The Gi
The traditional jacket and pants. Cloth grips open up collar chokes and sleeve and lapel control, and a slower, more methodical game. Most people say the Gi makes you more technical.
No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu in Charlotte No jacket.
No jacket.
All grappling.
No-Gi is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu without the kimono. Rash guard, shorts, faster pace, wrestling style grips. Same submissions, same chess match, fewer handles. We run it every day in NoDa.
What it is
Same art. Different handles.
In the Gi, the jacket and pants are the handles: collars, sleeves, lapels. Take those away and you control the body instead, with underhooks, wrist and elbow control, hips, head position, and timing. The positions and the submissions are the same ones you have seen in BJJ and MMA. No-Gi just moves faster and rewards pressure, wrestling, and clean movement over patient grip fighting.
Which do you start with?
No-Gi
Rash guard and shorts, no cloth to grab. Faster pace, more wrestling, closer to what you see in MMA. Grips come from body control instead of fabric.
The honest answer
They are the same art and the skills carry both ways. Most of our students train both, and we teach both daily. You do not have to choose to begin. Try each and let your body vote.
Built for where you are right now.
Total beginners
Never trained a day in your life? Good. The 30 minute Day 1 No-Gi Basics class is built for white belts in their first three months. No experience, no gear, no problem.
Wrestlers
You already know how to take someone down and stay on top. No-Gi bolts submissions onto the control you have. The transition is fast and it is fun.
MMA and fight fans
No-Gi is the grappling you see in the cage. If that is the game you want, this is where it lives, every week.
Adults at any stage
Our mats run from first timers to competitors, and from twenty somethings to people who started in their fifties. You will find your level here.
Your first class
What it actually looks like.
Show up in a rash guard or t-shirt and shorts or leggings, nothing with zippers or pockets. Bring water and flip flops for when you step off the mat. A class starts with movement and partner drills, moves into technique you practice hands on, and finishes with live rounds we call rolling. On day one you can jump into the rounds, watch from the side, or tap and reset any time. Nobody is out to prove a point on a new person. White belts are friends, not food.
And you are not learning No-Gi from someone who read about it. Head Coach John Piper is an IBJJF No-Gi World Champion, and Coach Lance "SharkBear" Breeden is an IBJJF World Masters medalist. This is the real thing, taught by people who win at it.
When it runs
No-Gi is on the mat every day.
No-Gi runs every weekday: early bird mornings, a midday block, and evening fundamentals and technique, plus Wrestling for Jiu-Jitsu with Coach Kyle Briggs. Brand new? The 30 minute Day 1 No-Gi Basics class is built for white belts in their first three months. Times shift as the schedule grows, so check the live schedule for exactly what is on this week.
No-Gi questions, answered.
Do I need a Gi for No-Gi class?
No. Wear a rash guard or t-shirt with shorts or leggings, nothing with zippers or pockets. That is it.
Is No-Gi harder than Gi for a beginner?
Neither is harder to start. No-Gi actually has fewer grips to learn on day one, which some beginners find simpler. We teach both, so you can try each and decide.
Can I do No-Gi if I have never wrestled?
Yes. Most people who walk in have never wrestled or trained anything. The Day 1 No-Gi Basics class is built for exactly that person.
How often do you run No-Gi?
Every weekday, with fundamentals and technique blocks plus weekend open mat. Check the schedule for current times.
What should I bring to my first class?
A rash guard or t-shirt, shorts or leggings with no zippers or pockets, flip flops for off the mat, and a water bottle.
Come see for yourself
Find out what No-Gi feels like.
Pick a class that fits your week, or read the first class guide if this is your first time on a mat. Either way, the door is open.