What is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gi and no-gi?

What “gi” and “no-gi” mean in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, gi refers to practising with a gi: the traditional uniform consisting of a jacket and trousers. Because the gi is part of what you are wearing, it also becomes something you and your training partner can physically grip and use for control.

No-gi means practising Brazilian Jiu Jitsu without the gi. In that format, rash guards are used for this purpose rather than the gi. The sport is still Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: it is still grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds, but the clothing and what you are allowed to grab are different.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu itself is a self-defence system, martial art, and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds. It is primarily ground-based and involves taking an opponent down, gaining a dominant position, and using techniques to force a submission such as joint locks or chokeholds. “Gi” and “no-gi” do not change that definition; they change the tools available for control.

A useful way to think about the terms is that they describe the equipment context of the same sport. If you hear “gi class” or “no-gi class”, you are being told what to wear and what kind of gripping will exist in that round.

When “gi” and “no-gi” apply, and when they do not

“Gi” and “no-gi” apply whenever a class, open mat, or competition is being run in one of those formats. In a gym, you will usually know which one it is because the coach will tell you what to wear, and because training rounds will be structured around that choice.

In competition, the format is defined by the event itself. A clear example is the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), which hosts several of the biggest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and the World No-Gi Championship. That matters because an organisation can separate its calendar and titles into gi and no-gi events: you may be entering the same sport, under the same organiser, but not the same format.

Gi and no-gi also do not automatically tell you the exact rules you will be under. The terms tell you what clothing context is in use, but the detailed restrictions are set by the organiser. Even within one organiser, rules can vary by division.

Weight classes can differ between gi and no-gi

If you compete, you need to treat gi and no-gi as separate categories for practical purposes, because divisions can change with the format. Under the IBJJF rules, the weight classes vary by age, sex and competition type (gi vs no-gi), and the IBJJF weight classes are the most commonly used.

That has two direct consequences for you:

• You cannot assume that the named division you competed in for gi will be the same named division in no-gi.
• You need to check your division for the specific competition type you are entering, not just “your weight class” in general.

This is one of the clearest cases where the answer changes depending on context. If somebody asks what weight class you are, the accurate follow-up is: under which organiser, for which format, and in which age and sex division.

Training situations where the difference matters

In day-to-day training, “gi” and “no-gi” usually change three practical things: what you wear, what grips exist, and how you plan your sessions.

What you wear. In gi, you wear a gi. In no-gi, you do not wear the gi; rash guards are used for this purpose.

What grips exist. In gi, the uniform gives both people extra handles, which affects how you establish and break control. In no-gi, those cloth handles are not present, so you will be relying on other ways of holding position.

How you plan training. If your gym splits sessions into gi and no-gi, you can align your training with a competition format by attending the matching sessions. If your training is more mixed, you can still treat “gi weeks” and “no-gi weeks” as different contexts for the same fundamentals: getting an opponent to the ground, gaining dominant position, and finishing with submissions.

It is also normal for a gym to have open mats where both formats appear at once. In that case, “gi” and “no-gi” apply at the level of each round: you and your partner still need to agree what you are doing before you start, because the clothing context affects what each of you expects to be able to grip.

What people get wrong about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gi and no-gi

One mistake is treating “gi” and “no-gi” as if one is the real version of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the other is a separate activity. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be practised using a gi or without it (“no-gi”), and both are normal ways the sport is trained.

Another mistake is assuming that “no-gi” means “no uniform”. No-gi is defined by the absence of the gi, not by the absence of clothing requirements. Rash guards are used for this purpose, and the organiser or coach still decides what is acceptable kit.

A third mistake is assuming the only difference is what you wear. Clothing changes what you can grab and how you connect to the other person. That does not alter what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is, but it does alter what feels available from moment to moment, particularly in how you establish control and maintain a dominant position long enough to attempt a submission.

A fourth mistake is speaking about competition divisions as if they are fixed across formats. Under the IBJJF rules, weight classes vary by age, sex and competition type (gi vs no-gi), and the IBJJF weight classes are the most commonly used. If you do not specify the ruleset and the format, you may be comparing the wrong divisions.

A fifth mistake is assuming that training labels always match competition labels. A gym might call a session “no-gi” because you are not wearing the gi, but that does not automatically mean the session is being run under the same rules as a particular organiser’s no-gi competitions. The terms “gi” and “no-gi” tell you the clothing context; they do not, on their own, tell you the full rules.

How to decide which one you are doing in any given session

For training, the decision is straightforward: follow the session description and what the coach tells you to wear. If it is a gi class, you will wear a gi. If it is a no-gi class, you will not, and rash guards are used for this purpose. If you are unsure, ask before you get on the mat, because the clothing context affects what your partner will expect in grips and control.

For open mats, agree the format with your partner before the round. The simplest approach is to match what you are wearing: if both of you are in a gi, you are doing gi; if you are not wearing the gi, you are doing no-gi.

For competition, confirm three things before you commit to a division:

• whether the event is gi or no-gi
• which organisation’s rules it uses
• which weight classes apply to your age and sex in that specific competition type

If the organiser is the IBJJF, that last point is especially important: under IBJJF rules, weight classes vary by age, sex and competition type (gi vs no-gi).