intro to
no gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

With Thomas Tucker

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WHAT IS NO GI BJJ?

No Gi BJJ is a form of Jiu Jitsu where students use rash guards and shorts, rather than the traditional Gi uniform.

A rash guard is essentially a tight-fitting athletic shirt, made out of polyester or spandex material.

It is intended to prevent rashes (and mat burn) as well as alleviate sweat transfer.

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BENEFITS OF NO GI

No Gi BJJ allows for more realistic scenarios as the grips used vs opponents  include the wrist, ankles, necks, and additional limbs.

Since they don't use the traditional Gi uniform, they aren't able to use the Gi as an extra 'weapon' to set up submissions or even execute submissions using them.

The No Gi is thought to more likely resemble street fighting as the perpetrators usually will not be wearing uniforms.

With that being said, they can be wearing larger and warmer clothing where that same clothing can be used against them.

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Fight Pace

Besides the clothing and grip aspects that we covered earlier, the pace of the fight is a lot faster in No Gi.

The reason for this is without the Gi, there are less ways to be held or stalled, and it's a lot easier to break the grip of your opponent when they have to rely on pure strength and stamina over the course of a match.

With the Gi on, your collar and pants can be used against you.

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Understanding control (grips and weight distribution) 

No-gi Jiu Jitsu can teach you a lot about controlling your opponent in a tough, fast paced environment. Because of the fast pace of no-gi and the fact that you can’t rely on gi grips, no-gi forces you to work to learn to control and maintain grips. Grips are much easier to break, so if you can master maintaining grips in no-gi BJJ, you can most certainly master that in gi BJJ.

No-gi is also great for learning how to distribute your weight. It’s a lot harder to control your own body, never mind your opponents, when training no-gi. The decreased friction forces you to learn to position yourself in the best possible place to distribute your weight so that you don’t get swept and you can have the best pressure when controlling your opponent. 

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No-gi / No Shortcuts 

No-gi Jiu Jitsu doesn’t allow for shortcuts. Transitions are made at the blink of an eye and if your Jiu Jitsu is sloppy, you can place yourself in some very bad positions. Being technical is a must in a fast-paced match. 

Training no-gi will quickly teach you to have the right angles and make the right pressure at the right times in order to avoid being caught in sweeps or submissions. 

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Whether you already train in BJJ or a newbie to the sport or simply want to learn how to defend yourself in a more realistic self defense situation, no gi BJJ can help since the majority of people do not wear traditional Japanese training uniforms. With No Gi BJJ you can also transfer much easier to MMA. So sign up today for our FREE workshop by clicking the appropriate image below. If you attend you will receive 2 free weeks of No Gi BJJ or Gi BJJ to try out to see if it's right for you.