Xande Ribeiro: training no-gi made my gi game better

A defender of the gi, Xande Ribeiro told VF Comunica in a 2022 interview that his own gi game improved when he started training a lot of no-gi. For the seven-time world champion, who runs Six Blades Jiu-Jitsu in Austin, Texas, academies should bring the two together instead of keeping them apart.

The no-gi class at Xande’s academy

“More than creating separation, we have to create unity. If there’s no no-gi class, people won’t sign up. But I don’t want that guy, I want the guy who wants to learn everything. At my academy I have a no-gi class, and the funny thing is it’s the emptiest one. Because this is my lineage. You want to learn? It’s here.”

How no-gi training helps your gi game

“My gi Jiu-Jitsu is totally no-gi. My gi game started improving when I did a lot of no-gi. No-gi positioning helps the gi a lot. And some things I want to improve in no-gi, I practice in the gi, like half guard positions and the shoulder crunch. With the friction of the fabric, your body gains that intelligence in a stressful environment. That’s what a martial educator has to understand: the connection between the two makes perfect Jiu-Jitsu.”

His criticism of academies that only teach to win

“The criticism I make of many academies is that they teach Jiu-Jitsu aiming at competitive victory, not at a broader education as a martial artist. That’s why the academy has order and procedure. Better to know and not use it than to need it and not know. Want to compete? Fine, we have a specific class. Then it’s war.”

Do you train gi, no-gi or both?

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