The Beauty of Sport Jiu Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu spread out of Brazil riding on the principles of innovation, practicality, and effectiveness. In a sense, it started a martial arts enlightenment where the basic assumptions of martial arts were reconsidered and forced to either adapt or be abandoned. Techniques began being measured by their practicality in a real fight, and how effective a weaker man/woman could use them to subdue an attacker. Originally, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu developed as a way to defend oneself in live combat.  As the sport grew some practitioners began developing techniques to best other BJJ fighters in a pure grappling match rather than in a no-holds-barred setting. This resulted in a move away from a combat based jiu jitsu style to a more sport based style. Recently, practitioners of Sport Jiu Jitsu and Combat Jiu Jitsu have started a bit of controversy regarding the usefulness or merit of each style. Enter Renzo Gracie, a legend in both the combat world and the sport world, and according to him, “To try to separate Sport Jiu Jitsu from [Combat] Jiu Jitsu is a sin… Like comparing the beauty of two women... Both are beautiful in different ways." He’s right, both styles have their own unique beauty, and Sport Jiu Jitsu's beauty lies in its innovative, practical, and effective nature within the realm of a grappling match. It is not my intention to convince the reader Sport JJ is in any way superior to Combat JJ. Instead I simply want to explain the benefits of Sport JJ, and address some of the criticisms surrounding the style.

It’s difficult to define Sport Jiu Jitsu as there is no uniform set of rules that everyone abides to. The International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is the closest thing to a governing body that exists in BJJ, but it’s complete shit (more on that later). Generally speaking, Sport JJ is a grappling style that emphasizes submissions through joint locks and chokes. The rules vary from tournament to tournament, but this holds true for every jiu jitsu competition held around the world. And though there are no punches allowed, the positions generally emphasized are based on the positions developed for self-defense. Positions that are advantageous in a real fight like the mount or the back are awarded with points.

Combat JJ advocates may argue that emphasis on these positions and points are arbitrary, and in all honesty they are right. In a real fight it doesn’t matter if you got your guard passed 17 times as long as you defend and in the end are able to get a finish via submission or knockout. However, since Sport JJ is not a real fight, and it is merely a test of one’s grappling skills against another’s, the points are there to find who was able to impose their will more thoroughly on his/her opponent.

Ideally, these points are only there to help decide the victor should the match end without a submission, but some critics say Sport JJ competitors rely too much on the point system. It’s hard to argue against that sentiment when one watches the stall-fests that go down at the Mundials and other big tournaments. However, it’s not fair to generalize against all Sport JJ competitors. Some guys/gals do go out there and work tirelessly for a submission. Unfortunately, the downside of being active is that it opens up opportunities for the opponent to score. This wouldn’t be a problem if both competitors are willing to be active, but the reality is that many competitors decide to stall after getting their points.

Opponents of Sport JJ see these inactive styles of grappling as a result of the point system and time limits. However, recently “submission only” competitions have sprung up like The Gracie Nationals, Metamoris, and The Eddie Bravo Invitational. The Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) does not keep score until the second half of the match; thereby encouraging competitors to open up and attack without the fear of giving up points (at least for the first 5 minutes). These organizations look to encourage offense and action from competitors. One could also argue that points are just a necessary evil as sometimes it’s hard to finish guys regardless of one’s aggression; especially in a context with time limits.

However, the beauty of Sport JJ goes beyond what can be done in the competition world, its true beauty lies in the creativity of its practitioners. Without the fear of strikes, a Sport Jiu Jitsu competitor frees him/herself up to open more angles and leverage points to sweep, attack, and submit opponents. Thus, Sport JJ by nature is far more innovative, creative, and improvisational than Combat JJ. This is not to say that Combat JJ practitioners can’t be innovative or creative (they don’t call Javier Vazquez “Showtime” for nothing), but it is true that there are more positions to explore in a grappling match when one doesn’t have to worry about being punched in the mouth.

Whether or not some of the techniques work in real life is irrelevant, they work in a sport setting and that’s all that matters. Tae Kwon Do may not be the most effective martial art in the streets, but it’s better than nothing, and if a TKD practitioner enjoys his/her training, so be it. The same goes for Sport Jiu Jitsu, a practitioner may not be the most effective ground fighter, but they’ll be a lot more prepared for a scrap than the average dickhead looking for a fight.

Furthermore, if MMA has taught us anything it’s that nobody knows what works and what doesn’t. Anderson Silva likes to say, “I’m not the best. I just do things that people think are impossible.” It was impossible to beat a deadly Kung Fu fighter with a mullet until Royce Gracie came along, then it was impossible to beat a powerful wrestler until Pete Williams kicked Mark Coleman’s teeth in, then it was impossible for Karate to work in a fight until Lyoto Machida made Rashad Evans do the “stanky-leg.” Over and over again we find ourselves redefining what is practical for a fight and what isn’t. Whether it’s jumping off the cage to land a head kick or hitting a gogoplata, it seems like a lot of thing are impossible until someone does it.

