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Why Do I Need To Train Wearing a Jiu Jitsu Gi?
After reading an interview with Marcos da Matta, American Top Team's head Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) instructor, I wrote this article after reading a particular piece of his interview which made a strong impression on me, because the clear and concise way he emphasized the importance of training BJJ with a kimono. I am always saying this to my friends (who practice "The Gentle Art"), to my students at the gym, and even to new people who just walk into my BJJ School and say they just want to train no-gi. I guess I always say something like this when my students say they hate to train the gi too.
Does Training With a Jiu-Jitsu Gi Makes You More Technical?
The kimono makes you more technical, and I think it is essential to train in, and master from the onset of your BJJ training. Put your time in, pay your dues, and get your black belt. And yes, by all means, cross train no-gi grappling as well, but the gi should be the main focus of your training until you get your black belt, and then you can start the "new beginning" once you get your black belt. Like Marcos says in this interview, except for a few guys (like two), all the ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) Submission Wrestling World Championship champions train in the gi on a daily basis and are champions in the gi as well. He makes a good point as well when he says "if you want to be tough and hard to submit, train no-gi, and if you want to be technical and a finisher basically, you'll train the gi".
Is Training With a Jiu-Jitsu Gi Is Realistic?
One of the biggest arguments in training the gi is that some people do not think it's realistic, referring to some of the gi moves that require a lot of cloth manipulation, and moves like the 50/50 guard and deep half. But these are relatively high sport Jiu-Jitsu moves that are being utilized because everyone is so technical at this level, and one needs to be creative to submit someone at that level. And this creativity with the gi can also cross over into the no gi realms well, either in a direct translation of the move, like for instance, the deep half guard was for a while thought to be inapplicable in MMA, but now people are pulling it off. And also the creativity in the gi transfers in the sense, that it helps you stay creative in no-gi and develop new moves in different situations that work for you.
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