Is no-gi Jiu Jitsu a strong starting place?

[Jordan Clayton]

I have a bit experience in Muay Thai, Goju-Ryu Karate and MMA (more so with Luta Livre rather than Jiu Jitsu) , but i'm hoping to start training purely in Jiu-Jitsu rather than it just being an element of an MMA session. I was just wondering if no-gi Jiu-Jitsu is a strong place to start, as I was thinking I may need to take a more traditional Gi class to learn the fundamentals. Thanks for any replies guys. "Stay Black".

[The kza]

If u want to do bjj tournaments start with the gi, do wrestling, then go to nogi because its more advanced. You may get many baised responses on the gi here, i would ask in other places aswell to have several perspectives

[Jordan Clayton]

I'm interested in both MMA competition and BJJ tournaments. Thanks for the advice, it's appreciated.

[Helge Båtstad]

I'm interested in both MMA competition and BJJ tournaments. Thanks for the advice, it's appreciated.

I got alot better fast after getting the gi on (may ofc be cause I got more hours a week in ;P) I was against the gi for along time, but now I enjoy it although I usually tend to not use gi techniques when I have the option not to.

I recommend training with the gi aswell as without, techniques comes easier with the gi so you have to use your brain some to make em work without, but the gi slows the game down and makes it easier to get into, and also gives you rockclimber gripstrength and thats never a bad thing :P

[Jordan Clayton]

Thanks for the advice, i've gotten more of an insight within a few hours on this than I did asking around locally for weeks. I think i'll try both gi and no-gi.

[Enrique "Kiko"]

If you enjoy GI competition, do GI. It's a beautiful sport. If you want jiu jitsu that's geared towards MMA, focus on nogi. Many of the gi moves do not translate into nogi or mma. One of the big wig Gracies himself said that most gi moves do not translate to MMA, on video. Someone who knows what I'm talking about please feel free to link it on this thread. I think it was Rickson, but I'm not 100% on that till I find the video or someone posts it. So Jordan, really it's just a choice on how you want to "play" on the mats and what kind of playstyle you want to develop. Yank and Pull game *gi* or Clinch and Squeeze game *nogi.* I'm a hardcore nogi fan myself and train 100% nogi, but that's not to say that gi isn't also fun if you're so inclined.

[Cody Kietzman]

...forget all notions that the gi makes your basics better. No GI is a great place to start ESPECIALLY FOR MMA. Do you wear the Gi doin MMA? No. Can you grab collars and sleeves in MMA? No. So why train that way? My dad always taught me to practice like u play, so well you know ditch the GI for MMA.

[Jack Hanley]

^^Yep, specificity of training in sports applies to grappling just like it does to every other sport.

Gi training is fine if that's what you are into. But, it is absolutely NOT necessary to get good at no-gi.

[lates85]

I got alot better fast after getting the gi on (may ofc be cause I got more hours a week in ;P) I was against the gi for along time, but now I enjoy it although I usually tend to not use gi techniques when I have the option not to.

I recommend training with the gi aswell as without, techniques comes easier with the gi so you have to use your brain some to make em work without, but the gi slows the game down and makes it easier to get into, and also gives you rockclimber gripstrength and thats never a bad thing :P

that's interesting concept that people talk about. i was thinking about a fight joe rogan was comentating on about a fighter (i forget who) and he said "he's been training no-gi his whole life, so he doesn't have those "gi-tendencies"". This got me thinking about how if you go from gi to no gi (smoke serpent?) you might have to switch your brain and focus on what your doing and you may grab or do something accidently and if you had the gi on it'd be a technique you'd use, hence a "gi tendency". might be worthwhile if you are strictly doing mma to just to no gi. BUT, there is nothing wrong with aspects of both in your mind especially if you have mastered the elements of both with no issues in transition.

[Helge Båtstad]

If you enjoy GI competition, do GI. It's a beautiful sport. If you want jiu jitsu that's geared towards MMA, focus on nogi. Many of the gi moves do not translate into nogi or mma. One of the big wig Gracies himself said that most gi moves do not translate to MMA, on video. Someone who knows what I'm talking about please feel free to link it on this thread. I think it was Rickson, but I'm not 100% on that till I find the video or someone posts it. So Jordan, really it's just a choice on how you want to "play" on the mats and what kind of playstyle you want to develop. Yank and Pull game *gi* or Clinch and Squeeze game *nogi.* I'm a hardcore nogi fan myself and train 100% nogi, but that's not to say that gi isn't also fun if you're so inclined.

I think it was Roger Gracie.. and I think he said that 70% off all bjj didnt work in mma when the punches was flying.

And so with that you can argue that nogi is also not very good for mma if you dont always train with punches.