GI vs NOGI

Limited resources can be an opportunity

Although there is a limited use of the Kimono or GI in martial arts such as Karate and Aikido, there is no other martial art that can be done with or without a kimono like BJJ. Judo is based on throws and tripping, yet always implies relying on the Kimono/GI to unbalance your opponent with your grips. BJJ is the only martial art that can be done with and without a Kimono. These two formats are apparently similar, especially since, with the exception of one attack – “the heel hook” – all rules, points and positional advancements are exactly the same. Yet they feel and look quite different. The GI also tends to avoid slippery situations when you lose the grips or position because of the sweat absorption effect of the kimono. This makes NOGI fighting more unstable with continuous positional changes. These reasons alone make fighting without a GI almost a different sport. GI fighting is about a lot of small adjustments as opposed to NOGI which needs firmer and higher pressure changes and wedges to maintain the gained positional advantage. There are many more differences between the two, yet people recognize that you can use your and the opponent’s Kimono/GI as a weapon against him to choke him, control his limbs, control his posture, and pull or push him. I am confident to say that for a non-expert spectator, NOGI BJJ competitions are more engaging. It is hard to appreciate the GI small adjustments and use grips, particularly because it makes it easier to suck space away from your opponent thus movements are minimal. Unless, of course, the level between the two opponents is very unfair. This rarely happens, since BJJ competitions are divided by belt levels, age, weight and sex, as we have already seen.?

There are lots of different opinions regarding the application in a “street situation” of the NOGI/GI style of fighting. People say that using a kimono is not realistic, other people say that not grabbing any vestment is not realistic. I say that, as usual, the truth is to be found in the middle. Unless you get in a street altercation at the beach, you will rarely be without pants and at least a t-shirt. The t-shirt might break if pulled, but it is very strong at the collar and could be potentially used for choking by an experienced BJJ practitioner who plans that move prior to the, hopefully, avoidable street physical altercation. Also, jeans and coats are stronger than a t-shirt and can be used to pin, unbalance, or push and pull your opponent in that same situation, without them ripping apart.?

In Lesson Seven we saw how not ignoring fifty per cent of the body creates new opportunities for attacks. The evolution of the NOGI game has greatly contributed to the development of this mentality.

Practical application:?

a very good business application example can be found in the business of BJJ itself: Eddie Bravo is now a famous martial arts instructor, and podcast owner. He started his early career first as a musician, then a wrestler and finally, in the late 1990s, took up BJJ, quickly becoming famous for a new submission known as the twister – a very painful sideways neck crank often used in MMA quite. This was the early Bravo always looking at opportunities: the twister was developed as option B from a lost back take attack.?

After getting his BJJ black belt in 2003, Eddie Bravo then went on to develop a NOGI-only BJJ academy in Los Angeles, California. The school, named 10th Planet, is now very famous with academies all over the world. The main idea behind the 10th Planet school is a NOGI submission only attitude. This means no kimono classes are taught and the competitions are without any points, based only on submission. This method, created out of an apparent restriction or “loss” of options, has resulted in a real and proper empire for Eddie Bravo. He initially worked for the UFC, training athletes under his methodology and developing further techniques such as the rubber guard, a type of guard that requires particular flexibility.

The famous twister on the left and Eddie Bravo performing the rubber guard. ?

Eddie went on building his niche empire, creating an entire new league of grappling known as the EBI or Eddie Bravo Invitational with different formats: spacing from no time limit matches without points, ten-minute matches with the points starting after five minutes, positional matches (where you start from a position and you either submit or lose the position within a time frame), and combat Jiu Jitsu (where you can strike the opponent with an open palm.)?

He has found opportunities by willfully restricting his panel and focus and assessing what he could actually gain from this restriction. I would dare to draw a comparison with a person losing his sight and developing other senses, except in Bravo’s case he has willfully created a handicap as an inspirational platform from which to build his empire.

How can you develop a niche out of your own limitations? What areas do those limitations allow you to concentrate on and strengthen to their maximum potential? What new opportunities do those limitations create for you?