Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-31529160-20171201171711/@comment-31030707-20171206071427

The idea of the Gi is interesting. If we were to only use the gi we may get too used to it and rely too heavily on it. That could be dangerous and hurt you in a fight. A grip may not be there, the friction may not be there, etc. I prefer to train both gi and no gi because I live in Hawaii. I cant rely on clothing as a lot of people here wear board shorts and a shirt that would rip with ease if I grabbed it.

As for the Gracie thing, it is what it is. It's history now. I don't let what happened 70 years ago change my opinion on anything. The family is obviously proud of Helio. An effective art is an effective art. Jiu Jitsu works great on larger opponents, as proven many times with Royce Gracie and BJ Penn. Losing to someone doesn't change much. Royce walked through tons of larger people consistently, proving that it does work against larger and untrained opponents.

Pinning can work, but I'd rather have the option of pinning, choking, or breaking. It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. The control in Jiu Jitsu is good enough for a self defense situation. Wrestling and Judo are obviously going to be better at it, but I don't think being an expert at pinning will change much in a scenario where you just want to get out as soon as possible.

But hey, they're all effective styles. Something is better than nothing. You double leg or throw someone they are going to freak out.