I've figured out that I'm not really looking forward to training with the Gi since I've never worn one. I know the positives like it will cause me to become more technical, it offers more techniques like chokes, more points to grab on, etc, but I'm still just not real excited about it. It seems like everyone gets used to it and some others at the gym even relish it, but why?
I got a Gi as part of my school's promotional first month and so far all I've done is put it on, feel pretty certain that it was large enough to hold up to the lowest dryer setting, and then, of course, proceed to shrink the legs about 4" above my ankles. So I've messed up already: Gi: 1, Lynn: 0.
So, now in addition to my "I feel ridiculous in this because any one of you could choke me to death in it in just one moment...wait, I think my Gi is choking me to death all by itself... and I have no idea what I am doing and it's hot and feels constrictive", I also have the "I feel ridiculous in my highwater Gi."
Any words of advice on how to rock my too short Gi? I mean, seriously, I'll have to look at the internet just how to tie the pant strings and then the belt (looks like a square knot).
I just feel ridiculous, but I'm goin' for it.
I guess, if nothing else, I look forward to one day in the far, far future where they put me with the obnoxious, know-it-all-new-kid who thinks Gi's are stupid and says so, and I execute a nice choke with my sleeves, or my pants, or the Gi-Force, or whatever. So, say a little Gi prayer for me. ;)
So, why do you like yours?
10 comments:
Remember, everyone else is wearing pajamas, too. ;) And someone else is also likely to be high-watering as well or to have a pair that is. It's cotton; it happens, even when you don't use the dryer.
I like both gi and nogi. One, a gi slows everyone down, either on its own (friction) or because you can grab (or because they get tired faster). Two, it improves your forearm and hand strength. Three, you sweat buckets and lose weight faster.
Four, if you ever had to really defend yourself using BJJ, the other person is likely to be wearing clothes. (Almost an exact quote from one of my instructors last night when someone asked about wearing a gi last night.)
Don't worry about not knowing how to tie a belt -- no one else knows when they start. Guys still come to class asking for help... And they get their pants or tops on backwards or inside out. And we laugh at them and then bring it up again at embarrassing moments. Good times...
I remember my first class wearing a gi. It did seem as if it was doing the choking all on its own (especially in bear crawls, ugh!). Now I don't even notice it.
All gis aren't created equal, and they don't all shrink the same or feel the same or fit the same. Have you seen Elyse's Gi Buying for Women post? There's lots of advice on finding a gi, on fit, and on care.
Leslie summed it up really well.
When I first started BJJ, it was at a Boxing / MMA gym where I'd been taking Muay Thai. There were only about 4 or 5 of us that were rolling regularly at that point. Only a few of us were wearing gi's consistently. As the class grew and more MMA kids and wrestlers showed up, the gi definitely made me target (especially when I got my first stripe).
I'm 6'2 - 155, so I didn't have to shrink my pants - they were already 4 inches above my ankles.
I live in Austin, TX so the heat in the gym was pretty amazing. The gi was like a sweatsuit. Somehow I was losing 5-7lbs in water each session.
All that said, I'm unbelievably grateful that I stuck it out. I do both gi and nogi now, and they're really two different games. The stuff you learn and trials you go through with the gi will improve your game.
And for someone my size (skinny relative to the others), the gi no longer feels heavy and restrictive - it's a suit of options. It allows me to control the pace and get really creative.
Stick it out. One day soon you'll love it!
Alrighty folks; I'm going for it with the Gi...gonna work through the sweating and getting choked by it to the promised land on the other side.
Since 4" too short seems to be the average I'm gonna rock this Gi with pride. :)
Thanks for the encouragement and to hear again that it will improve my game. To hear that from some other folks further down the path than me is encouraging.
Leslie, I looked over Elyse's article...holy cow so much good information there. I'll definitely have to buy a 2nd Gi for cleanliness, etc, so I'll have to re-read her post and check out all the links/companies she included. I'm 5'4" ~165, I like to go with "stocky"...a lot of the comments on Elyse's post have height/weight so I think I can start isolating a good 2nd Gi for me.
