In the combat sports community, there’s a commonly debated topic on if you should train BJJ in the Gi for MMA. Let’s break down the debate and answer if you should train BJJ in the Gi for MMA or not.
We’ll first list the positives of training in the Gi for MMA and then the negatives before giving our answer.
There is one notable positive for doing Jiu Jitsu training in a Gi for MMA. The positive is that training in the Gi is a great way to make your basics stronger.
Training in the Gi allows you to slow down the roll and focus more on your technique. In MMA, a lot of fighters lack basic grappling techniques.
They’re so eager to try to land strikes or get a submission that they don’t get into position. If fighters train BJJ in the Gi when they don’t have a fight, they can really sharpen their basics.
For example, when they get to the mount position, they won’t immediately raise up and throw strikes. Instead, they will first attain proper control and then throw their strikes. Possibly even forcing their opponent to give up their back to lock in an RNC.
By this line of thinking, training in the Gi can make your ground game sharper and more prepared for MMA.
While there’s only a few positives to training BJJ in the Gi for MMA, there’s quite a few negative aspects. Here are the arguments against training BJJ in the Gi for MMA.
The most common argument against training BJJ in the Gi for MMA is their completely different games. They both seem like they both do similar things, but Gi BJJ and MMA Jiu Jitsu are quite different.
In traditional BJJ training, you wear a Gi and in MMA training, you don’t. When you train in the Gi, you often use the Gi to control your opponent to set up sweeps and submissions.
Under the rules of MMA, no Gi is worn and you are not allowed to grab your opponent’s clothing. It would seem counterproductive to do Gi BJJ training for MMA, when you can do most of the movements practiced.
In modern Gi BJJ training, there are no strikes thrown within the training. BJJ training as it is done today is done more for sport and not for self defense.
Meaning that there’s less of a concern about training against strikes, because you don’t train striking defense in Gi BJJ. Training grappling without striking is okay if you just train BJJ, but not if you train MMA.
If you’re an MMA fighter, training grappling without striking will put you at a severe disadvantage.
Training BJJ in the Gi could also have negative effects on your overall grappling game in MMA. You may often rely on Gi grips that will not be there when you’re in an MMA fight.
Gi BJJ training may also negatively affect your MMA game by making you comfortable in positions where you’d get hit. For example, playing open guard games like spider guard.
You don’t have a Gi to hold onto and a sweaty opponent can easily escape and land powerful strikes. Using other Gi BJJ techniques like a berimbolo roll will put you in vulnerable positions to get hit.
If you compete in MMA, you should really tailor your ground game for the sport. Training in a Gi may have more negative effects on your MMA than good.
It would be recommended that if you’re training for a fight that you don’t train in the Gi. Use should rather be training a variation of No-Gi while wearing MMA gloves. Doing light striking to mimic the movements within the fight.
An MMA fighter can train in the Gi, but not during a fight camp for an upcoming MMA bout. Participating in Gi BJJ is something that an MMA fighter should really do in between fights.
They’ll be able to sharpen their technique without affecting their MMA game before a fight. But when they’re scheduled for a fight, they should take off the Gi.
MMA fighters should not train BJJ in the Gi before they have an upcoming fight. They should focus on MMA style grappling so as not to affect their ground game. But when they’re in between fights, it’s perfectly fine to train Gi BJJ to keep your technique sharp.
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