Traditional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu This approach utilizes the traditional grappling kimono or gi. The gi allows for a different approach to grappling. First off, there are handles everywhere which makes the game very slow and tight. There are those who may claim that the gi is not practical for self defense training since people do not wear them on the street (unless they're strange). Those who claim this are simply lacking in anything but a very superficial grasp of the role of the gi in jiu jitsu. The purpose of the gi does not revolve around fighting strategy but rather economics. Many techniques which utilize the gi are actually easier to pull off with a t-shirt or sweatshirt. The problem is that yes they DO rip. You would have to buy new clothes for each training session. This is why the gi is very thick. It can handle the abuse of hard training. There is, however, a danger of becoming "cloth dependent". This happens when one only trains with a gi without ever training no gi. There is a difference in approach.