To gi, or not to gi?

'To gi, or not to gi,
That is the question,
Whether I should put on my pyjamas against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take up a rashguard, and by opposing end them,'

 - William 'de Escritor' Shakespeare.

Again, anything written on this blog is entirely my opinion and I would genuinely love to hear comments, both in agreement or, especially, in disagreement.

Training at Leverage places a pretty high emphasis on training with the gi - out of a possible 7 training sessions, there are only two that are no-gi, and even then, there is a gi session first. I have to say, I love the gi and I love rolling with a gi. For some reason, it just feels more 'jiu jitsu' than no-gi.

Which is not to say that I don't enjoy no-gi, I do, but I seem to have a real love/hate relationship with it. Sometimes I have great rolls without a gi - feeling better, stronger and more slick than with it, but sometimes I am absolutely appalling, like it's my first time even stepping into the gym. This is a lack of consistency I don't seem to find when rolling in my pyjamas and I'm sure something that is largely due to a lack of training no-gi.

Speaking as someone who came to BJJ through a love of MMA, rolling no-gi scratches an itch to be more like an MMA fighter, my trial session was obviously without a gi and I was almost disappointed when I had to put one on for my first real class. When I break someone's posture through underhooks and controlling the back of the neck, in my mind's eye I am just like Nick Diaz, or GSP, I imagine I even look as professional and slick as they do (my mind's eye is very forgiving!), and I love the ease of movement and speed that comes with the no-gi game. However, in my humble opinion, no-gi makes me a bit lazy and more likely to muscle my way through techniques, rather than actually apply my learning, and this is why I love the gi.

There is no doubt in my mind that the gi slows things down and forces me to be more technical. The slippery nature of rolling in a rashguard and shorts means that I am more likely to slip out of holds, something that is just not possible with the grips afforded by the jacket and trousers ensemble. I have to consider the best way to break grips or find the proper hip movements to escape a position. In the same way, I have to plan my movements more carefully to gain positions. Without the gi, I find myself more likely to try to power out and, with my opponent less able to get the same level of controlling grips, I think it is easier to do so.

For beginners like myself, I think that this slower, more technical aspect to the game gives a greater depth of technical knowledge and understanding of BJJ due to its unforgiving nature - it ensures that the student approaches BJJ from a more technical standpoint, rather than allowing 'cheap' escapes from the beginning. Of course, my complaints about no-gi are not really complaints, they are simply a lack of understanding and training without a gi - I'm just not as used to it yet.

Ultimately, gi and no-gi are peas from a pod to a large extent and I certainly do love my no-gi sessions, both from a 'fun' aspect (and from a wannabe MMA fighter poseur level), as well as the feeling of improving in an almost new sport. I love trying new techniques and trying to see what transfers across to gi and vice versa.  I love the speed and hectic feel of a good no-gi roll, but, at the end of the day, if I was forced to choose gi or no-gi for the rest of my life, you would have to prise my gi from my cold, dead body. I hope people will be in here to vehemently defend no-gi and I will probably agree with the majority of their points, I love no-gi, just not as much as gi. Gi BJJ feels like serious business, no-gi for me is still something I do more for a palate-cleanser, or for 'fun'!