5 No Gi BJJ Mistakes Beginners Make & the Easy Fix

Sep 01, 2020BJJEEArticles

Gi and No Gi are the 2 forms of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Gi Jiu Jitsu is grappling with the use of a traditional Gi, which allows you to grab the clothing of your opponent. No Gi is grappling without the traditional uniform, instead you wear shorts and a rash guard. In no gi you cannot grab your opponent’s clothing.

Most grapplers train mostly in one style and by doing so, limit themselves to just one style’s benefits instead of both.

 To be a complete grappler, you should train in both. Marcelo Garcia is a good example of a BJJ player that is world class in both. He only started No Gi at brown belt, having built a strong base in Gi Jiu-Jitsu first. Usually if you start training in majority without the Gi, then you will have a much harder time adapting to the Gi. The Gi in some ways is more complex with all the grips but No Gi has many other aspects which are not found in the Gi (for ex: more brabo chokes, guillotines, footlocks than in the Gi).

Advantages of No Gi

-Improved wrestling

You will be using a lot more wrestling based takedowns.

– Improved conditioning & explosiveness

With the game being so much faster because of lack of Gi grips, your conditioning will go through the roof. Setting up many wrestling based takedowns will force you work your explosiveness in a different way than with the Gi.

-Better footlocks

In No Gi, footlocks are harder to counter because there is no Gi lapel to hold on to. Also, if you train with heel hooks then that opens a whole new set of weapons that you won’t have in the Gi.

Training without the gi can be tricky if you’re used to grabbing cloth all the time. Here are some common mistakes that you should avoid when it