Sport Jiu Jitsu may not be structured by what will work in a real fight, but the ingenuity of its practitioners should be embraced by the community as a whole. Can some of those techniques developed in a pure grappling setting be adjusted for a live fight? If we can see the “crane” technique from “The Karate Kid” work in the octagon, then anything is possible.

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The Merit of Combat Jiu Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu spread out of Brazil riding on the principles of innovation, practicality, and effectiveness. In a sense, it started a martial arts enlightenment where the basic assumptions of martial arts were reconsidered and forced to either adapt or be abandoned. Techniques began being measured by their practicality in a real fight, and how effective a weaker man/woman could use them to subdue an attacker. Originally, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu developed as a way to defend oneself in live combat.  As the sport grew some practitioners began developing techniques to best other BJJ fighters in a pure grappling match rather than in a no-holds-barred setting. This resulted in a move away from a combat based jiu jitsu style to a more sport based style. Recently, practitioners of Sport Jiu Jitsu and Combat Jiu Jitsu have started a bit of controversy regarding the usefulness or merit of each style. Enter Renzo Gracie, a legend in both the combat world and the sport world, and according to him, “To try to separate Sport Jiu Jitsu from [Combat] Jiu Jitsu is a sin… Like comparing the beauty of two women... Both are beautiful in different ways." He’s right, both styles have their own unique beauty, and Combat Jiu Jitsu's beauty lies in its innovative, practical, and effective nature within the realm of a live fight. It is not my intention to convince the reader Combat JJ is in any way superior to Sport JJ. Instead I simply want to explain the benefits of Combat JJ, and address some of the criticisms surrounding the style.

At its basis, the philosophy of Combat Jiu Jitsu comes down to self-defense. This is not to say Sport Jiu Jitsu isn't a valid form of self-defense, it just doesn't emphasize self-defense as its ultimate goal. Yes, Rafa Mendez would most likely beat the shit out of anyone who messed with him at a bar. Yes, if you can pass the guard of an experienced competitor, you'll likely have no trouble getting to a dominant position against an untrained attacker. However, proponents of Combat JJ would argue that in order to truly maximize one's chances of leaving an altercation unscathed, one must train for all the variables that surround a real fight. This includes: striking, clinching, takedowns, ground-and-pound, up-kicks, and cheap stuff like sucker punches and head-butts. Those who practice BJJ understand that only through repetition can someone truly feel comfortable in any position. Thus, without proper training for strikes one can never master the techniques that minimize damage taken and maximize the chances for victory in a street fight or MMA fight.

Just like in Sport JJ, one must put themselves in different situations time after time in order to minimize reaction time. Whether it is utilizing a berimbolo guard or a closed guard, good BJJ fighters only start anticipating an opponent's actions after spending countless hours in each position. Thus, sparing with punches in the gym helps the fighter anticipate strikes so they aren't an unknown variable in a live fight. Everyone can agree that repetition is the only way to get better, and by constantly rolling with light strikes a Combat JJ practitioner is more confident dealing with live punches than someone who only grapples. This reality is a huge benefit that comes with training strike based jiu jitsu.

Competition wise, a Combat Jiu Jitsu fighter translates easily into Mixed Martial Arts, but can also adjust for Sport JJ. Rorion Gracie originally started the UFC to expose the effectiveness of BJJ to the world. Today, every fighter in the sport must at least be familiar with jiu jitsu in order to be successful. However, the BJJ moves they learn must be practical and effective within the rules of an MMA fight since anytime spent working on techniques that aren’t applicable is time taken away from focusing on skills that will bring them success. Just like if a Sport JJ practitioner is looking to win the Pan-Ams, he/she should focus on the techniques that work best within the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) rules and not techniques to block punches.

Furthermore, it is possible to stick to the basics of Combat JJ and find success in a sport setting. A solid closed guard and a tight top game are tough to beat in any setting. However, this can only be done by keeping an open mind and training with guys/gals with a good understanding of Sport JJ. Just like you don’t want to be in a real fight without being prepared for every potential scenario, you don’t want to be in a Sport JJ match underprepared for the potential techniques utilized by an opponent.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is pragmatic by nature, but the question is what is the practitioner being pragmatic for? In Combat Jiu Jitsu, the goal is simple, to be able to win a fight. Whether it is a street fight or an MMA fight, Combat JJ focuses purely on how to beat someone trying to knock your head off. It is innovative because it redefined fighting forever by making the ground game a crucial aspect of being a well-rounded fighter. It is practical in the sense that only moves that work in a fight are emphasized. It is effective in how smaller fighters can use leverage and positioning to out maneuver stronger/bigger guys. The beauty of Combat JJ lies in its practicality, effectiveness, and innovation within its own realm, and those who practice it, especially at the highest levels, are artists interpreting BJJ in their own way.

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