Keenan Cornelius: Nogi BJJ requires less mental effort than Gi

Keenan Cornelius is a renowned grappler and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Cornelius is one of the first Americans to succesfully compete in IBJJF championships. He shared his thoughts on the no-gi version of the sport a while ago, characterizing it as a simplified form of traditional gi BJJ that requires less mental effort.

“Some of the things I’ve been working on lately, obviously I’ve been doing a lot of no-gi and trying to understand conceptually what the goals are,” Cornelius said. “The way that the game has evolved is really amazing, and I’ve been enjoying it a lot.”

Cornelius went on to explain that while the no-gi style is a more straightforward approach, he appreciates its simplicity, stating, “Even though no-gi is a simplified version of gi for people with less brain power, I appreciate the simplicity.”

According to Cornelius, the mental demands of no-gi BJJ are significantly reduced compared to the traditional gi form. “It’s so simple. You actually have to underthink. You need to think less energy than you have to think in the gi. And that can be liberating,” he said.

Cornelius drew an analogy between the transition from gi to no-gi BJJ and the difference between the complex game of chess and the more straightforward game of checkers. He suggested that in no-gi BJJ, “If you move the checker piece harder and faster and with more steroids, you have a higher chance of winning.”

While Cornelius’s comments may be seen as somewhat tongue-in-cheek, they highlight the contrasting nature of the two styles and the differing mental approaches required for each.

As the no-gi discipline continues to gain popularity, Cornelius’s perspective offers an intriguing insight into the mindset of a top-level practitioner.

Cornelius caused quite a stir in the community with this talk – and even ended up deleteing it off of his personal social media.