Gi or No Gi?

The White Mamba

The White Mamba

"Cold Stone Steve Austin" - Mike Goldberg
@Blue
Joined
Sep 11, 2010
Messages
700
Reaction score
8
Which do you prefer? I started out with gi but I train primarily no gi now.
 
I prefer nogi, and do better competing in nogi, but my gym trains primarily in the gi
 
I like standup better in gi because judo throws are fun and they're easier in gi. No-gi involves a lot less laundry. Gi lets me do fun things from butterfly+other guards+turtle with the belt grip. No-gi lets me do non-neutered leg locks.

On balance, I prefer no-gi, because laundry is annoying.
 
No gi! Don't believe in the gi, don't need it to he good
 
Gi because my body shape does not look good in a rashie :(
 
Doesn't have to be one or the other. I prefer gi however- just enjoy the options it brings. My no-gi rolls seem to get a bit repetitive after a while.
 
ChainFlow said:
On balance, I prefer no-gi, because laundry is annoying.
Click to expand...

I've legitimately never heard this used as a defining factor between the two... But it's probably the most legitimate one.

Washing a gi every day gets really fucking old.

No one tells your about the laundry requirements when you start bjj, but it's almost one of the major parts of the sport haha
 
If you fight mma then no gi, otherwise gi is best I think
 
This is certainly a new and exciting topic that will surely precipitate a novel transaction of edifying and interesting discourse.
 
Gi is a lot more fun, you can make it a lot more of a war, in no-gi weak/small people can just keep distance and it's harder to force stuff.
 
Two things that changed my preference from gi to no-gi when I moved to New York City:

1. Laundry is so damn annoying when you don't have a washer or dryer in your apartment (and washing by hand is terrible).
2. Wearing a gi at Unity in July and August is close to torture when you're not used to it.

As far as rolling in perfect conditions, I still prefer the gi, but that might be because I'm not exactly young anymore and I can slow things down a little with the gi.
 
I much prefer no gi but I can't imagine only doing one. I love gi too. I do better without the gi so I think that's one reason I like it more. I do have a love/hate relationship with some of the people that no gi attracts. That may not be a popular opinion, but I would love to train no gi with most of the people that train gi, if that makes any sense. I've been to a lot of gyms and the "no gi only" crowd has a larger sub-set of people that I find annoying than the gi crowd.
 
Aed said:
As far as rolling in perfect conditions, I still prefer the gi, but that might be because I'm not exactly young anymore and I can slow things down a little with the gi.
Click to expand...

I'm not young anymore either and I like the gi for that reason but the downside is I find my joint stuck in more uncomfortable positions where it's more difficult for me to free them because of gi grips. Or even if someone gets a mean leg weave or something and they can really latch onto your lapels and twist your ribs up for extended periods that would be more difficult without the gi. So besides takedown scrambles I think no gi is a little easier on the body even though you have to move more. But you can't slow it down as well I guess. So you may have a better point.
 
I like both, but right now my academy only has no-gi one day a week and rest is gi. So I end up getting 4 days gi and one no-gi.

I like no-gi a lot, its easier for me than in the gi. I get caught the most in collar chokes so with no-gi I feel less vulnerable. Plus in no-gi i just dont get tired as much at all and obviously I don't overheat in the summer when its 85 degrees plus.

I like gi too though. Its a lot tougher and you get tired and hot a lot more, so it teaches me to go slower and be more mindful of my cardio and endurance and not just power out of bad spots. I do have my doubts of practicality of training in a gi for self defense though.

Finally, only thing I dont like in nogi are the takedowns. I suck at wrestling takedowns and in the gi I only really had success (in competition) at pulling guard with the gi. I am just not any good at all on judo throws or wrestling takedowns.
 
rmongler said:
This is certainly a new and exciting topic that will surely precipitate a novel transaction of edifying and interesting discourse.
Click to expand...
Ugh oh we got a genius in the thread now. We must all bow down to this one.
 
I like training in the gi better. Because I can incorporate whatever techniques I work on/drill to judo (to an extent). I like both no gi and gi when wrestling though. I prefer going judo mode when in gi of course, but I like wrestling more and no gi is of course better for it.
 
It really doesn't matter. In Gi you learn to use the gi, in Nogi you learn to use the absence of Gi. If you have specific goals that you're working towards, orient your training towards those goals. If you're a hobbyist, as most are, do whatever is most fun and will actually get you to go to class. For self defense, learn both.
 
Evenflow80 said:
I like both, but right now my academy only has no-gi one day a week and rest is gi. So I end up getting 4 days gi and one no-gi.

I like no-gi a lot, its easier for me than in the gi. I get caught the most in collar chokes so with no-gi I feel less vulnerable. Plus in no-gi i just dont get tired as much at all and obviously I don't overheat in the summer when its 85 degrees plus.

I like gi too though. Its a lot tougher and you get tired and hot a lot more, so it teaches me to go slower and be more mindful of my cardio and endurance and not just power out of bad spots. I do have my doubts of practicality of training in a gi for self defense though.

Finally, only thing I dont like in nogi are the takedowns. I suck at wrestling takedowns and in the gi I only really had success (in competition) at pulling guard with the gi. I am just not any good at all on judo throws or wrestling takedowns.
Click to expand...


This is exactly the case where I see it. Every gym around me seems to be 5-6 days a week gi and 1-2 no gi. You really don't get the option to be exlusive or at least primarily no gi
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,236,982
Messages
55,459,236
Members
174,787
Latest member
Freddie556

Share this page

Back
Top