Thinking about switching from Nogi To Gi class

[workinghard72]

Just do it then tbh. I prefer it over no-gi. Why cant you just do both?

My school does offer gi at another location and I inquired today.

Yes...if it's just for the belts then it's very silly and mainly related to satiating ego.

If you just need better training partners and there is no better no-gi gym in town, then that is a different story.

It's not just about the belt I honestly think I need better training partners. But it would be nice to have something to show progression instead of " I beat all the guys in class" That's more of a silly thought to me.

submitting others is not always the best way to judge your skill level especially if its 6-8 guys. you could be way bigger/stronger than the others etc. that being said if your thinking of switching do it. in general i find most pure no gi guys are way less technical. gi is just so much more complex and fun. and i really believe it helps the no gi game alot too. and you could always do both. you might not like the grips at first though.

I agree about the submission but I'm no bigger or stronger than these guys and I'm at least 15-20 years older. I always try to execute a move with proper technique. One of the guys was a good wrestler you can see that he has skill. Another guy spent 9 months at another school and still suffers from white belt spaz syndrome. I'm just trying to flow and hes like a fish out of water. In class I always want to learn technique.

no gi is way funner for me, but seems like you need to change gyms instead more than anything... if you are a good no gi guy, not relying too much on strength and explosiveness , then the switch shouldn't be all that hard, if hard at all...

I'm in the middle with weight, size and strength in the class. and I'm 41 these guys are all in their 20's early 30's. I'm going to a gi class at a different school Saturday and I expect to have a totally different experience there. All the guys are very good and go to a lot of competitions. I'm positive I will learn from them.

 

[tap21]

Not to mention that some medals aren't valid and worth merit.

You enter a division with only 2 other people, and lose 2 matches, and get a 3rd place medal. I know of instructors who display quite a few of those type of medals; Or they enter a masters or director's division where they are the ONLY person who entered, and they get the complimentary gold medal........for showing up, registering, walking to the mat, and walking away with a medal....and never so much as even shook hands, much less rolled.

So, before we say medals are so much more prestigious than belts...be wary of the medals sometimes.

Medals?

I'm talking about tournament wins. As you pointed out, they are very different.

 

[tap21]

They are, but the existence of tournament medals doesn't invalidate or shame the positive things regarding belt promotion. You're right, some schools pull that crap about sympathy promotions haha. But so what? If that instructor promotes a guy to blue belt who is awful, his guy will lose, and his credibility is hurt.

Its kinda like the military ranks/medals:
Medals are like the colored ribbons/medals soldiers wear in uniforms, for performance in the field.
Belts are like the stripes on their sleeves; Given to them by their peers for the totality of their work in the military.

They are both very different in meaning and how they are obtained; But both are valid and honorable pursuits, no?

No matter how many comparisons to other hierarchies we can conjure up, it still largely comes down to one measure based on objective merit and one based on opinion.

Everyone is free to decide for themselves as long as they aren't fooling themselves about what each measure of proficiency/success/experience/whatever actually is.

 

[workinghard72]

Problem solved. My Friday class at my current school is changing to nogi. The best part is there is a bunch of new guys coming so I'm not stuck rolling with the same guys from nogi.

 

[cms9690]

I would do it personally, but not for the belt, but because it sounds like you need a better gym. Gi gyms tend to have better guys IME. You might be surprised at your actual level.

This. This all day.

I switched from an MMA gym where I would roll competitively with maybe half the class and started grappling at a pure BJJ school - and began getting tooled up by 3-Strip White Belts.

 

[berimBOWLoh]

i wouldnt care about it being gi or nogi, i would care more that there are only 6-8 guys and only 2 that can help you improve quicker.

gi, nogi, its all good if you are in the right place, ideally full of ppl of every skill level.