been training gi for a month after 3 years no-gi and....

[Chris Drewes]

They both have their place. Jiu Jitsu has several flavors (for lack of a better word)- Competition Jiu Jitsu, Combat (MMA) Jiu Jitsu, and "Chess"/Strategy Jiu JItsu- in these flavors, there are aspects to each game that one can only learn training with both gi and no gi. I personally try to train them equally. The single strongest benefit of Gi is that it will teach you to watch the dangerous positions that you accidentally get yourself into- in no gi, we can get out of a lot of situations because of the slippery nature of that style- in gi, if you make a mistake and your opponent locks you up in it, it is much harder to get out of. Therefore, you learn to pay close attention to the positions you get yourself into. This will benefit your no gi game a lot as you roll smaller, tighter and with less vulnerability. Just my perspective.

Exactly, and it just depends on what you like... I like Gi, and No-Gi, none are superior to the other, because they are slightly different games IMO, and both are fun.

[CaseyD]

I dont think Eddie was being serious ... lol Not many "guards' in the UFC are amazing and scary. Eddie shared his excellent opinion on the state of jiu jitsu in MMA today at the Michigan seminar I attended. MMA is lacking drilling !!!

[Harry Evans]

I'd like to play devil's advocate, and suggest that the comment is misunderstood and overused. Gi slows down your game because of friction, which can mke things easier or tougher (both can be useful). It's harder to smash through a guard, pull out of an armbar, or slip in a quick d'arce when there is all that material - even RNCs are much tougher. Plus, it's harder to advance position because as you open up, it's easier for someone to grab some random grip and slow you down while they recover guard.

So, because of that, when you drill these moves, your technique has to be more precise, or they won't work. The idea is that you perfect your technique while doing the techniques. It's no different than when you learn a new move, and do it real slow the first few times. Say you are having a hard time escaping armbars. Spend a few weeks trying to slip your elbow out in a gi - if you can do it, then it will be extra easy to pull out in no-gi. It can also make it easier to practice: can't hit that butterfly hook sweep when rolling? Try it with a belt grip, find the angles, drill, then try again without the grip and adjust.

Then there are the other advantages, though I will admit they are minor. The gi is heavy and hot, and screws with your cardio and body temp, which can improve training. Also, in a real street fight, nobody wears a full gi, but usually someone is wearing a hoodie, jacket, etc. Cross chokes work in real life, and help set up armbars when they don't. People wear belts.

I'm not saying "gi is right, no-gi is wrong". I love no-gi. And if you prefer no-gi, maybe cross chokes by looping the gi around the body are not for you. Maybe just roll in the gi without using grips, just to increase friction. Maybe work on defending your neck better and keeping your chin tucked, since your opponent can capitalize quicker when you don't. Maybe do your next set of 100 burpies in the gi, and see how your cardio would hold up in a hot bar wearing jeans and a leather jacket. Basically, focus on training no-go through the gi, rather than training for gi. With the right mentality, I guarantee you learn something new from it.

[Jeremy Gould]

Lol @Eddies Sarcasm, although I bet Aoki wrecks it in bellator tonight via solid nogi fundamentals. First round heal hook all day. Watch out for "the actual collar".

[Logan Hutchins]

The gi totally makes ur nogi tighter, just look at all the amazing guard work in the UFC, it's soooo tight :-)

Yeah about as tight as my ex girlfriend. I'm in the same situation I train at a Gracie Barra school. I love my proffesor but I hate that we never do no gi. Like everyone else is saying I just pretend I can't grab their gi and roll like I'm going no gi, using double under hooks and all that jazz.

[Ehsan_Karam]

Rolling in the Gi makes your defense tighter, I prefer working everything else No-Gi however.

[Jesse Bell]

Dats da GI thats Jiu Jitsu!

End Thread/

[Tyler Timmermans]

The gi totally makes ur nogi tighter, just look at all the amazing guard work in the UFC, it's soooo tight :-)

The ufc band the gi just like they did Kung fu, there a bunch of pussies..lol

[Matt Hester]

The truth is that Greco Roman Wrestlers do not train Judo to make their Greco wrestling better. Same should be true of BJJ, but it hasn't been around in no-gi form as long as wrestling, so most people do not look at it that way.

It takes time to learn and get good at techniques. If you use your time to learn and get good at a gi-technique, that was time that you could have spent on learning and getting good at a no-gi technique. Bottom line.