Three Benefits of wearing a Gi in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

To a beginner, gi and no-gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu might look similar, but did you know that wearing a gi while practicing BJJ can open up a new world of technique, positioning, and strategy?

If no-gi BJJ is like playing a game of checkers, then gi BJJ is like playing chess.

Wearing the gi in BJJ is great for so many reasons, and can help the avid BJJ practitioner to improve quicker, relying more on technique than explosive movements.

If you aren’t sure whether to go with gi or no-gi BJJ, you have come to the right place — here are the three biggest reasons why gi BJJ is the go-to for practitioners around the world.

Firstly, what is a gi?

A gi is the uniform traditionally worn by BJJ athletes, and in many other martial arts such as Karate. A gi is a strong, heavy uniform with thick collars, and plenty of places for your opponent to grab onto. In BJJ, it is completely legal to use the gi to maneuver your partner or opponent.

No-gi BJJ is a variant of jiu jitsu where practitioners wear tight-fitted clothing so their partner or opponent cannot grab onto what they are wearing. Because there are fewer places to hold onto, no-gi practitioners must grab directly onto the body of the other practitioner.

Expands your game

The more you practice BJJ in a gi, the more you will discover the intricacies of the strategy and problem solving involved in the martial art.

While no-gi BJJ is still a high-level strategic martial art, wearing the traditional gi opens up many more guard styles and positions, enhancing the dynamic nature of the sport. 

Because there are so many more options in gi BJJ in terms of where on your opponent you can hold, it forces you to not rely on ‘slipping’ out of guard positions, and instead rely on sound technique.

The more technical your approach to BJJ, the faster you will learn.

Realistic self-defence

If you are deciding whether or not to opt for a gi when jumping into BJJ for self-defence purposes, you would have likely come across many different answers online. While some people swear by no-gi as translating more realistically into a self-defence situation, in most scenarios, an assailant will have clothing that can be grabbed onto. 

Training gi BJJ can in fact be more useful for self-defence situations, because many of the techniques involved use gripping the gi to control or submit someone. Knowing how to use a gi to subdue a potential attacker can therefore be very useful in a real-life situation.

Improves strength

Another big benefit of gi BJJ is an increase in strength. Grip strength and upper body strength are non-negotiable in BJJ; even in no-gi, the martial art demands strong holds and grips on a partner or opponent’s limbs. In gi BJJ, this is amplified even further, where gripping the gi in order to choke, move or prevent an opponent’s advance in guard is commonplace.

Regular gi training is great for strengthening your grip and overall upper body strength.

If you want to develop technical precision and strategic thinking in BJJ as taught by our expert coaches, training in the gi should be strongly considered.

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