New gi classes launching next week at Borderlands

Ludlow based grappling club, Borderlands Grappling, is launching a new 'gi' class starting on the 6th January 2024 - and it's free for members.

Borderland Grappling is now 6 months old and will be kicking off 2025 in style with the launch of a new Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) class in the traditional gi starting on Monday 6th January 2025.

Borderlands Grappling founder and Head Coach Owain Williams had this to say about the new class: "Borderlands has gone from strength to strength in the past 6 months. We have already built an incredible community made up of a wonderful mix of genders, ages, abilities, and backgrounds. As we enter into 2025, we are adding a new gi class that is already creating a buzz within the club. Until now we have only run 'no-gi' classes, which continue to be popular and well attended" he added "These classes will be tagged onto a no-gi class for January, meaning those with memberships and those who sign up for the no-gi class after can partake in the gi class at no extra cost."

Gi vs No-gi

Until the end of 2024 Borderlands Grappling exclusively hosted no-gi classes. These classes require participants to wear suitable sports clothing such as shorts and t-shirt.

The new class will be in the gi.

A Brazilian Jiu Jistu gi is a set of drawstring pants and robe-style jacket that is tied closed with the wearers ranked belt. The BJJ gi is based on what is traditionally worn during judo (from which BJJ was developed), but is typically thicker, more durable, more flexible and comes in a more tailored fit.

Training in the gi allows students to introduce new grips, techniques and submissions by using their own clothing and the clothing of their opponent. Unlike no-gi, training in the gi also allows students to progress through the belts available in Brazilian Jiu Jistu.

New BJJ class in Ludlow

The new classes will be run on Monday evenings from 19:45 to 20:45 at Cast Iron Culture in Ludlow. This will be followed by a no-gi class from 20:45 to 21:45. In January the new gi classes have been packaged in with the no-gi class that runs straight after. This means that:

• If you are on unlimited membership you can book into the gi class at no extra cost

• If you are on 4 sessions a month membership and you book onto the Monday night no gi class, you can attend the gi class for free

• If you are a pay as you go member and you book into the Monday evening no-gi class then you can book into the gi class for free

You can sign up for an account and book onto a session through our timetable.

About the coach

Owain Williams is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Head Coach at Borderlands Grappling. He has over 15 years of experience in BJJ, grappling and a host of other martial arts. He has trained at several top gyms across the country and competed in some of the UK's most prestigious competitions.