Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is currently the most popular martial art in the world, and its popularity has been increasing with each passing year. Like many other martial arts, BJJ has its uniform, and the players fighting or training need to wear the uniform, without which they cannot play. But unlike other martial arts, BJJ is categorized into two types to facilitate people who don’t want to wear a uniform. The uniform that people wear is known as the Gi. If you are new to BJJ, you might be confused about the Gi, its significance, and its difference from No Gi BJJ. Let’s explore them in detail.
1. What is a Gi in Jiu Jitsu?
The Gi is a uniform in Jiu Jitsu that the practitioners of the art must wear for training and fighting in the art. This uniform is a necessary element in the art, and no one can compete in professional competitions of Gi Jiu Jitsu without wearing it. It is pronounced as “Ghee”.
2. Parts of Jiu Jitsu Gi
Jiu Jitsu Gi has three parts:
- The jacket is the top half of the BJJ uniform. It is known as uwagi in Japan.
- The belt is worn around the waist by the grappler. It is known as an obi in Japan.
- The trouser which is the lower half of the BJJ uniform. It is known as zubon in Japan.
3. Types of BJJ
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is categorized into two types on the basis of whether the practitioner is wearing the uniform or not. The following are its types:
3.1 Gi BJJ or Gi Jiu Jitsu
The first type of BJJ is the one in which practitioners have to wear a Gi (BJJ uniform). It is known as Gi Jiu Jitsu. It is not a choice for them but a compulsory element of their game.
3.2 No Gi BJJ or No Gi Jiu Jitsu
The second type of BJJ is the one in which the practitioners don’t have to wear a Gi (BJJ uniform). It is known as No Gi Jiu Jitsu. It is neither a choice nor a compulsory element. Players cannot wear a Gi. Instead, they have to wear a rash guard, which is a type of T-shirt but more like an athletic one. These rash guards are highly compressed, which fit tightly with the grappler’s body, or loosely fit, which is not tightly attached. Both are allowed, and it is the choice of the grappler to choose the type of rash guard to wear.
4. Difference Between Gi Jiu Jitsu And No Gi Jiu Jitsu
The following are the differences between Gi BJJ and No Gi BJJ:
4.1 Uniform
The first and clear difference between the two categories of Jiu Jitsu is the uniform. In Gi BJJ, it is compulsory for practitioners, trainers, or fighters to wear a complete Gi uniform. Whereas in No Gi BJJ, practitioners cannot wear a uniform. Instead of the Gi, they wear rash guards and spats, which depend on the choice of the grappler.
4.2 Opportunity For Grabbing
- The second difference between the categories is the opportunity for grabbing. If the practitioner is wearing a Gi in Gi BJJ, they have the optimum opportunity to grab their opponent by their Gi. They have multiple grips on their opponent’s Gi, such as the collar, lapel, side slits, or other parts of the Gi. This grip can be used for both offensive and defensive techniques.
- So it depends on the situation as well as the grappler utilizing the grips on how they want to use the grips. In contrast to this, No Gi BJJ does not provide any opportunity for the grapplers to grab their opponents because they are not wearing any Gi. Moreover, they have rashguards or spats, which are mostly tightly fitted, leaving no room for the grips. This lack of opportunity makes many changes in the execution of techniques and moves.
4.3 Pace of Game
The Gi and No Gi Jiu Jitsu are also different on the basis of the pace of the game. In No Gi, the grapplers don’t rely on the grips or grabbing their opponent’s Gi. Instead, they focus only on the techniques or moves. This makes their game fast. On the other hand, in Gi BJJ, the grapplers are relying too much on the grips. This makes their game slow. It takes them longer to complete one technique execution as compared to the grapplers in No Gi Jiu Jitsu.
4.4 Difference in Popularity
Many fans find No Gi BJJ more interesting and fascinating than Gi BJJ because of the execution of techniques and fast gameplay. They often get bored with watching Gi Jiu Jitsu because of the slower gameplay. This is one of the reasons the No Gi type is getting more famous than the Gi type Jiu Jitsu. However, both are famous and have unique fan followings, and it all depends on personal perspectives.
4.5 Grip Fighting
In Gi Jiu Jitsu, the grapplers try to execute the techniques based on the Gi grips. Their submissions, techniques, attacks, defenses, escapes, sweeps, and scrambling are all focused mainly on the Gi gripping. So effective Gi gripping and how they can utilize the grips is key to keeping the match in their hands in Gi BJJ. On the contrary, in No Gi BJJ, the grapplers have to depend on effective body control. Their techniques, attacks, submissions, and other forms of offenses are not based on the Gi grips. Instead, they leverage the strategy to execute the techniques more effectively and faster than Gi BJJ.
6. Should You Choose Gi BJJ or No Gi BJJ?
- You cannot say any BJJ type is better or inferior. Both are good in their own context. The decision to choose Gi or No Gi BJJ depends on the individual’s perspectives and preferences. If you want to focus more on the grip-based techniques and submissions, and slower gameplay, you should choose Gi BJJ.
- On the contrary, if you like to grapple more on the basis of speed, athleticism, fast game play, and techniques or submissions without the grip, then you should choose No Gi BJJ. Both are better and provide numerous benefits. So you should only choose on the basis of how you like to play, because you will get mostly the same benefits in both types.
5. Significance of Gi in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
The Gi is not only a uniform in Gi Jiu Jitsu. It is a historical element of BJJ and has a lot of significance. Some of the features highlighting its significance are as follows:
5.1 Offers Many Grip Points
The Gi serves as an opportunity for the grapplers to have many grip points. Grapplers can grip the Gi from a lot of points and execute the technique accordingly.
5.2 Offers Many Unique Techniques
The availability of grip points provides many unique techniques that you cannot execute in No Gi Jiu Jitsu, such as lapel chokes. Moreover, with each grip point, there are some techniques associated that make the Gi Jiu Jitsu unique and interesting.
5.3 Stimulates Daily Life Self-Defense Applications
Another unique point in Gi Jiu Jitsu is the self-defense technique. Usually, you are wearing normal, loose, and comfortable clothes in your real-life scenarios. The Gi Jiu Jitsu replicates that into your training. So when you train in Gi BJJ, you are learning the techniques to use self-defense techniques in your real life too. So, real-life threat situation correlates more to the Gi BJJ as compared to the No Gi BJJ. So you are learning how to defend yourself in your daily life street crime situations.
5.4 Effective Gripping
Gripping is very important in any martial art to learn. This replicates to your daily life as well, and you find this helpful in many ways. You learn this more in Gi Jiu Jitsu as compared to No Gi Jiu Jitsu. Because you and your opponent are wearing a Gi, and you are continuously finding ways to grip your opponent effectively. This improves your gripping technique. In contrast, in No Gi BJJ, you don’t learn gripping very effectively because you have no Gi to grip.
7. Last Words
The Gi is a historical element of BJJ and enjoys a lot of significance. It correlates more to your daily life scenarios compared to No Gi BJJ. Choosing the right BJJ type depends on your desires and how you want to grapple. However, with both types, you are getting numerous benefits. Somehow, the Gi adds many unique techniques and moves which you cannot execute without wearing the Gi, i.e., in No Gi Jiu Jitsu. So Gi gives you a lot of additional techniques to practice and execute on your opponent, which are also helpful in street fighting situations.
