Should Beginners Train Gi or No-Gi? | Dean Lister's Thoughts

Black Belt Dean Lister shares his views on whether beginners should train Gi or No-Gi when first getting into Jiu Jitsu.

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[gracebe]

Happy Birthday, Dean. From your aunt Donna Mc.

[georgefrank]

If you’re doing it for a self defence purpose do what best fits your environment. I live in Australia, literally wear nothing but shorts and a t-shirt all year round, so no-gi makes sense.but if you live in Russia or in a colder climate where a jacket is common attire, gi would be extremely useful.

[jonathanwiggins]

Great advice. Not enough people speak about the importance of enjoying what you're learning.

[timothycarey]

As a nogi guy who picked up the gi later on i say nogi is superior, and eveyone debates this but 1 undeniable fact that is not debateable is when a gi guy takes off the gi they lose 90% of the moves they can do, when i go from nogi to gi i dont lose any techniques, i only gain more options.

[leonardomartinez]

About 15 years ago Dean Lister came to Guadalajara Mexico... Excellent human being and by the way he speaks excellent spanish...

[Soraakids]

I think the right answer is : Gi when it's cold, and No-Gi when it's hot

[Guitarist]

I like how he said try and have fun first. That's how to get hooked on BJJ. Just have fun and then you'll find your reasons to investigate the advantages of GI vs NOGI

[Babyfaceref]

Love Dean's down to earth approach.

[TheJahool]

I'm having way more fun in no-gi probably because I used to wrestle but the slipperiness makes it more fun!

[robcubed]

Due to scheduling conflicts, I couldn't attend the no-Gi classes. So I trained Gi for a little more than 1 year before I tried my first no-Gi class.

It's a completely different animal and I got my ass handed to me repeatedly since I relied on strategies that only worked with Gi (smash passes, lapel chokes, holding sleeves and pant legs). I haven't been able to train no-Gi since then due to schedule conflicts but I'd definitely love to learn more no-Gi.

[Roberto-nmsw]

Absolutely and Positively the best answer on the subject matter.

[spencerwinston]

Dean fights on such a full spectrum dominance level, even in the fog of combat, thinking seemingly several moves ahead on positioning locks, that his nickname should be Dean "Check Mate" Lister or Dean "OODA LOOP Assailant" Lister. What a delight to watch Dean conduct his mental and physical chess game on the octagon board. Bravo for the visual treats in this video, and the glimpse of a true professional at his craft. It's Dean's world when he enters the octagon and the opponents, though professionals themselves, often just look like pawns on the octagon game board.

[Sean-xrxj]

This is my favourite take - do whichever will keep you going and then eventually try to do both

[e.paradigm]

I took 2 GI BJJ classes a looong time ago and didn't take it seriously at the time. Then a few years back I joined a NO GI gym and now joined a GI/NO GI gym that starts you off in GI and so far I love it. Of course now I'm taking my BJJ education much more seriously and from what I can tell, the GI is much more fun and seemed easier for me to grapple others with, love the technical aspects of it, yet while No GI seemed more practical in a street fight. I say start GI to learn the fundamentals and then when you get your blue belt get into No GI.

[michaelsanchez]

As far as shirts are concerned, American football jerseys are very popular in the US and they will not tear easily. They will work like a Gi as will other types of shirts. I enjoyed listening to your take on the Gi vs. no Gi issue. I take a more pragmatic view of it. If you live in a cold environment where people are usually wearing heavy clothing, train with a Gi. If you live in a warm environment where people are wearing very light shirts or none at all, train no Gi. I think the balance you find should be based on the weather where you may be assaulted. If you are more concerned with sport than self defense, then pick the one that is more appropriate for your chosen sport.

[slick]

he's low-key one of the better minds in bjj.

[paultaylor]

Sound advice... the only thing I'd add is gi's are a pain in the arse to wash and dry in time for your next session. Also gi's comparatively take up more space. Would definitely suggest both (all part of the fun)

[FrontiersOfTheFuture]

Lots of techniques can be adjusted for either style but the main difference that I can see is that Gi is somewhat more slow and methodical, grip by grip, incremental positional improvement and of course the gi can be used in submissions. It's very chess-y. Fundamentals really shine here.

No-gi is a bit more explosive and snappy. It takes relatively more energy to roll this way with around the same level of technical knowledge and the guard game meta leans more towards open guards and butterfly type positions. Also you will see more leglock game in no-gi.

[greysaku]

What makes me laugh is guys that shit on Gi jiu-jitsu all day, but when promotion time rolls around everybody puts Gi on...

[alhfgsp]

Learn grips that work in both gi and nogi while learning the gi grips. Be versatile.