No-Gi • Riverton, Utah
No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu classes in Riverton
Grappling without the kimono. Faster, slipperier, and the ground game behind modern MMA.
Same art, no jacket to hold on to. You grip the body instead of the fabric, the pace picks up, and the scrambles get wild. It sits at GB2 in the Gracie Barra curriculum, so you build the Fundamentals first and add No-Gi when your instructor says you are ready.
New to Jiu-Jitsu? Your free first class starts in Fundamentals. Already training? Ask us about joining No-Gi.
What no-gi actually is
Same Jiu-Jitsu. Different dynamic.
In a gi class you wear the traditional kimono, and a huge amount of the game runs through it: collar chokes, sleeve grips, pants grips. Take the jacket away and all of that disappears at once.
In no-gi you wear a rashguard and shorts or spats. There's nothing to hold, so you control people with underhooks, head position, wrist control, and body locks. Everything gets faster and sweat makes everything slipperier, so the game becomes far more dynamic: you move more, you scramble more, and you rebuild position more often than you hold it.
It's the same art with a different set of handles. The core principles of leverage, position, pressure, and control carry across both.
Gi
No-Gi
What you wear
Jacket, pants, and belt
Rashguard with shorts or spats
What you grip
Collar, sleeves, lapel, pant legs
Neck, wrists, underhooks, body locks
Pace
More grips, more opportunities to slow and control
Fewer grips, typically faster transitions and scrambles
What it teaches best
Precision, patience, tight control
Reacting fast, moving, staying connected
Closest cousin
Traditional Jiu-Jitsu and judo
Wrestling, submission grappling, MMA
Best for
Building a foundation that holds up anywhere
Fast transitions, wrestling, and submission grappling
Most of our students train both, and they make each other better. The gi slows you down enough to fix your technique. No-gi shows you which parts of it survive at full speed.
Who it's for
Your next step after Fundamentals.
Once the Fundamentals are behind you, No-Gi is where the same technique gets tested at a different speed. Men and women, children and adults, people built for speed and people built for pressure, all on the same mat.
Kids
Younger students
Movement first
For children, no-gi is mostly about learning to move, connect, and control without relying on grips. Coordination and body awareness carry straight back into their gi classes.
Teens
Juniors & Teens
Fast-paced grappling
The faster pace and frequent scrambles make No-Gi especially engaging for many teens. It also builds a base that matters if they ever go near wrestling or MMA.
Adults
After Fundamentals • GB2+
Where most of it happens
The core of our no-gi program. Some adults train it alongside the gi, some train almost nothing else. Both are completely normal here.
Why fighters train this
The ground base behind MMA, wrestling, and grappling.
No-gi Jiu-Jitsu sits underneath three different sports. Here's how it connects to each one.
MMA
At the first UFC in 1993, a Gracie won by taking much larger strikers to the ground and submitting them. Jiu-Jitsu became a core part of modern MMA training, because when a fight reaches the ground, grappling controls what happens next.
Wrestling
Wrestlers arrive with takedowns, top pressure, and conditioning most people can't match. What they usually don't have is a submission game or much to do off their back. No-gi fills exactly that gap.
Submission grappling
No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling overlap heavily, although rulesets and emphasis can differ. If you've watched a grappling event and wondered where to learn it, this is the class.
Self-defense in ordinary clothes
Nobody outside a gym is wearing a kimono. Training without one means practicing the grips and escapes that still work on a t-shirt in July, a useful complement to the uniform.
To be clear: we're a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy, not an MMA gym. What we give you is the grappling base those sports are built on, taught by instructors certified through Gracie Barra's own program.
The honest answers
What people ask about no-gi.
Six questions we hear from people standing at the edge of the mat.
"Should I start with gi or no-gi?"
Start with the gi. The kimono slows everything down, which gives you time to think and forces you to learn control properly instead of escaping through speed and sweat. No-Gi comes next, once the Fundamentals are behind you.
"Isn't no-gi just wrestling?"
