To gi or not to gi?

This argument has been around on the forums since Day One and I dare say it will be around for many years to come, as grapplers and pyjama fighters continue to question the efficacy of their chosen art.

The topic recently reared its ugly head on the Cagewarriors forum, prompting a reply from Carlson Gracie black belt Simon Hayes, whose reply I post on here, because I couldn't have put it better myself :)..............................

'The gi encourages technique over strength and athletic attributes. To escape a technique in the gi you have to employ a methodical, sequential technical escape.
This allows you to learn correct technique instead of 'powering out'. This has a knock on effect when you take your gi off and meet a stronger, better grappler than yourself,to be able to escape his submission attempts technically when powering out is not possible.

Wearing a gi also gives you more grips to learn the art the art of sweeping, making sweeps easier so its possible to learn the art of balance breaking with extra tools, tools that will encourage the correct leverage and hip technique by giving you a successful sweep. When the gi is eventually taken off the sweep has been mastered and the principles of leverage and hip technique are so strong the grips are now unimportant, yet while learning the sweep the grips helped when the hips and leverage were less than perfect.

The gi creates 80% more submissions meaning the game is more exciting, the threat of being submitted is greater and the chance of submitting someone is greater meaning when the gi comes off defence should be somewhat easier because there are far less techniques to tap you to defend and attacking should become more focussed due to the speed at which your brain should have been working while wearing the gi as more techniques were available.

No Gi is easier to learn than Gi. In my opinion the perfect balance for becoming a formidable opponent when there are no rules is 2x Gi sessions per week,1xNo Gi,1xMMA,1xJudo or Wrestling,1x Muay Thai.

Just my opinions.'