenever I look at gi prices, I scoff, get annoyed, then procrastinate. I don't hate the gi. I just hate the gi for me.

[Pat Campagnola]

I started with a small MMA club when I was living away from home for work. It was only for a couple of months, but it was all no gi and I was hooked. The instructor was a 10th Planet fan and taught basic lockdown and rubberguard from the book and DVD's. I was surprised when a google search popped up with 10th Planet Phoenix only 5 miles from my house! So technically I transitioned in, but I consider myself 10th Planet all the way.

[Pat Campagnola]

Started 10th planet under Coach Herzog.

Sadly, since leaving Rochester, my training has fallen off so bad due to my refusal to wear the gi, limited no gi classes IN THE WHOLE DAMN STATE OF MASS...

I'm most likely going to end up somewhere in MA eventually and am not excited about the training options. It will either be Norwood or Worcester areas, or possibly Hartford, CT. We need some more east coast affiliates!

[John Simmerman]

I started at Carlos Machado's school in Dallas and just gravitated to no gi while there. There the emphasis was on "hips not grips" and understanding the concepts instead of purely memorizing the techniques. Also there it was actively encouraged to go to no gi classes. The icing on the cake though was the lack of any ego with no gi. If it worked, it stayed. Since then I have had to relocate to another part of the country, where I have not found the same openness to no gi but the more I have progressed on my jiu jitsu journey the more I have found that 10th planet works with or without the gi so I have kept adding more and more to my game. I agree that many schools are ignorant of no gi but they should not be.

[Serge Bunimovich]

Started with MMA gym, doing No Gi grappling. Switched to 10P about 3 years later.