Achieving the Rank of Blue Belt

Recently, I was awarded the rank of blue belt in BJJ

This was an awesome day to say the least.

After almost 2 and a half years of training in BJJ, I was able to graduate from my phase belt and wear the blue belt around my waist.

My Coach and I after he gave me my blue belt

It was your typical Monday night BJJ class, and we were all gearing up for our typical 8:00 pm-8:30 pm rolling session. This is my favorite part of the class, because we get to test and use everything we have learned in the class while at the same time getting a seriously killer workout in.

The philosophy that we have in our gym is that if we train harder and longer than any competition would require, than come competition time, we all are more than well prepared.

I have had many hard training sessions before in my life, but that Monday night was easily one of the hardest.

My coach and I battled against each other for minutes on end, with him showing no sign of letting up on me. He wasn’t just beating me, he was smashing me. It was to the point where I would be in bottom side control, and he would use constant head pressure to inflict pain and discomfort, drilling directly into my stomach. It was freakin’ brutal.

Some of the mastery guys and I snap a team photo after class

After getting destroyed by him and being utterly exhausted, I was now the victim of a game we like to call “vultures”. It involves one guy (me in this case) starting in bottom side control, and having to go from bottom to top position against an opponent. Once this has been done, a new and fresh opponent jumps on top of you in side control, and you must repeat the process again.

After a few minutes of that, I can easily say that I had surpassed my previous physical and mental limits, and I was fighting with pure adrenaline. I had nothing left in me, and my body felt five times heavier than normal.

When it was all done, I stood up with the help of my fellow students and tried to catch my breath for dear life. I also had the interrupting urge to vomit. I came very close to doing so, but I mustered the strength to hold it down (luckily!).

As my coach gave us all a wise talk on how training hard like we did will ensure that we will all improve, he mentioned my name. He elaborated on my efforts and the time that I put in on and off the mats, then pulled a blue belt out of nowhere and surprised the heck out of me with it.

Fellow blue belt Josh Colacone and I

Being extremely exhausted, yet elated, I was very proud to have done what I did. I thanked all of my team and my coaches, as they were the ones who helped push me through it all.

It was a great day for me and a huge goal had been reached. I cannot wait to see where I end up on  my journey as a blue belt.

To Gi or Not to Gi? The Jiu Jitsu Conundrum

Training Gi vs. No Gi: What’s the Difference? What’s Better?

If you train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, then I’m sure you have asked yourself this question before: Should I be training in the gi? Should I be training without the gi? Should I maybe be doing both???

If you’re not sure about what the answer to this question may be, then hopefully this article will help you decide for yourself. In this article, we will break down the main differences between the two training methods and answer the question, “which one should I be doing?”

Here is World Champion Andre Galvao wearing a BJJ gi.

First off, for all you guys and gals who may be new to the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you may be asking yourself, “What the heck is a Gi?”

A gi, or other times refered to as a Kimono, is the traditional training uniform for the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu player. It has been worn for decades by some of the grandmasters and founding fathers of BJJ. It consists of a cotton gi Jacket, gi pants, and a belt that displays ranking.

Back in the early days of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, everyone would wear the Gi because it was the norm. However, over the years as BJJ grew tremendously in popularity and Mixed Martial Arts made its debut across the world, more and more people started training without the Gi. This turn of events gave birth to what we know now as “No Gi Jiu Jitsu“.

At this point, I’m sure you’re asking yourself “could a uniform really make a difference?” Well, to promptly answer your question, yes it does. Here’s why:

The Gi:

While training in the gi, the friction between you and your opponent is greatly increased. This means that escapes and smash passes are going to be slightly more difficult.

A match between two BJJ players wearing the gi

For example, escaping from back mount in the gi is extremely difficult due to the friction that the gi causes. You may also want to be careful when going upside down or inverted in the gi, for it may be easy to get stuck in a bad position.

Another factor in the gi game is the grip fighting. When your opponent is in a gi, you can grab their collar, sleeves, pants, belt, and anywhere in between. This gives creation to sweeps, passes, and collar chokes that would not be possible in no gi jiu jitsu. It also gives opportunity for better overall control of your opponent and a more technical match.

Lastly, If you want to take a more traditional approach towards Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, then training in the gi is the way to go. As mentioned before, the masters of this sport have worn the gi for decades, and sometimes training with the gi can be very inspiring.

No Gi:

A match between two BJJ players not wearing the gi, also know as No Gi

Training without the gi opens up a whole new set of factors. For one, it is a much faster paced game due to the lack of control one can have on their opponent. Without the friction of the gi, two fighters can move faster against each others bodies. This means faster passes, sweeps, transitions, etc…

Sweat can even play a large role in the no gi game. if your opponent is sweaty and slippery, then it will be harder to control him.

Another factor in the no gi game is the lack of grips. without the gi, you will be forced to use different grips. there is no collar or pant leg to grab, therefore you will use more “2 on 1” control and more “cup” grips.

Lastly, If you are training BJJ for self-defense purposes, going the no gi route may be more your cup of tea. if you are ever in a situation where you may need to defend against an attacker, chances are your attacker is probably not going to be wearing a gi.

Here are two videos showing the differences between gi and no gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

Now that you have seen the differences between the two types of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I hope that you have come to the same conclusion I have and realized that neither method surpasses the other generally speaking, and that you should be training in both!!!

 Remember:

The gi game is more stagnant due to friction, has more techniques available, and is more traditional.

The no gi game is a bit more fast paced, control is more difficult, and grips are much more limited.

So if you don’t train gi, buy one and get involved in your local academy’s gi classes. Same goes for the guys who train strictly gi. Give the no gi a shot, and you will definitely find it to be a fresh new spin on the art you enjoy so much.

If you get the best of both worlds in your training regiment, you will have the speed and control of a no gi grappler, yet possess the technical ability and calmness of a gi grappler. You will become a more complete grappler!

Best of luck!