No-gi classes are also Brazilian jiu jitsu classes. They are simply taught without wearing the gi, the traditional uniform that is common to all martial arts that originate in Japan. In Brazilian jiu jitsu, much like Judo, Japanese jujitsu, or Aikido, it is legal to grab the pants or jacket as part of the technique. In fact, it makes perfect sense because in the real world, people wear clothes. There are many, many self-defense applications to grabbing the clothes of your assailant.

However, it isn’t always the case that your opponent has clothing that you can grab. Perhaps he just has a tank top. Or maybe he’s wearing shorts instead of pants. So it’s also very helpful from a self-defense perspective to train in a no-gi situation – without the traditional uniform.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters also prefer this type of training. They don’t want to give any advantage nothing to hold on to – so that sport is played without any uniform, just shorts. In Brazil, it became traditional to train without the gi at least part of the time in the summer months simply because the heat and humidity can be unbearable. Finally, some people believe that the ability to manipulate and use the gi against your opponent is simply too much advantage, too unrealistic. These people feel that the gi may actually be holding back future developments of the art.