Gi vs. No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu: Which Style Should I Train For?
Whether you’re a beginner in Brazilian jiu-jitsu or someone who’s interested in trying out the sport, you will more or less encounter the Gi or No-Gi debate. The Gi, of course, is the uniform used for training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This debate between the two branches of Brazilian jiu-jitsu has been going on for quite some time. While mastering both is very much possible, you will need to decide which of the two techniques you should train for first. So, before you enroll in jiu-jitsu classes in Clarence, here’s a simple comparison between the Gi and No-Gi branches of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu
Learning to Apply Pressure
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, in its essence, is a grappling art that involves distance control, leverage, position, and applying pressure on your opponent. When training for the No-Gi branch of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, grabbing your opponent’s uniform is not allowed, which puts more emphasis on the strength of your grip. This means you need to apply more pressure in order to hold the choke or whatever grappling technique you’ve employed. Knowing how much pressure to apply and when the right moment to do so is what could get you close to a win. Basically, No-Gi focuses more on enhancing your strength which affects your gripping power.
Improving Agility and Reflexes
No-Gi is inherently a more fast-paced style since stalling is nearly impossible to do. If you want to hold your opponent in place or break away completely, you need to be agile and have sharp reflexes. Aside from strength, improving your speed and agility is also valued in No-Gi jiu-jitsu. It is also closer to real-life situations as you don’t always have the luxury to grab your opponent’s clothes in real life. Even when you switch to the Gi style, you’ll carry all that skill over and benefit from it.
Gi Jiu-Jitsu
Developing a Strong Grip
When it comes to the Gi style, grabbing the uniform of your opponent is allowed. This is also often used to break out of or grab an opponent in locks and chokes. This time, however, your grip and handling strength is much more focused on.
Learning Defense Techniques
In this style, the opponent can and will be holding you in position by grabbing your uniform, so just escaping with brute force can be very difficult. If you want to protect yourself from being held by your opponent, you need to develop and learn the right defense techniques. This will significantly improve your game and will prevent you from being stuck in a bad position.
Gi guards and defense techniques are much more complex than No-Gi as it involves slower and more technical moves instead of just sheer strength and speed. In some ways, you need to always be three steps in advance in Gi training and be much more methodical.
Conclusion
Both the Gi and No-Gi styles of Brazilian jiu-jitsu have their own distinct techniques and advantages. They basically complement each other and offer very different concepts and principles that practitioners and students will find very interesting to learn. Whichever style you choose is completely up to you, and you can always strive to master both styles to give you a more holistic approach in this particular martial art.
Pride Martial Arts Academy offers jiu-jitsu, MMA, and kickboxing lessons to kids and adults. Our martial arts programs help individuals learn realistic and modern self-defense training in a clean and safe environment. If you want to enroll in our jiu-jitsu or youth MMA programs, contact us today!
