> It makes BJJ one of the safest sports I've done outside of finger injuries.

As a developer I vastly prefer no-gi because gi grips totally wreck the fingers.

This is a good observation ...

I am primarily a gi player but no-gi is much, much easier on every part of your body.

When you have the gi it can be used as a handle, or a lever, and there can be very little slip ... but skin on skin slips and gives a lot and is much more forgiving.

Oh yeah, good call. It's so painful to have someone hanging down on you with their whole body weight. You can get so much leverage with the gi when done correctly...

I'd dispute that. No gi is not easier on the knees, ankles, or shoulders IMO. The slipperiness compared to gi comes with the downside of sudden slipping movements that put your knees and shoulders at higher risk of injury and dislocation. The increased focus on leg attacks also puts your knees and ankles at higher risk. Add to that the seeming slant towards more explosive movements in no gi, and the overall risk of injury should be higher than gi. You likely see more injuries in gi, because way more people train gi than no gi still.

Note: I train gi and no gi and have been for almost 10 years. My biggest injury happened in the gi (broken hand), but I've had significantly more ankle and knee sprains and shoulder dislocations in no gi. Also, the morning after no gi feels like I got hit by a truck compared to the morning after gi.

For me, it's not gripping that kills my fingers, it's randomly getting them caught in material. Even a loose fitting rash guard on an opponent has caught my finger.

I do both judo and BJJ, and I've concluded that some people are just ungrippable lol. Ridiculously fast + painfully efficient at breaking grips and counterattacking. Especially the judo-only guys when standing.

Once I know the other person is good at the gripfight in a certain position, I immediately let go and try to counterattack from another angle.

It's the only reliable way I've found to save my fingers lol

Oh yeah, for sure. I started training consistently at 24 (28 now), and used to train every single day, sometimes 2-3 times per day. My body was quickly worn down! Especially after entering a competition gym -- where the focus was live rolls only.

Nowadays, I stick to technique based learning and lightly spar. Never competed, never will. So yeah, don't be stupid like me and BJJ will be kind to you. :)