By Mik Milman
“Gi vs Nogi: which is more effective for self defense?” seems to be as old a debate as Jiu Jitsu itself.
People seem to fall into one camp or the other. The basic argument in favor of nogi training for self defense is that in real life you don’t have a gi to hold onto. But at the same time the basic argument in favor of training in the gi is that in real life people will be wearing clothes that you can grab onto. Let's dive into that a bit deeper.
No, people do not walk around in Jiu Jitsu gi’s unless it's Halloween and they’re not terribly original or they are looking to be made fun of. From the car in the parking lot to the gym is pretty much the only safe space for an adult to wear their gi outside of the gym. But just because people don’t go around wearing gis, does that mean that grip training is not applicable to a street situation? Absolutely not! Maybe you train in Los Angeles where people often walk around in shorts and a shirt, but in many parts of the world people often wear thick winter coats. Think of a pea coat: They're just as thick or thicker than a gi, and yes you can do a cross choke on someone wearing one. And let me ask you this: When was the last time someone was attacked by someone in a dark alley, sweaty and shirtless, and only wearing tight MMA shorts?
So in conclusion, Gi training is more suited for self defense and I can stop writing this article, right? Well, yes, no, maybe?
I could write on and on about this, but anytime a martial art becomes a sport it will begin to evolve into something less applicable to a self defense situation. Now before anyone reacts too strongly here, I want to be clear that I am saying it becomes less applicable, not, not applicable at all. Rules are often introduced to make a sport safer or more entertaining, but the result is always the same: they begin to resemble a street situation less and less. Take specific elbow strikes in MMA for example, let alone eye gouging or fish hooking. Or look at a sport like Judo in which you aren’t allowed to hunch over for an extended period of time. This leads to more exciting matches, but much of Judo goes out the door when an opponent hunches over to stall in Jiu Jitsu. In boxing if you clinch for an extended period of time, the ref will reset you. Kyokushin Karate is a full contact style of karate infamous for its bloody tournaments- but they’re not allowed to punch to the face, something that completely changes the dynamic of a fight.
I could continue with examples, but the obvious conclusion is that if you want to train for self defense, you need to specifically train for it, right? Well, again, maybe...
Krav Maga is the most well known system or practice geared toward self defense. But is the obvious conclusion that because it is focussed on self defense that it’s the best practice for self defense? Let's dive into this a bit deeper and talk about methodology.
In order to be effective for self defense, a martial art must be practiced live against a resisting opponent, not in what Matt Thornton from Straight Blast Gym - whose writing I encourage you to look at - calls dead pattern training which is basically rehearsed and predictable movements between two people. These are especially common in traditional eastern martial arts such as katas in karate or rehearsed throws in Aikido.
In order to discuss the efficacy of a martial art we must not only talk about what it's geared toward, but also in how it's practiced. This includes not only whether it’s trained live or not, but also what level of intensity its trained in and how that training mentally equips an individual to defend them self or another on the street. I think my point is best illustrated with a question: In a self defense situation, would you put your money on the world's “best” Krav Maga practitioner, or pretty much any somewhat accomplished fighter in the UFC? I would pick the UFC fighter any day. It is this logical conclusion, that training methods and mentality influence a styles efficacy more so than what that style is geared toward and ultimately explains why people that train in the gi typically win the biggest no gi tournaments. They simply train at the highest level. They tend to be the best grapplers period with Jiu Jitsu having the most forgiving learning curve when it comes to adapting to a different ruleset. Would someone that trained solely in no gi at the same intensity have an advantage? Perhaps, but for the most part that just doesn’t really exist right now. In other words, top Jiu Jitsu athletes in the gi winning top nogi tournaments is an example of correlation, not causation.
I am not saying anyone interested in self defense should become a UFC fighter. Rather I hope to broaden the scope of factors considered when assessing what type of training you should do.
The truth is most of us are not training for self defense. We train because it's fun and beyond that all the other reasons we train are a bonus. If we really wanted to test how effective what we do is for self defense and actually train for it we would supplement how we train.
Here are a few examples of how we could supplement our Jiu Jitsu with self defense specific training:
Practice escaping from and then keeping distance from an opponent in a dominant position.
Mix up gi with no gi training. Try wearing just the gi top with MMA shorts (sambo style).
Mix Jiu Jitsu with prop weapons.
Train with your shoes on.
Go to a thrift shop, buy some random clothes, then train in them.
But, if you’re like me and having the confidence that you are better equipped to handle yourself in a self defense situation is nothing but a nice little bonus that comes along with training then who really cares about this debate? The truth is keeping our heads up, staying aware of danger, crossing the street when you see it, and just avoiding trouble in the first place is the best defense.
In the end training solely for self defense situations like someone holding a gun to you is like training for a plane crash and would you put 10,000 hours of training into preparing for that?
Agree? Disagree? Share your comments below!
