How long?

[Insidious]

You guys make me feel like such a nerd for starting with Judo. I had been doing BJJ for a year before hearing the name Royce Gracie or even seeing a MMA fight.

Lol, I never was involved in martial arts or even watched combat sports before I joined Jiu-Jitsu on a whim, I still don't know half the names that get thrown around for all the BJJ power players and I still don't really get into the MMA scene as much as the rest of the guys at training.

[CDRPyro]

I went about a month before I got my first gi.

[Benu]

I guess it was no-gi. I was in the army and a dude hade trained some mma, so he showed me some moves etc. I had alittle wrestling from when I was a kid, so it was great.

Then it took 7-8 months after the army that I found an academy close enough (30miles one way). I trained approx 1 month without buying a gi, but they had a loaner judo gi top (it was really small ) I always borrowed. But after beeing pressured by the coach enough I bought my first gi. So hard to say, I trained in gi class without my own gi for a month... hmm...

[The Don]

I lucked out and was able to get my first Gi quickly.. after 2 or 3 classes another student had ordered one and it was way too big for him.. perfect for me.. so he ordered a new one and I had one right there so no waiting..

[Avenged]

The biggest Gi problem Im haveing right now, is only 1 of my gis fits right...The other 3 I bought when I was newer and was still an A3, now that Ive cut down so much they just drap over me.

[JanneM]

Is tarted in MMA first. So I trained almost a year no gi.

[Arbibre09]

Shanners raises a good point.

If your comments are moderated, you have no idea how long before they get posted. Once they do get posted, you have no idea if they have been posted. Once posted, the edit clock is obviously running. If you dont edit your post before the clock runs out, its TS.

[Rufio]

Still doing no-gi (about four months now). No one at the university club wears a gi as of yet. I am trying to get my wife to get me membership at the local BJJ/MMA place for christmas, but I am trying to finish my bachelors so there isn't much time. I like would like to use a gi, but rolling with a person with no gi and having one on yourself is asking for a problem.

[airborneradiofixer]

I agree you need to do both. No gi you can get away with so much and Gi can get locked up and not even realize you are in trouble. They complement each other but you need to do both to stay proficient.

[slideyfoot]

When I started, I already had a gi from the brief bit of judo I did earlier. There are also loaner gis in the changing rooms where I train and teach now.

Most places will let you train for a few lessons without a gi before expecting you to buy one. In the UK at least, a number of clubs treat nogi as more advanced. This may have changed since I left (for an affiliate: I'm still under Roger Gracie), but at the Roger Gracie Academy HQ, you could only go to the nogi class after you got the third stripe on your white belt, which took about six months.