Competing with the gi or without: two different sports on the same day
The differences that look like nuances in the gym become decisive in competition: the pace changes, who controls changes, and even the weight you have to make changes.
BJJ Square · Updated on 08/11/2026
In training, the difference between gi and no-gi is what you can grab. In competition that difference multiplies, because the rulebook and the clock amplify everything: with the kimono you can pin somebody almost still, without it you cannot.
The pace
In the gi, grips on the fabric hold even when the opponent pushes, and that allows long controlling positions. In no-gi, sweat makes everything slip: the person underneath gets out more easily, and the person on top has to advance quickly or lose the position.
- In the gi more matches are won on points. Control is maintained, and whoever is ahead can manage it.
- In no-gi positions last less, and transitions count for more than the positions themselves.
- Leg attacks carry far more weight in no-gi, partly because several rulebooks allow more of them without the kimono.
The weight: it is not the same number
No-gi divisions have lower limits than gi divisions, because in the gi you weigh in with the kimono on. The difference is not fixed, though: it goes from about two kilos in the light divisions to three in the heavy ones. Anyone entering both in the same weekend has to check two different tables, not subtract a number from memory.
How the tables and the weigh-in work: Weight classes.
The rules do not coincide
This is the part that surprises people moving from one format to the other. Some leg techniques allowed in high-level no-gi remain banned in every division with the gi, and in general what you may do depends on the format, the belt rank and the organisation together.
Careful ⚠️ Applying a technique not allowed for your division leads to immediate disqualification, even if the opponent has already tapped. Before competing in a new format, the rulebook has to be read again: it is not the same document as the other format's.
Which to start from
If you train mostly with the kimono, start with the gi: it is what you know, and at a first competition having fewer new variables is a concrete advantage. If you train almost entirely without, the reverse applies. The logic does not change: a first competition is there to find out how you react to pressure, not to explore a format you do not practise.
Note A frequent mistake is entering both on the same day “to get the experience”. They are two overlapping tournaments: you end up arriving at the second one empty, without having learned properly from either.
When the first time makes sense, and how you prepare for it: Your first competition.
The upcoming competitionsFrequently asked questions
- Are the weight classes the same in gi and no-gi?
- No. The no-gi limits are lower, because in the gi you weigh in with the kimono on. The difference goes from about two kilos in the light divisions to three in the heavy ones.
- Which format is better to start competing in?
- The one you practise most in training. At a first competition every new variable weighs on you, and the less familiar format is an avoidable variable.
- Can you do gi and no-gi in the same weekend?
- You can, but they are two overlapping tournaments: anyone doing it on their first outing arrives at the second one tired. Better to keep them apart until you have worked out how you react to a day of competition.
- Are the submission rules the same in the two formats?
- No, and they have to be checked against each organisation's rulebook: certain leg techniques allowed in no-gi remain banned in every division with the gi.
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- Gi or no-gi: the differences, and which to start withThey are the same sport played under two different rules of friction. The difference is not the clothing: it is what you can grab.
- BJJ weight classes, and why you weigh in with your kimono onThe number you read in the table is not your weight: it is your weight with the kimono on. It is the mistake that costs the most disqualifications at a first competition.
- The first competition: when it makes sense, and how you actually prepareNobody feels ready for a first competition, and waiting to feel ready is the best way never to do one. The useful question is a different one.
- The gi in competition: the measurements that fail the checkTwo centimetres. That is the tolerance between the wrist and the end of the sleeve, and every year it sends home people who had trained six months for that competition.