Wearing a Gi for the first time...

[jules]

WOW. A whole new ballgame. I couldn't slide out of moves like i used to. I felt very uncomfortable with a gi on. One thing that pissed me off is that every time i went for a guitine choke my hand went inside his gi so i couldn't lock it on.... but it was fun.. Any advice on the "Gi game"? Rules of thumb ect?

[Sean Dempsey]

I love Gi's. I haven't gone without one for like 6 months, I have little interest in doing no-gi training atm.

You'll get the hang of it fast. One thing is never put your fingers inside the cuffs of the sleeves or the pants or your or your opponents gi. you grab the outside of the sleeve at all times. If you put your fingers up the sleeve to grab, you'll end up getting the gi twisted around and breaking your fingers. (trust me, I *know* what I am saying )

ummm, when I start rolling ususally first thing I do is grab the other guys lapels around the chest area and pull his gi out of his belt.

Wash your Gi at least every 6 hours of training. I have 2 gi's, I wear then 2 days each then wash them both.


The gi will make you better in all areas. If you train with a Gi constantly, when you take it off, you'll feel like you just jumped a whole level.

[MuayThaiFighter]

Grappling is alot of fun and can be very realistic.

I have never understood why Jujitsu guys and Judo kas as well like to grab on to uniform in order to apply their techniques.

I do some submission wrestling which is very similar to Jujitsu except we don't wear a thick gi when we apply a technique we actually grab the person like you would in a real fight.

Think about it in a real situation no one is going to be wearing a Gi and if you try grabbing shirt or t-shirt chances are with all the movement it will most likely ripp so it would become useless anyways.You might as well be actually grabbing the person do you not agree?

I without a doubt know the stuff taught in grappling arts are very useful but I think some schools and styles have to realize that there are better ways of teaching grappling and have to realize grabbing a Gi is unrealistic.

[MuayThaiFighter]

Originally posted by Sean Dempsey
I love Gi's. I haven't gone without one for like 6 months, I have little interest in doing no-gi training atm.

You'll get the hang of it fast. One thing is never put your fingers inside the cuffs of the sleeves or the pants or your or your opponents gi. you grab the outside of the sleeve at all times. If you put your fingers up the sleeve to grab, you'll end up getting the gi twisted around and breaking your fingers. (trust me, I *know* what I am saying )

ummm, when I start rolling ususally first thing I do is grab the other guys lapels around the chest area and pull his gi out of his belt.

Wash your Gi at least every 6 hours of training. I have 2 gi's, I wear then 2 days each then wash them both.


The gi will make you better in all areas. If you train with a Gi constantly, when you take it off, you'll feel like you just jumped a whole level.

"The gi will make you better in all areas."

It's not the Gi that makes you better it's the practicing of grappling techniques that helps in improving you.Infact I personally think the Gi is pointles for sparring but good as a uniform.

But then again you guys for some reason like to rely on using the uniform for self-defense.

[Apoth]

The nice thing about Gi's is the fact that you can do clothing chokes and the like with them. Admittedly its not as realistic of training because you get used to someone having the equivalent of a burlap bag wrapped around them, but when you run up against a guy who's cut a jacket on, those moves become a little more useful.

[MuayThaiFighter]

Originally posted by Apoth
The nice thing about Gi's is the fact that you can do clothing chokes and the like with them. Admittedly its not as realistic of training because you get used to someone having the equivalent of a burlap bag wrapped around them, but when you run up against a guy who's cut a jacket on, those moves become a little more useful.

Agreed but nothing beats the actual grabbing of a person.

If a person has a jacket chances are I 'm not going to try and choke him with it,I'd rather pull it over his face so he can't see what is coming and starting pounding on him with punches,knees and elbows even.

A little hard to grapple when your face is covered and you can't see what is coming.

[Thai Bri]

Originally posted by MuayThaiFighter


Agreed but nothing beats the actual grabbing of a person.

If a person has a jacket chances are I 'm not going to try and choke him with it,I'd rather pull it over his face so he can't see what is coming and starting pounding on him with punches,knees and elbows even.

A little hard to grapple when your face is covered and you can't see what is coming.

Please stop quoting the post immediately before your own. It is so stupid.

PS - so, people only wear T shirts in Canada then. Right.........

