Pablo Popovitch No-Gi Controversy.

' So what is it Popovitch is grumbling about? Well, after watching some footage from the 2011 World Pro, there were a few issues that caught his attention, and he took it upon himself to share them with GRACIEMAG.com readers.

“Our training camp at Avengers in Florida is underway already, with a number of our students who have been standing out lately participating – like my black belt Vagner Rocha, who took third at the Abu Dhabi No-Gi Pro at both weight and open weight, losing both by referee decision. What I’ve been noticing is that the Gi game is based mostly on grips, strength and weight, with a lot of wins coming by way of a single advantage point and sneakiness,” Pablo told GRACIEMAG.com.

“The champion, Rodolfo Vieira, really does have a tight pass game in the gi. Without the gi, in my opinion, it’s another story: I see the weaker fighter fighting on even terms – and with greater chances of using technique to win. Such was the case with Vagner, who lost to Rodolfo in a fight a lot of folks felt he won. And Vagner only weighs 77kg (170 lbs). The same deal with Rafael Mendes, who lost by judges’ decision. No-Gi, in my eyes, annuls the grip game, evening the playing field when there’s a big weight difference involved. That’s my opinion.”

Would you agree, dear reader? '



My contribution to the articles comments is below:

"I have to humbly disagree with Pablo… sorta. In BOTH the Gi and No-Gi game grips are incredibly important for control. The thing is that the grips No-Gi are different from Sport Jiu Jitsu where the person is grabbing the sleeve, collar, back of the jacket etc… In other words, when their grips in the Gi are based on grabbing the Gi.

Forgive me for assuming but most of the top BJJ competitors that Pablo mentioned above probably train the majority of the time in the Gi. He’s right. It’s possible that a person may have a tight guard passing game in the Gi and have no game at all without the Gi.

I agree with Pablo that the weaker guy may be able to do better against a bigger, stronger opponent IF they have better technique No-Gi i.e. better grips, tekks and setups that don’t rely on the Gi. But, just like Sport Jiu Jitsu, if the skill level is equal then the bigger, stronger, quicker person will win most of the time."



You can read the complete article at:

http://www.graciemag.com/en/2011/05/popovitch-to-train-with-sheikh-tahnoon-but-first-stirs-the-pot-of-controversy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Graciemag+%28GRACIE



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