Can You Use a Gi to Choke in Jiu-Jitsu?

The gi is the standard uniform to wear when practicing traditional jiu-jitsu. However, unlike the clothing featured in other martial arts, the gi has practical uses.

In gi jiu-jitsu, you can use your gi or your opponent’s gi to choke your opponent. Gi chokes are some of the most successful techniques in jiu-jitsu competition, and there are numerous ways to perform them. Other moves also rely on gi grips, and there are some rules about how you are allowed to grip the gi.

This post addresses the multitude of ways you can use the gi to your advantage in jiu-jitsu. We’ll begin with gi chokes. 

How Do You Choke Someone with a Jiu-Jitsu Gi?

To choke someone with a jiu-jitsu gi, you need to wrap some part of your gi or their gi around their neck. Typically, practitioners use either the sleeve or the lapel of the gi to perform a choke. The gi can be incredibly effective for chokes with the proper application, as it essentially acts as a rope tightening around your opponent’s neck.

Examples of Gi Chokes in Jiu-Jitsu

The way you complete a gi choke will depend on which gi choke technique you choose to use. Here are a few of the most popular examples:

• Baseball bat choke

• Bow and arrow choke

• Clock choke

• Cross collar choke

• Ezekial choke

In What Positions are Gi Chokes Available?

The gi choke technique you employ depends on the position you are in. Fortunately, gi chokes are available in many positions, including these:

• Back control

• Mount

• Side control

• Guard

How Else Can You Use the Gi in Jiu-Jitsu?

Chokes are far from the only techniques you can use the gi to complete. Here are some of the other primary gi uses in jiu-jitsu:

• Throws and takedowns

• Different guard styles

• Sweeps from guard

• Passing guard

• Maintaining positional control

Throws and Takedowns with the Gi

Judo-based throws are prevalent in jiu-jitsu, and many of them work best when you have a strong grip on your opponent’s gi. Here are some takedown techniques that fall into that category:

• Seoi nage

• Tomoe nage

• Sumi gaeshi

Guard Styles that Use the Gi

The gi gives you opportunities to use guard styles that are not available or are far less useful in no-gi jiu-jitsu. Some of those popular gi-based guard styles are:

• Spider guard

• Lasso guard

• De La Riva guard

Sweeps that Use the Gi

Since the gi allows you to use more guard styles, it naturally leads to more sweeping techniques as well. Here are a few sweeps that work best with gi grips:

• Flower sweep

• Scissor sweep

• Balloon sweep

Passing Guard Using the Gi

The gi not only gives you more offensive capabilities when using the guard. It also helps you complete successful passes against an opponent’s guard. Gripping your opponent’s pants is a strong way to control your opponent’s legs during a guard pass.

Using the Gi for Positional Control

Outside of specific techniques, the gi is also useful for controlling your opponent. The gi creates a lot of friction, making it difficult for you or your opponent to slip out of positions and submission holds. When you are in a dominant top position, you can use that friction to your advantage to keep your opponent trapped. You can also use the gi to control your opponent’s posture in guard.

How to Grip the Gi in Jiu-Jitsu

The way you grip a gi in jiu-jitsu depends on your position and what move you plan to attempt. But these are some of the gi grips you’ll find to be most advantageous in jiu-jitsu:

• Collar/lapel grips

• Pant leg grips

• Belt grips

• Sleeve grips

Each of those grips gives you a different kind of control and leads to a certain set of techniques. However, you don’t need to rely on gi grips alone when doing gi jiu-jitsu. All the grips you can use in no-gi will be available as well.

What Gi Grips are Illegal?

Rules about gi grips vary in different contexts. However, there are a few grip styles that most rule sets consider to be illegal. Here are some of the ways you are usually not allowed to grip the gi:

• Gripping the inside of your opponent’s sleeve with your four fingers

• Gripping the inside of your opponent’s pant leg with your four fingers

• Gripping any clothing that is not part of the gi or belt

Is Gi or No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Harder?

Whether gi or no-gi jiu-jitsu is harder is debatable. However, some distinct differences between these grappling styles influence their difficulty. For example, the gi allows for significantly more moves, meaning there are more techniques to learn and learn how to defend against. The friction the gi creates also makes it harder to escape positions without using proper technique.

Conversely, no-gi jiu-jitsu also presents unique challenges. The lack of gi-related friction often makes no-gi jiu-jitsu a faster-paced sport and makes it more difficult to maintain control of your opponent.

The debate between gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu is complex and leads to many arguments. However, it’s most accurate to state that gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu are different rather than claiming one is definitively more difficult than the other. As you train, you’ll likely prefer one style or the other, but both come with pros and cons. 

Conclusion

While many practitioners prefer to train no-gi grappling exclusively, training in the gi is worthwhile as well. Gi grips can give you more technique options, including some powerful match-ending choke techniques.