Learn gi initially.
It’ll teach good skills. How to break grips, people trying to take your balance using your clothes. ( for your wife, some pulling hair skills).
It’ll teach one how to use someone clothes to create chokes (cross collar using a jacket, tshirt), etc. The skills are good.
Get a few pieces of tape.
If one is rolling well and want to try BJJ in a different context, no gi, go ahead.
The things one should be able to do in either is to have some workable takedowns and be comfortable with striking, offense/defense/closing distance to clinch.
a belt is simply a representation of one individual’s proficiency with a jiu jitsu curriculum. Thats it. There are tons of beast D1 wrestlers and judoka etc who are very tough on the ground who could hold their own or better with a BJJ practitioner who wears a dark belt around their waist.
Yes you do need a gi and belt to show that you are a black belt. That doesnt mean you cant beat a black belt in a grappling contest, so it depends on your goals. BJJ is completely evolving, perhaps away from the gi to an extent to where its almost weird to have a concept of belts. You have someone like Nicky Rod, or more dramatically, Helena Crevar, “low ranks” in BJJ but are killing almost everyone. The lines are being blurred in BJJ where rank and practice are concerned. I totally agree that “BJJ is the gi” - its essence anyway and its cool to see this traditional approach preserved but its also cool to see the lines being blurred as grappling and BJJ change, grow, and evolve.
I teach BJJ with no gi as the base and gi as the add on, which is the opposite of most teachers, but it makes the most sense to me.
Gi is a fascinating, complex world unto itself but it’s filled with rabbit holes that just are not worth very much in a real fight. You can, in certain situations, absolutely become a master of a game like lapel guard that can’t really even exist in a real fight.
No gi has problems too, but the relative simplicity and lack of reliance on clothes makes for a better base than the other way around.
Especially if one is a “dabbler” or just going to train a little bit each week, they probably shouldn’t bother with gi.
Is the extra flexibility really that big of a variable? If someone doesn’t know what they’re doing, they at higher risk of tearing some shit doing no-gi?
And yes, I’m aware of how stupid these questions may sound.
You don’t need to be especially flexible to do any jiu jitsu. --You can be and it can be a great help, but there are ways to play for people who aren’t flexible.
No gi =/= 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu
I personally am much more into a more “wrestling style” of no gi.
This is kind of how I feel.
Then my other self would like to say I’ve been disciplined enough in a sport I didn’t ‘love’ becaue od rhe gi and got my purple belt. Because I won’t stop I til I reach at least that level.