[MuayThaiFighter]

If you were paying attention you would have seen that I what I was saying is that people don 't exactly walk the streets wearing a Gi.Which I am sure we can agree on.


I never said they only wear t-shirts in Canada moron.

Originally posted by Thai Bri


Please stop quoting the post immediately before your own. It is so stupid.

PS - so, people only wear T shirts in Canada then. Right.........

[Sean Dempsey]

Change your name to JiuJitsuFighter and then maybe you can post about Gi's.


Fact is, the Gi is to help you LEARN TO DEFEND WHILE WEARING A GI. It is not to help your offense.

If I can escape a guy who has tight hold on my machado hybrid weave, I can PRETTY MUCH GUARANTEE I can escape a guy who doesn't have my Gi to hold on to "in the streets".

If I can defend against a guy grabbing at my lapels, going for Gi chokes, grabbing and controlling my sleeves and cuffs, using my belt to throw me and pull me, then guess what? When I DON'T have the Gi on, it'll make my job a WHOLE LOT easier because now I am not covered with hundreds of places to grab and choke.

You talk like someone who doesn't understand BJJ and the Gi tradition, and who has never really trained in one.

[Thai Bri]

Thanks Sean.

I'm afraid MuayThaiFighter has yet to realise that real wisdom is being aware of what you don't know......

He just thinks he's an expert.

A good grappler should train both, Gi and No Gi. This prepares you for all your grappling eventualities.

[MuayThaiFighter]

Originally posted by Thai Bri
Thanks Sean.

I'm afraid MuayThaiFighter has yet to realise that real wisdom is being aware of what you don't know......

He just thinks he's an expert.

A good grappler should train both, Gi and No Gi. This prepares you for all your grappling eventualities.

I never claimed to be an expert, in fact I have never done Jujitsu as I stated before. I was just curious as to why Jujitsu guys wear the Gi,because I can't make sense of it that is why I was asking. I am not trying to be arrogant,Jujitsu is something I can't argue against because I have never done it before.

The only grappling I do is submission wrestling and we were told that the reason we don't wear a uniform as Jujitsu guys do is because on the street you and the person won't be wearing a Gi so you need to practice the way you would if you were to grab or be grabbed by someone without a uniform.

Now I wanted to know straight from someone who actually does do Jujitsu as to why they wear the Gi. I'm not saying they are wrong to I just wanted an explaination.

Gee can't I ask a simple question without being treated as if I was doing anything wrong?

In other forums I argue because I do have experience in both karate and muay thai kickboxing but as far as Jujitsu and submission wrestling although I know basically same techniques it is the uniform part I don't know the reason for in Jujitsu.

Had this thread been about Jujitsu techniques I know for a fact I woudn't have to question any of the techiques because I know they are very useful and realistic both competition and street wise.I have alot of respect for grapplers since they don't just claim things about their art but have also proven it over and over again.

[IPON]

MTF - I think partly it helps to understand tradition and that GI are worn generally in japanese, korean and okinawan stlyes. with that said judogi is designed to be durable for the volume of throws. The throws and chokes that are learned in Judo come with the understanding the you should not, for example, use these if a person is wearing a silk shirt. But people wear belts, pants, shirts, scarfs etc so you apply the technique as appropriate. This applies to JJJ, BJJ and Judo

Regarding the submission wrestling I would think the reason a Gi is used has less to do with the idea of street effectiveness but the simple reality that there is no historical reason to wear a GI....period. Pankration and wreslting have thier origins in Greece with pankration getting new life in japan. No offense, what your instructor says sounds logical, but there is only one uniform for wreslters thats a singlet outside of that shorts/swaetpants and t-shirt....so there is no mystery...different styles do different things. The fact that shoes are not worn in practice doesn't make me think..."umm hold on a second I can onlyfight without shoes"

With that said I love wearing a GI and would prefer to wear a GI it is especially helpful with maintainingthe grip becuase of teh volume of sweat. But I would agree if somone myopically were to use the same techiques into a fight it could be disaterous but no one trains that way.

Also, pulling somones jacket over their head.....too much arm chair theory and jackie chan for me....do you know how much time you would waste doing that and not including how vunerable you would leave yourself ........ and it only takes 1-2 sec for the throw or take down.

