Speaking candidly on the Partizan Grappling Podcast, Australian Jiu-Jitsu legend Kit Dale didn’t hold back when sharing his views on the ongoing gi versus no-gi debate.
Dale made it clear where he stands:
I don’t find that much joy in the gi anymore.
I mean, the gi is painful. It’s heavy, it’s hot, it’s something that’s difficult to travel with…
I would be very, very happy to see the gi disappear, to be honest with you.
While some practitioners see the gi as essential to developing strong fundamentals, Dale believes it encourages a slower, grip-dependent style that limits dynamic movement:
I feel like it’s a lot easier to slow things down and stall and rely on grip strength and stuff like that, where I feel like no GI, it’s a lot harder to do that.
You need to be a lot more efficient with your control and your gripping.
He also took aim at the static nature of gi exchanges:
It’s that people sort of grab grips and just sort of sit their hips low, pull guard and play around.
The wrestling component of no-gi is another factor that keeps Dale engaged:
Especially with the wrestling aspect of it, where, you know, you can do the same thing in the GI, but it’s a lot more stally.
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