The future of BJJ and the Gi

[pheonix5]

As BJJ is around for longer and longer, do you see more people going the way of no-gi and treating BJJ with the gi as a TMA in the future? Especially now that we see trainers giving Blackbelt no-gi rankings.

 

[Championstuff]

when you can get a black belt at 9 years old you'll probably be able to consider bjj in a gi a typical tma

 

[Knockturnal88]

I personally don't like instructors giving "black belts" to practitioners that rarely ever trained in the gi. We gonna give Jordan Burroughs a black belt because he could beat 99% of black belts in no-gi?

 

[pesadissimo]

As grapplers age, I think the gi becomes a better option simply because that speed and explosive strength they had in their youth is diminished. The gi slows down the game and allows older practitioners to stay competetive longer. As long as the people caught up in the current BJJ boom continue training, I don't think the gi will go anywhere.

 

[lechien]

Ibjjf and most leading bjj teams recognised the market for training and competing without the gi. So they offer nogi comps and training with nogi but still under ibjjf rules. For the other trainers that are awarding black belt in their nogi system. That is great ad well. Will they still exist in 60 years? Who knows!

 

[Uchi Mata]

As BJJ is around for longer and longer, do you see more people going the way of no-gi and treating BJJ with the gi as a TMA in the future? Especially now that we see trainers giving Blackbelt no-gi rankings.

No. It hasn't happened to Judo, why would it happen to BJJ? Any art with a strong competitive scene naturally resists the worst aspects of TMAs, since all the 'I'd spar you but I'd kill you with my Dim Mak' 18th degree BBs who have never taken a punch BS goes out the window pretty fast when you have to show what you can do. There's relatively little argument about who's the best in BJJ, you can just check the Mundials results and see for yourself.

 

[Pete the beat]

I don't fully understand this nogi blackbelts.. Have those people never worn a gi or are they just black belts in nogi but just brown in gi or something similar to that?
I feel the gi really helps my nogi game and I wouldn't want to stop rolling in a gi entirely.

 

[Shadowbox]

I think people giving belts to people who don't wear them actually just demonstrates how embedded the gi is in jiu jitsu culture

 

[Mooner]

Gi enhances no gi

 

[KGB256]

Never ceases to amaze me the way so many people here equate all TMA with the worst of Dim Mak bullshido.

TS, I think the answer is that gi BJJ will always have a role to play within the art. The folks who do no-gi exclusively are still relatively rare. I think it's wise of instructors to recognize that such people exist, and acknowledge their level of skill despite the lack of gi training.

There are plenty of practical reasons for grapplers to train in the gi, even if they only compete in no-gi. I don't think that awarding no-gi belt rankings will change that.

 

[Uchi Mata]

I personally don't like instructors giving "black belts" to practitioners that rarely ever trained in the gi. We gonna give Jordan Burroughs a black belt because he could beat 99% of black belts in no-gi?

No he couldn't. He'd take them down, but he'd get submitted. Now, with a little training, he'd be a beast. If only we could be so lucky.