10th Planet No-Gi to Gi for competition any advice?

[Jason 'J-Faz' Farren]

Hey Guys,
I've decided to compete in an upcoming Gi competition although I'm really a No-Gi guy.
Doing it for fun really and there has been a real lack of no-gi comps for a while, does anyone have any advice switching between the two?.
Some dudes are wicked at changing their games to suit each way but I'm not one of them, at the moment I'm really just going to stick to Eddie's way of Gi competition when he competed Gi.
I have been incorporating some 'yanking and pulling' into rubber guard and lockdown for some moderate success and have some nice sweeps, got a Perfect Dogfight to back take option with the belt that's working a treat too.
But I'd love to hear from some Gi guys that use the system.
Cheers
P.S: Hurry up with Planet X already Magnus! Ha Ha

[Greg W]

Work grip strength. hang your Gi up on something sturdy and do dead hangs from the collar for 2 min or until failure. If you reach 2 min hang 5 lbs from you body and repeat. If/when you reach 2 min with 5 lbs add 5 more. Only do 3-5 reps per day. Keep a record of where you finish each day, so you can start with the same weight you failed at the time before. If you were 5 lbs for :50 sec try to go for 5 lbs :51 sec on the next rep. This will help increase the amount of time you can yank and pull without getting you forearms pumped. Training for rock climber always helped my Gi game.

[bobby rivers]

I did the same thing. Focus on not letting him establish his grips and learning to break or avoid them. Defend your lapel immediately. In the higher belts there is no way around it though, you gotta learn the game. There are so many gi trix that, just like 10p, if you've never seen it before, its easy to get passed/controlled/caught.

And learn the bow & arrow choke. Its my fav gi choke. I still prefer the back widow though, but if you get it its pointless to pass it up.

[Jason 'J-Faz' Farren]

Bow and arrow- check, gi pull ups- check.
Bobby: Back widow? (window?)
I'm gonna wear my 10th Planet badge with my Gi, I rep 10th Planet No-Gi or Gi do you think that'll piss a lot of guys off???
I just want to prepare myself, or should I put a target patch on my back too Ha Ha!

[Kyle Spalla]

I am a fan of the Ezekiel Choke, basic stuff but I come a Judo background and for my first two years it was my go to move on the ground. It can be hit from about any position if they leave a lapel out there. So I would recommend adding to your arsenal.

[Jason 'J-Faz' Farren]

Cheers guys, thanks for the response.
It's ALL going in the rep basket!

[Cody Kietzman]

Back Widow is a 10th planet move.

[Harry Evans]

I am mostly a gi guy, though I am working more on my nogi game recently. Here is how I see the differences. Hope this helps:

1) Forget about most lapel stuff at first. "Position before submission" applies as much or more to gi as nogi. You don't need brilliant grips to pass the guard, nor do you need them to shoot a triangle.

2) The biggest difference is speed and "slipperiness". You can't power out of moves as easily, glide through passes as easily, or sink those guillotines and head/arms as easily, because there is more friction from the gi, and the material gets in the way of cinching a tight lock on the neck. It's kinda like when someone tries a guillotine in MMA on someone else who has long dreads. So be prepared for that, especially when targeting the neck.

3) DEFEND YOUR NECK. It's so easy to get caught in one of a million lapel chokes if you don't know what's up. So keep your chin down, and your hands t-rexed near your throat, even when on top or in guard. And if someone locks in some crazy loop choke, bow and arrow, etc, remember this one things always: UNWIND THE CHOKE. So, imagine a standard lapel choke from the back (like a RNC but with the lapel). If his right hand comes over your right shoulder to grab your left lapel, you have to rotate to your right (clockwise) to get out. Turning to your left will tighten the choke. This applies as much to a paper-cutter from side control as it does to a bow and arrow.

4) This is more about approach, and it's subtle, but important. Slow down your game. In nogi, because of the lack of friction, you can be more explosive, and more focused on speed. In the gi, you need to focus on slowly, deliberately grinding through a move with technique. Pressure them hard with weight, and use grips to help you move (e.g. a pant-leg grip to help spin in a berimbolo). Also, people play a lot of shield/93-guard/spider guard. Use a grip on their shield leg to keep constant pressure on it while you pass. In other words, constantly be pushing/dragging/opening his shield leg as if you wanted him to kick it straight, so that you can close the gap on his hips and get deep into his half-guard to pass.

[Phill Schwartz]

Dont forget to use the GI! Lots of people who play No-Gi roll gi and forget about all the nice holds, underhooks and over hooks will still work, but for sweeps and control etc, grab the shit out of that gi

[Jason 'J-Faz' Farren]

Cheers for the replies and tips Phill, Cory and Harry.
Can someone point me in the direction of the Back Widow please?
I'm a little bit embarrased that I haven't heard of it as I'm always studying this stuff.
Carahlo