They overlap, but they're aiming at different things. Wrestling is built around taking someone down and holding them there. No-gi Jiu-Jitsu is built around submissions and around being effective off your back, which wrestling deliberately avoids. Train both and each one covers the other's blind spot.
"Do I need experience before I try No-Gi?"
Some, yes. No-Gi sits at GB2 in the Gracie Barra curriculum, so we ask that you have the Fundamentals behind you first. It isn't a rule to keep you out: without the grips to slow things down, students who arrive with the basics get far more out of it. Start in Fundamentals and your instructor will tell you when you are ready.
"Is no-gi more dangerous?"
It's faster, which makes it feel more intense, but not more dangerous when it's taught and supervised properly. There is no striking, a tap ends the exchange immediately, and live training is optional in every class.
"I don't want to fight MMA."
Then don't. The overwhelming majority of our no-gi students have zero interest in fighting anyone. They train it because it's fast, it's a serious workout, and it's fun. Competition of any kind is optional here and always will be.
"I'm not athletic enough for the faster pace."
You set the pace, same as in any class. Drilling is drilling, and live rounds are optional. Most people find that the conditioning arrives within a few weeks, and that being tired is not the same as being unable.
Common questions
About no-gi classes.
What is no-gi Jiu-Jitsu?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu trained without the traditional kimono. You wear a rashguard and shorts or spats, and instead of gripping fabric you control your partner using underhooks, wrist control, head position, and body locks. The core principles of leverage, position, pressure, and control carry across both.
What's the difference between gi and no-gi?
Grips and pace, mainly. The gi gives you collar and sleeve grips and a slower, more controlled game. No-gi removes them, which makes everything faster and more slippery. The gi teaches precision, no-gi teaches you which parts of that precision survive at speed.
What should I wear to a no-gi class?
The official Gracie Barra No-Gi uniform. It is the same standard in every Gracie Barra school, and the front desk can sort you out before your first class. Book your free class.
Should a beginner start with gi or no-gi?
A beginner should start with the gi in Fundamentals. The slower pace and additional grips make it easier to learn control and positioning before adding No-Gi, which sits at GB2 in the curriculum.
Is no-gi Jiu-Jitsu good for MMA?
It's the grappling foundation MMA is built on. Since the first UFC in 1993, Jiu-Jitsu has been a core part of modern MMA training, because when a fight reaches the ground, grappling controls what happens next. Note that we're a Jiu-Jitsu academy, not an MMA gym, so there's no striking here.
Do you have no-gi classes for kids and teens?
Yes. No-Gi is not limited by age, it is limited by what a student already knows: everyone starts in the gi and adds No-Gi once they have the Fundamentals. Call (801) 436-7373 and we will tell you which class fits your child.
Is no-gi the same as submission grappling?
They overlap heavily, although competition rulesets and training emphasis can differ. If you've watched a grappling match and wanted to learn it, this is where you start.
Do I need a wrestling background?
Not at all. Wrestlers do well here because they arrive with takedowns and top pressure, but most of our no-gi students have never wrestled a day in their lives.
How much do no-gi classes cost in Riverton?
Your first class is free, and one membership covers gi and no-gi together. Check our membership options for what each plan includes.
Where are your no-gi classes held?
At 2936 W 12600 S, Ste 1&2, Riverton, UT 84065, with free parking right in front. Students drive in from South Jordan, Draper, Bluffdale, and Sandy.
Book a free trial and come try it
Want to train No-Gi? Start here.
New students begin with a free Fundamentals class. If you already have Jiu-Jitsu experience, talk to our team and we will help you find the right class. Bring water and we will lend you everything else.
Send us a message
Leave your contact and we'll reach out.
Fill out the form and someone from the academy will get back to you shortly.
Beginners are the norm here. Most people who contact us have never trained before.
Full transparency. Ask about pricing, class times, or how a session actually runs. You get the real details up front.
Your first class is free whenever you decide you're ready.
Loading the booking form…