In a recent Instagram post, Gordon Ryan questioned whether training in the gi actually benefits your no gi game or not. This was his post, “I have a serious question – for decades we were told that we needed to train the gi to be technical in no gi. Now those same people tell everyone that the only reason why I win is because I train no gi and don’t split my time between the two. If I only trained no gi, shouldn’t I be technically inferior to those who train in the gi, since I don’t train in the gi? asking for a friend.”
This comes after the BJJ community generally states that training in the gi will improve your technical ability due to it being harder to escape bottom positions due to the levers and friction the gi creates. In fact, even his mentor John Danaher once stated that newcomers should train in the gi before using no gi. This topic is heavily debated with the likes of Firas Zahabi stating otherwise, that using no gi is the best way to improve. Whatever your opinion, it seems Gordon Ryan has a bit of a point…
