I think that Eddie’s comparison between Judo with the gi and Greco Roman Wrestling without the gi is brilliant. I have trained both Judo and Greco, this comparison is spot on. Both sports have the goal of taking your opponent down but one sets up takedowns mainly using the sleeve, collar and belt while the other uses mainly underhooks, overhooks and body locks. Same goal, two very different ways of accomplishing that goal.

( The footwork is also different in Judo vs Greco but I digress. )

On the ground however the difference between training with the gi and without the gi isn’t as great as the difference between the takedowns of Judo and Greco. In fact, there is an incredible amount of crossover in technique.

This is the reason why such greats as Roger Gracie, Jacare and Demian Maia can train most of their lives with the gi on the ground, take it off and still have game without the gi. Maintaining Full guard is not that much different with or without the gi, you keep your legs crossed. Once you have the Mount, holding it is not much different either. What is different is the submission setups and transitions.

This is where the difference between training with or without the gi begins to make itself known. Sport Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practiced with the gi uses the opponent’s sleeve and collar to setup submissions from the guard. Progessive grapplers training no-gi are using the Rubber Guard as well as overhooks and underhooks to destroy posture and set up submissions.

Everything done NG with the Rubber Guard etc… can be done with the gi on. In fact, it can be easier, but not as fun as your opponent can hang on to your gi to slow your game down.

This cannot be said of Sport BJJ. There are countless setups and transitions done in Sport BJJ that you simply cannot do no-gi. I’m not saying that one is better than the other. That comes down to personal preference whether you like to train gi or no-gi.

I will say that if you are planning to compete in No-Gi or MMA competition then training without the gi in my opinion only makes sense. With each passing year the number of new tekks and transitions being developed NG continues to grow. As the new wave of young grapplers adopting 10th Planet tekks and developing their own grows the divide between the two sports will continue to widen.

What is one of the differences between a beginning BJJ competitor and a high level competitor ?

The difference is how tight the high level competitor's technique is. This is were the myth comes from that training with the gi makes your grappling ‘tighter.’ Training with the gi regularly will make your gi grappling tighter but as Eddie pointed out, training with the gi can actually make your NG game looser.

In general there are basically two ways to grapple. Putting pressure and weight on your opponent utilizing the Clinch or light and loose with lots of movement. Both approaches have their place.

My friend Aaron Briley who got me into BJJ trained personally with Rickson Gracie for 3 years back in the mid 90’s. He said that Rickson would go back and forth from crushing weight that you just couldn’t deal with and lightness with movement where you could barely feel him touching you but he still had positional control over you in transition.

The light style with movement is what makes a competitor like Jeff Glover so great. But he also works the clinch with his Deep Half Guard as well as other areas of his game.

The true genius of 10th Planet is the conscious development of ‘tightness’ with the no-gi game. It’s just like with the gi. Tightness allows you to control your opponent so that it becomes a game of inches. This is what the Rubber Guard and other 10th Planet tekks are bringing into the no-gi game.

I’m not saying one approach is better than the other. You should want to develop both in order to be a well rounded. The Clinch and a more open game. But I love the fact that people using 10th Planet principles and tekks are able to hold their own in competition, sometimes even against more experienced opponents.

The Gi vs No-Gi Debate Continues ...?

Return from No-Gi Tight page to Grappling Styles page