Renato, About Your Gi ....

[Jason Mallory]

In his defense if you train with a gi your nogi escapes will get better and your wrist control will get better just from practicing gi grips.

I'm not trying to be confrontational but how does training in the gi make your no-gi escapes better again ?

[MikeSnowdon]

OK I just watched MTS 10 & whether this Renato thing is real or not anymore isn't the point... It's just starting to get annoying now!!!

I have to be honest, there's been some awkward moments with Renato in past episodes, but after seeing MTS 10 (great episode by the way) I'm finding the Renato saga pretty damn funny. I'm also quite sure that's the intention....


*SPOILER ALERT*




....come on, the guy broke into some freestyle Brazilian rapping - or as he calls it, "h"apping - for God's sake! Priceless!

[Josh Smith]

In his defense if you train with a gi your nogi escapes will get better and your wrist control will get better just from practicing gi grips.

LoL, all that gi training didn't help you at Eddie's seminar @ 10th Planet Decatur when you tried to reverse his rubber guard!!! I'm just fucking with ya man, even though it was hilarious & we all had a good laugh at you & Don getting his new nick name (Singlet)... But I do agree with you about the gi to an extent... The gi does help with your escapes & grips but like Eddie says "pulling on collars does nothing for you clinching & squeezing.. The only way to get better at clinching & squeezing is to be constantly clinching & squeezing"... However Your instructor (Paul Joyner @ Gracie 601 in Meridian, MS.) and I had a long conversation on the phone about this & we came to the conclusion that it's better for nogi guys to train in the gi with the rule that you cannot grab the gi under any circumstances... Then the only thing you have to deal with is the traction that the gi creates... If you're gonna train in a gi to make your nogi game better, this is how it should be done in my opinion...

-Just my 2cents

[Jason Mallory]

But I do agree with you about the gi to an extent... The gi does help with your escapes & grips

I know that the tone when writing can be misinterpreted so I want to say from the start that the tone of this post is totally friendly. Josh, since you agree with Ryan that the gi helps with your escapes no-gi, could you explain how the gi makes your no-gi escapes better? Like I said the tone is totally friendly.

[Josh Smith]

I just did... TRACTION!!! Go & read my post before this one again... I.E. The gi creates traction which makes your escapes harder to preform... If you can do them with the gi on, then you can practically fly out of some positions without the gi... Just look at Marcelo Garcia or any Abu Dahbi champ... Even Eddie started out learning escapes in the gi... I'm not saying that it's impossible to have good escapes without the gi, I'm just saying that the gi makes them better, in about half the time in my humble opinion... (tone is totally & utterly friendly as well Bro)

[Jason Mallory]

I just did... TRACTION!!! Go & read my post before this one again... I.E. The gi creates traction which makes your escapes harder to preform... If you can do them with the gi on, then you can practically fly out of some positions without the gi... Just look at Marcelo Garcia or any Abu Dahbi champ... Even Eddie started out learning escapes in the gi... I'm not saying that it's impossible to have good escapes without the gi, I'm just saying that the gi makes them better, in about half the time in my humble opinion... (tone is totally & utterly friendly as well Bro)

I see where you are coming from and I've heard that before. I started BJJ with the gi and still train about 50% of the time in the gi ( when I'm healthy ). The gi is like training wheels on a bike that help you learn how to ride. You can learn to ride a bike without training wheels too.

I personally don't agree with the idea that the gi helps you learn no-gi escapes or anything else no-gi faster. The only thing the gi does is slow the game down in a way which has nothing to do with technique which I feel is counter productive to learning no-gi. But it is 'a universe full of infinite posiblilties' in the words of Matt Horwich and people are going to have different opinions and philosophies. Good stuff Josh.

[Richard Tran]

I.E. The gi creates traction which makes your escapes harder to preform... If you can do them with the gi on, then you can practically fly out of some positions without the gi... I'm just saying that the gi makes them better, in about half the time in my humble opinion... (tone is totally & utterly friendly as well Bro)

Does the Gi actually make your escapes better in any technical way or does it just make it harder to perform? Please explain how the gi makes no gi escapes better.

[Jason Mallory]

Does the Gi actually make your escapes better in any technical way or does it just make it harder to perform? Please explain how the gi makes no gi escapes better.

My take on what he wrote was that the traction with the gi makes you work harder to escape so when you take the gi off it makes your escapes better. This in my opinion is only a perception of being able to escape better. But I could be wrong.

[Eddie Bravo]

It's hard to explode out of submissions with the gi so you rarely practice your explosiveness so that's why pure jiu jitsu players have way less explosive power than wrestlers. Explosiveness is crucial for mma.

ALOT of submission defenses with the gi require you to hold on to a part of your gi for defense. Like if someone sits back for an ankle lock, you're supposed to sit up and grab his collar for defense. And when someone goes for a kimura on you, you're supposed to grab your pants for defense. Or when someone has you in spider web going for an arm bar, you're supposed to grab your own collar for defense. Or when someone is trying to RNC you, you're supposed to grab both your collars.

How does the gi help your nogi defense again??

Remember, the only guy to escape Marcelo's RNC in ADCC was Diego Sanchez who had never trained in the gi at that point. His explosiveness got him out

[Josh Smith]

My take on what he wrote was that the traction with the gi makes you work harder to escape so when you take the gi off it makes your escapes better. This in my opinion is only a perception of being able to escape better. But I could be wrong.

That was it Jason... I have trouble putting things into words sometimes so thank you for saving me bro!!!