Training in a T-shirt

[Freeform]

Right guys.

Do any of you regularly train in t-shirt/shorts (or normal clothes). Do you find that alot of the techniques you learned wearing a Gi don't work and you have to improvise. Do you find that you have a lack of purchase on your opponent?

And what about mat shoes, so they really alter the way in which you kick/pivot?

Also, I've heard some people say that putting on the Gi puts them in the mindset to train, is this a good/bad thing?

Discuss. :D

Col

[Kwajman]

I think that one should train in all kind of clothes. We will on occasion train in street clothes, shoes. It gives you an idea of what training in less than ideal clothes would be like.

[Sub zero]

Originally posted by Freeform
Right guys.

Do any of you regularly train in t-shirt/shorts (or normal clothes). Do you find that alot of the techniques you learned wearing a Gi don't work and you have to improvise. Do you find that you have a lack of purchase on your opponent?

And what about mat shoes, so they really alter the way in which you kick/pivot?

Also, I've heard some people say that putting on the Gi puts them in the mindset to train, is this a good/bad thing?

Discuss. :D

Col

the majorty of our techniques don't rely on the soret of judo type throws.we had one guy who did , i trained with him no diference (maybe someimprovising on chokes and of course SOmE throws).

[RobP]

Do you go barefoot and wear a gi everywhere you go? If not doesn't it make sense to train in what you normally wear?

[Ghost Frog]

We occasionally do training in normal clothes. We also have an 'informal' session on Fridays where people wear occasionally wear normal clothes.

It doesn't make too much difference to performing the techniques, apart from in groundfighting stuff where you use the gi as leverage in chokes, holds, etc.

I personally hate not training in my gi, as I find it protects me against mat burn. Even when I've trained in long t-shirt and tracksuit pants I end up with no skin on my elbows, etc.

[Freeform]

Don't you find you have to 'improvise' your randori, because when you take a hold of a T-shirt it has a tendancy to rip?

In my experience JJJ is somewhat lacking in the clinch, any takers?

Col

[Ghost Frog]

Yeah, good point. You end up pinching your partner quite a lot. It's probably a good exercise to get you to think.

Mind you, when would you get to wear a t-shirt in Edinburgh? It'd be easy to do randori in a duffle coat and scarf, wouldn't it? You could do garots as well!! ;)

We also used to do 'tops off' classes, though not for the girlies.

[Freeform]

I always wear a T-shirt in Edinburgh :p

Soft southern pansies! ;)

What about the kicks and pivots as well?

Col

[Ghost Frog]

Yes, kicks are different with shoes on, but I don't find it too unfamiliar as I've got a bag in my yard that I work out on.

I've never tried mat shoes, but I quite like wearing those thin-soled pumps (Reebok classics type) to do stuff in. I'd say I even prefer it to bare feet, as I've had a number of toe catching disasters recently. OUCH!!

I've never really given this a lot of thought before, but when I think about it, a lot of our core syllabus doesn't depend on the Uki wearing a gi. It's more the sport side that would suffer, really. I wonder if someone had this discussion fifty years ago, or whether it just developed that way. Interesting line of thought :)

Do you try all this stuff? How often?

[TheMasterSword]

i feel that almost 95 percent of judo/ju jutsu techniques can be done without the gi.. its jus a matter of knowing how to do it and where to grab (but you uke will not be pleased with all the stretch marks on his skin so i dont recommend doing it regularly)... i also agree that i hate not having the gi because of the mat burn... plus whenever i spar with an MMA i put on a gi because it invites them to grab it (whereby i love to use their grabs and counter them :D)... but training without the gi is great because it gives the defender a chance to see what it could be really like in the street

[Freeform]

Its not the technique I'm getting at, rather the mentality of the practitioner. And it is a bit harder grabbing 3 lbs of flesh rather than a gi to execute a takedown.

Originally posted by Ghost Frog
Do you try all this stuff? How often?

Yes, with the exception of Judo, I rarely wear a Gi at all these days, prefering to train in T-shirt and training bottoms. Trainers only come off if I'm rolling, I do use mat shoes if its just takedowns/throws we're practicing.

Col

[Ghost Frog]

Originally posted by Freeform
Its not the technique I'm getting at, rather the mentality of the practitioner. And it is a bit harder grabbing 3 lbs of flesh rather than a gi to execute a takedown.


Yes, I'm hoping it will become harder as my 'no beer' diet progresses :D

Definitely a good idea to do this sort of thing more often, though I'm pretty attached to my gi as it's hard to break.

[KiWarrior]

Originally posted by RobP
Do you go barefoot and wear a gi everywhere you go? If not doesn't it make sense to train in what you normally wear?


I've always had issues with this sort of argument, both when I did Hapkido and now in BJJ.

Every gi I've worn has pretty well represented jeans and a coat. In the summer this may not be the case but right now I do always wear pants and a heavy shirt or moderately light coat.

Seems reasonable to me to say training in a gi is an accurate representation.

Shoes may be a good point, but a lot of that is to prevent shredding mats and sparring partners skin.

[Jim]

Hello Colin ;)

Do any of you regularly train in t-shirt/shorts (or normal clothes). Do you find that alot of the techniques you learned wearing a Gi don't work and you have to improvise. Do you find that you have a lack of purchase on your opponent?
Yep, part of pressure testing.

I haven't tried mat shoes, can't comment.

I've heard some people say that putting on the Gi puts them in the mindset to train, is this a good/bad thing?
The same thing applies to warm ups, and even entering the Dojo. They all put you in the mindset to train. Just need to mix things up a bit, but only after initial training is done. No need confusing the hell out of beginners.