predicament

[flyingknee16]

i've been training no gi jiu jitsu for two years now and i've noticed a lot of improvement in the past year ... anyway, the jiu jitsu club i am currently attending is making teh gi a mandatory thing. should i go ahead and do bjj with a gi (which i have NEVER done before), or try to focus on something else like lifting weights or striking? i want to do mma eventually too. i can do no gi stuff on the side with other friends, but i'm wondering if learning jiu jitsu with a gi will help me more than set me back. thnx.

 

[Gavin LeFever]

give it a shot. mat time is better than no mat time. just keep in mind what shit wont work with no gi and try not to rely on that shit. they say gi makes you better defensively so here's hoping to that. my gi arrives in a few days and it was $110 with shipping and a belt from atama (black a-3 gold weave).

i dont like spending money but they supposedly last for a few years so if the shit dont work out, you've got some neat evening wear for a while.

 

[Gsoares2***]

your not going to like it but it will even develop your game to a higher level. Roger gracie, jacare... both started with the gi and are still big gi players.

 

[BJJ1995]

I began with gi and still train both. The gi will definitely sharpen your skills and make you more technical and able to "appreciate" the different positions and concepts. I know that it has given me the edge when training without it as only minor adjustments need to be made, but positioning is basically the same.

 

[vanguard_anon]

I mostly train with a gi on but I do both from time to time. I like the gi.

1) It's hard. It's hot, it's rough on my skin, it saps your cardio, and it's punishing. I like that.
2) It makes you technical. Spazzy stuff like yanking around will work without a gi on unless the other guy is really good. With a gi you'll be punished for bad technique and you'll avoid bad habits that would get you nailed against better bjj guys.

The only problem is that some things, like going out the side from guard to the back, work in no-gi but pretty much fail with the gi. (For me anyway)

 

[TapDG]

I train both..Love No Gi but the Gi is always a challenge since I roll with guys who are great with the GI..It will make you sharper and probly get your gas up but dont forget your No Gi roots

 

[Mark Allen]

Looks like agreemnet on this one. Why limit yourself? Do both and grow. We even mix it up a bit more, one guy in the Gi, one without, the results are not what you might automatically think.

 

[Mirada]

awww poor little guy is afraid of the gi...


It's okay little buddy, once you adjust you'll be even better at no-gi than you were before. Wearing a gi forces you to tighten up your game, have sharper techniques and also requires more of a mental game.

 

[flyingknee16]

Looks like agreemnet on this one. Why limit yourself? Do both and grow. We even mix it up a bit more, one guy in the Gi, one without, the results are not what you might automatically think.

The club didn't have regulations before and I'd always be no gi and often go with guys that had gi's . . . the guys that knew how to use the gi well would sneak a freakin gi choke or smother on me ...

 

[flyingknee16]

awww poor little guy is afraid of the gi...


It's okay little buddy, once you adjust you'll be even better at no-gi than you were before. Wearing a gi forces you to tighten up your game, have sharper techniques and also requires more of a mental game.

hey c'mon now, I ain't no "little guy or little buddy" :icon_evil

heheh, but seriously, i can see what you guys are saying. well, tonight is the first night of the club and i'll be also attending a boxing club meeting to see how that club is as well (since i've been wanting to do a formal "all striking" thing for awhile now to make my hands up to par with my ground game), but i have been considering doing the bjj club now after thinking about my options and talking with people.

 

[Gavin LeFever]

awww poor little guy is afraid of the gi...

It's okay little buddy, once you adjust you'll be even better at no-gi than you were before. Wearing a gi forces you to tighten up your game, have sharper techniques and also requires more of a mental game.

us anti gi folk just dont want to end up like them guys who look like a retard trying to hump a doorknob when they roll without them purdy handes around their necks.

 

[triso]

If you really like the club, then just do Gi. You'll hate it at first, but you'll get used to it in no time. What are some of the other guys you train with doing?

 

[ichimonji]

try to train with the gi on and not to grab the opponents gi. It will perfect your movements becaqsue you arent as slippery, and yet youll still have to perfect your submissions without the use of clothing.

Alot of good gi grapplers dont always secure a tight grip. Hands wear out extremely fast in competition. Their is a time and place when to grab material. If you train never to grab the material youll find that you arent dependent on it.