i'm not really concerned w/ competing. i'm more interested in self-defense/vale tudo. and in PA, half the time people are wearing jackets, sweatshirts, etc... so the gi does apply to my situation.
i think the gi is good for everyone for at least the first year of training. it helps slow new guys down so they have to pay attention to detail. when you make a mistake w/ the gi, its very apparent when you fuck up. when you're new, no gi allows you to get away with sloppy technique sometimes without paying for it.
that being said, this is the first year that i've really focused on my no gi and given it equal time (no counting VT classes). its much more difficult in the sense that you're timing and set ups have to be tight. i see my self devoting more time to no gi in the near future as i need to catch my no-gi game to my gi game. i can't control & sub larger guys the way i want to.
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