Anyway that is my 3.5 cents

[Thai Bri]

Originally posted by MuayThaiFighter


I never claimed to be an expert, in fact I have never done Jujitsu as I stated before. I was just curious as to why Jujitsu guys wear the Gi,because I can't make sense of it that is why I was asking. I am not trying to be arrogant,Jujitsu is something I can't argue against because I have never done it before.

The only grappling I do is submission wrestling and we were told that the reason we don't wear a uniform as Jujitsu guys do is because on the street you and the person won't be wearing a Gi so you need to practice the way you would if you were to grab or be grabbed by someone without a uniform.

Now I wanted to know straight from someone who actually does do Jujitsu as to why they wear the Gi. I'm not saying they are wrong to I just wanted an explaination.

Gee can't I ask a simple question without being treated as if I was doing anything wrong?

In other forums I argue because I do have experience in both karate and muay thai kickboxing but as far as Jujitsu and submission wrestling although I know basically same techniques it is the uniform part I don't know the reason for in Jujitsu.

You're breaking my heart kid -

[MuayThaiFighter]

Originally posted by IPON
MTF - I think partly it helps to understand tradition and that GI are worn generally in japanese, korean and okinawan stlyes. with that said judogi is designed to be durable for the volume of throws. The throws and chokes that are learned in Judo come with the understanding the you should use this if a person is wearing a silk shirt. But people wear belts, pants, shirts, scarfs etc so you apply the technique as appropriate. This applies to JJJ, BJJ and Judo

Regarding the submission wrestling I would think the reason a Gi is used has less to do with the idea of street effectiveness but the simple reality that there is no historical reason to wear a GI....period. Pankration and wreslting have thier origins in Greece with pankration getting new life in japan. No offense, what your instructor says sounds logical, but there is only one uniform for wreslters thats a singlet outside of that shorts/swaetpants and t-shirt....so there is no mystery...different styles do different things. The fact that shoes are not worn in practice doesn't make me think..."umm hold on a second I can onlyfight without shoes"

With that said I love wearing a GI and would prefer to wear a GI it is especially helpful with maintainingthe grip becuase of teh volume of sweat. But I would agree if somone myopically were to use the same techiques into a fight it could be disaterous but no one trains that way.

Also, pulling somones jacket over their head.....too much arm chair theory and jackie chan for me....do you know how much time you would waste doing that and not including how vunerable you would leave yourself ........ and it only takes 1-2 sec for the throw or take down.

Anyway that is my 3.5 cents

I realize that a Gi is traditional uniform in Jujitsu and judo just as in karate. I remember having to wear one for 12yrs.when I did karate but we didn't do grappling.

Although you are right that there is no historical reason to wear a uniform since Pankration is a greek art that never required that I would have to disagree with the statement you made that it has little to do with street effectiveness,because in fact it has alot to do with it.

What you said about not wearing shoes is a good point I have to admit though.

I don't think the techniques of Jujitsu would be dangerous only getting too used to grabbing a uniform is what I would expect to be dangerous for any street situation.

I disagree with you thinking that pulling jacket over someone's face is a waste of time and that one leaves himself to be vunerable. You can't exactly go for a leg take down if your face is covered and you can't see him so it actually would put that person with his head covered in a bad position. I know if I I had a person with a jacket come on to me and try and go for a leg take down I'd pop my hips back pulling his jacket over his face and putting my chest on his back along with all my weight then I'd either start kneeing him or spin for back and get a choke hold on him. I wouldn't need the jacket for the choke but it would be great to stop him from knowing what I am doing or about to do.
I appreciate your explainations,views and opinions even if I still don't completely understand the use of the uniform other then the tradition behind it.

[JaredExtreme]

Muay Thai Fighter, I see you are in the Northwest like I am. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that people around here wear pants and a jacket/long sleeved shirt for 7 months out of the year. A gi replicates these everyday clothes. Also, a gi doesn't just teach you how to grab someone, but also how to react when someone grabs YOUR clothes. Anyone who has been in their share of tussels knows that clothes usually get grabbed in a fight and can have a big impact on your movement.

No gi grappling is essential too, it's hard as heck to grab onto someone when they're all sweaty, but people have to be prepared for that too!

But of course the best reason to wear a gi...... it helps prevent ringworm !!!