Shawn, congrats on your Blue Belt. I'm sure that felt great. I guess I'll have to get up to speed with the Gi so they have something to tie my Blue Belt around, huh. ;)
Thanks again.
Lynn, you should definitely check out Atama's female-fit gis. I have far too many gis for my ability level (we're at 13 or 14 right now) and my two F gis (the female fit designation) are among my favorites.
As for the short pants, that's an advantage for you, because it's harder for opponents to get good pants grips (at least, ankle grips). The IBJJF has very strict rules for their tournaments on the length and width of sleeves, pants etc.. but most other tournaments like NAGA do not, so I wouldn't stress about it till you decide to compete at the Pan Ams, Mundials, etc.
I started in nogi and detested gi at first; now I train so much more in gi that nogi is difficult for me to wrap my brain around. It's great that you're doing both early on :)
The Atama's are getting great all around reviews from a lot of women so I'll have to check those out. You guys are all so upbeat about the whole Gi training thing that I'm kinda starting to look forward to it.
Thanks again. ;)
by the way, if you need just the pants, NHB Gear and Karate Depot sell judo/jitsu gi pants without the tops. 1) It's a lot less than buying a whole new uniform to compete in and 2) the pants will wear out way before the tops, so you will need them eventually.
I prefer gi because 1) I am in my 30s and having it helps me control people who are much younger, faster and stronger than me. and 2) gi fighting makes you more technical. You can execute a no-gi technique with enough speed and muscle to make up for some imperfections in technique, but that's not going to happen very often in a gi.
Slowing it all down will probably be a good thing. I'm starting to look forward to the Gi training; I mean, I'm not happy I'm starting Gi in summer, but hey, we all gotta start sometime. I'll try to keep the "I hate this thing"'s to a minimum out of respect for my teacher. :)
HomeImprovementNinja,
(the name makes me laugh; good job)
I'm 34, so yeah, I'll take that added technique edge gladly.
Thanks for the tip on buying the pants alone.
Interesting how the US perspective differs from the UK. When I was at the Roger Gracie Academy in London, the nogi class was by far the least popular. They started off with two a week, then due to lack of interest cut it down to one, which was further cut to just an hour.
I'd guess its because in the UK, people are used to judo and wrestling is rare (despite all the indigenous styles around the country, not a big sport at all). In the US, wrestling is in the education system, and then there's the temperature: not a problem in the UK, unfortunately. ;)
The original question has pretty much been answered, but I'll add to the chorus and mention the main advantages I've found training in the gi:
1. It slows things down: all those grips give me a chance to stop and think, which I struggle to do in nogi.
2. That also helps to counteract the strength advantage of someone bigger (as I'm 145lbs, that's most people).
3. Friction and grips make it much tougher to escape, which in turn helps technical development.
4. Nogi rules scare the crap out of me: all sorts of cranks and leglocks that you don't see in gi are fair game in nogi, even for lower levels.
Hey slideyfoot,
I'm not sure that I am representative of the US perspective on gi vs nogi, but if so then it definitely could be any number of the reasons you listed.
I don't mind hearing some of the same points again - like gi slowing things down and helping technical development, etc. Those types of comments are really helping me get in the right headspace to start gi. I went ahead and booked a private class tomorrow with my favorite instructor and I told her it should be my "Intro to the Gi" class. In fact, I'll just ask her to choke me with it right off the bat and get that out of the way. ;)
So, in a scant 20 hours I will put on my gi for the first time and all your posts will be running through my head counteracting the "it's hot, it's choking me, etc" thoughts.
So, thanks for the encouraging words.
Heh - that's a point, I'd completely forgotten about the fact that with the gi, you have loads of awesome collar chokes.
Its another big plus point in its favour, again from the small person perspective: while that big meathead may be able to treat you like a dumbbell and bicep curl his way out of an armbar, muscle power isn't going to help stop him going unconscious from your deep loop choke. :D
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