Gi grappling is harder than no-gi!

[duchman]

hey guys,

I had my first gi jiu jitsu class today, damm this is a lot harder than i thought. I got almost choked out whit a cross lebell(sp) choke.

Dan anyone else made the change from no-gi to gi?

any tips?

[duchman]

i have a solid background in judo and sambo and no-gi grappling, but i have a weakness for collar chokes, my strong part is ankle lock and heel hook.

[dan downard]

Big difference.The collar chokes,the ability to control the sleeves,the incredable amount of difference in grips,the gi pants,everything.But,a couple of months of wearing the gi and you will pick right up on the differences.Some of it is actually easier.Way easier to get a choke with a gi than a tee.Way easier to get sweeps,due to so much to grab hold of.But then,its the same for the other guy too.I think this has been discussed here many times.And the general concences is that you should train both if you have the opportunity.

[Chad W. Getz]

Dan, or anyone else, what do you prefer?

[PatrickH]

I prefer training with the gi because it's always easier to take it off and make a few adjustments to your game than it is to make the transition from no gi to gi. I believe that training with the gi improves your defense as well as your technical ability because there is much more detail to pay attention to. A gi fighter in my opinion can compete well in both situations while a no gi fighter tends to struggle if he ever competes with a gi.


PatrickH

[SweepEm]

At class tonight, when we got to the sparring portion of class, I sparred a few guys and then it was the end of class and I was paired up with a friend and I asked him to spar without the Gi and he agreed.
It's been a few months since I have sparred without a Gi and the guy I went against is a brown in Judo and is very good with and without the Gi.
We started on our knees and I ended up in his guard and for the rest of the sparring match, I was trying to break his guard but it was difficult since he has very strong legs and upper body strength also.
I was strictly on defense the whole time and had difficulty since he was attacking my arms for an arm bar the whole time I was in his guard.

Yes, I would agree, it's much easier to take off the Gi and train then to train no Gi and then all of a sudden, put on a Gi and spar/compete.

[Bau13]

heres a killer question that has been said over a million times....

What if Royce didn't wear the gi??

[dan downard]

I have always trained no gi.We train with a gi sometimes.Depends on who is teaching.Rick Williams teaches gi.The Rigan seminar today and tomorrow,is no gi.Our request.I trained with a guy who wears a gi most of the time.He was good with the gi,but didnt know what to do with out it.So,we do both now.The first time I trained with a gi,I was choked out alot.So,I decided I better start training both ways.

[Karlinhos]

gi - a lot more "handles". if i'm wrestling a bigger/stronger guy i prefer it because it's more difficult for him to pull away from me if i'm latched onto his gi. when i'm tired all i have to do is get a bunch of cloth in my clutches and ride out any aggression.

no gi - not so much to grab onto. sweaty/slippery. easy to slip out of submissions for both. also a lot more exerting. constantly have to adjust and move to maintain an advantage.

i wrestle with a friend who's a lot stronger than me. we're about the same height, but he's about 30lbs heavier. when we roll WITH a gi, i almost always beat him. WITHOUT the gi, he gets me about 75% of the time (bastid).

so, when rolling with him, i prefer the gi (lol). i just need to practice more WITHOUT the gi.

[SweepEm]

Hey JD,

maybe Duck Dude was running away around the mats the whole time he was sparring and was quicker than his opponent.

HA!

[dan downard]

The first time I wore a gi to a regular class,everyone who had trained with a gi wanted a piece of me.It was like a flag.Nobody else had one.And they all knew the chokes.So,I was passed around like a biker slut at poker run party.
Everyone took their turn on me.My neck was purple and red for two days.But,I stuck with it.Now,I am happy to say,I can defend against gi chokes fairly well.But,like everything else in BJJ.I had to put in the time and take my lumps.

[SweepEm]

The gist of this is to train with both the Gi and no Gi.

You never know when you might get jumped at the beach and also in a snow storm................

Heh heh

[SweepEm]

Hey JD,

Wasabi?

Are you the traveling dude?

I saw a while back that you were jetting for work.

come on and tell us what you've really been into.

Oh, I know, the secretary will disavow you and/or any of your team members if you reveal any classified information.

[SweepEm]

drinking heavily?

cool, I hope it's some good stuff, not the cheap rot gut....

HA!

With all the dollars you're making you should be able to afford the best.