Why did BJJ became the new Karate?
It’s been little over 22 years since I found out about the great art of Jiu-Jitsu, and there is something bothering me lately, something not many people in the industry talk about, and although what I am about to say may disrupt the common opinion, I will share it anyways.
When I first heard about BJJ, it was presented to me as the most effective martial art of all, although it didn’t even include striking. When I walked through the door of the first Abu Dhabi Combat Club and I wanted to learn how to fight, I was told this is it. BJJ was the absolute system that anyone could learn and gain the respect of others. I was skinny back then, so needless to say I started immediately, and sure thing, couple of years later I was able to put some bigger guys in trouble, even though some of them have spent decades practicing wrestling, Judo, or some striking discipline. Although I also practiced boxing and wrestling on the side, just so that I am not totally ignorant when it comes to it, it was BJJ techniques of defending and submitting that always gave me that edge against others on the mat.
Years later I would start competing in Gi and no Gi, but my career as a fighter was positioned much more within the MMA, where most of my victories were precisely because of what I have learned on the ground. See, back in the day, anyone that knew anything about these sports, was aware that if you step on the mat or the ring or the cage against a black belt in BJJ, you were likely to get you’re a*s beaten badly. Black Belts were the symbol of toughness, they didn’t mind fighting bare-knuckle fights, no Gi, Gi, wrestling, pretty much anything that involved combat, and they were dangerous at it. What gave them that ability to present such a threat against anyone else? It was the effective methods to defend against attacks of any kind, work your way to achieve a more dominant position, and then submit your opponent from it. It was simple and it worked. It wasn’t simple to learn, not at all, it took years of practice and a lot of ego testing, but once you gained that ability to survive, dominate and submit, the idea that some tough guy who spent his life practicing anything else but BJJ could defeat you was a science fiction. No wrestler, kickboxer or some other martial arts expert could ever present real danger, or at least not until he proves you wrong.
So where did all of that go? When did the most effective fighting style vanished?
I was part of the Jiu-Jitsu development in the UAE for the past 10 years, and I witnessed tens of thousands of kids and soldiers practicing, hundreds of instructors teaching it, and thousands competing in it, and that fame from the past has gone extinct.
Sure, the popularity of BJJ has skyrocketed everywhere. It’s been promoted in movies and the MMA industry, and people from any age, physical condition or status rushed to the gyms and started practicing it. And that’s great of course, I mean it’s probably the only full contact sport that provides such a harmless environment for practice. Injury ratios are low, the lack of dynamic movements allows people of any size and shape to do it safely, there is no striking so it’s quite fun to do, and you can pick the tempo or intensity depending on what you are looking for or trying to accomplish, as long as your partner agrees.
But where did the element of ultimate danger go? Where did the most effective fighting system disappear?
Don’t get me wrong, I love BJJ and practice it regularly, but for an old school supporter I can’t hide the bitter feeling that today’s style is far away from what it used to be. The modern school has specialized in transitions and use of the Gi to help accomplish them, while leaving plenty of space between the opponent that allows the new techniques to be executed. The closed distance and pressure from the past, that guaranteed protection from punches to the head is no longer there. Stand up game is almost nonexistent too, fighters pull guard and engage in complex wrap arounds, which carries it’s won complexity and beauty, but at the same time has positioned the art in a separate category from what it used be.
You see 20 years ago, Jiu-jitsu was the weapon you needed in order to step on the MMA stage where you could become a recognized fighter and build a career, whereas today you could step in the cage with very limited knowledge in it and still have decent chance to become a star. The North American cult for knockouts and stand up exchange in punches has artificially created environment in which ground skills are being underappreciated. Legends in the grappling skill had to start displaying boxing and kickboxing capabilities to match fans expectations and taste, to secure their future in the sport, and to protect their contracts.
Fewer professional grapplers make the transition to MMA nowadays, and are no longer the diversified athletes that their teachers were. Some may argue that the reason behind this is the fact that fighters specialized in other disciplines became more knowledgeable in BJJ and that’s how they were able to subdue the strategy of the grapplers, which forced the latter to deviate from their territory of expertise.
But I disagree with that, and allow me to present my arguments. As a principle of training, if one is expert in the ground game but has to fight under rules that allow other tactics to be used, such as MMA, he or she has to become familiar with the unknown techniques. Therefore, during practice, the grappler has to gain experience with boxers, kickboxers and wrestlers in order to develop a fighting strategy with higher chances of successful outcome. A specialist in one style would rarely become expert in completely different one. He would only become skillful in finding the weaknesses in their opponent’s strategy and use it to his advantage. What I believe happened was that grapplers who wanted to fight MMA started focusing much more on becoming good in punching, kicking and take down defense, rather than developing applicable counter strategies. And that only made them a weaker strikers compared to experts in it. Meanwhile, ground game was ignored largely due to the lack of interest from the fans, or the lack of understanding of it and the desire to observe violent knockouts. All of that created a division between the schools, and today, when stepping in a BJJ academy, we are going to learn moves that are only applicable against other BJJ fighters and within the rules of the game, but if you face a tough wrestler or a guy who can punch decently, you stand very little chance. And of course I am not putting everyone under this umbrella, of course there are tough individuals out there that may still put you to sleep even though they never practiced MMA, but this may happen only because of their personal talents, and because ofthe effectiveness of the art as it once was.
The famous words of Master Helio Gracie when interviewed about his son Rickson Gracie’s victories, were “it’s not that he is good, it’s the art that is good”,and I believe that puts it into perspective better than anything else. Royce Gracie stepped into the cage twenty something years ago and proved that too. Now, how many of today’s popular BJJ champions can do the same? Not many I would say, albeit with the greatest respect I have towards them as masters in the art.
So why did BJJ become the new karate?
I am not trying to undercut any martial art, as a fighter I do respect all of them, even Aikido, which is hardly qualified as a fighting system. But I compare it to Karate because it gained so much popularity as Karate did back in the day by being advertised in movies and the mainstream media in general, and although a good karate guy may knock you out cold, it is doubtful that such style can be considered well-rounded, being that punches to the head are forbidden. In similarity, BJJ has gained the same popularity, but has also turned into a sport, with it’s limitations, rules and borders.
Judging by the number of Black Belt instructors that I worked with for the past 10 years, I would say very few people are still teaching the old ways around the world. There is a clear division between MMA gyms and BJJ academies now, and practitioners rarely mix with someone from a different domain.
I am not saying all of that as a criticism towards Jiu-Jitsu, but I just can’t help it notice how a large portion of the its community is still carrying the confidence that what they practice can be of use in any situation, without any grounds to support it. I see BJJ competitors stepping on the mat with the confidence that they can win over anyone out there, but it seems to me they forget that without the beloved Gi and with some striking involved, their skills would most likely vanish in less than 60 seconds. Large portion of the desired outcome from the matches has also shifted to victory through points, not submissions, and that has completely changed the game too.
I remember the past when any BJJ practitioner would watch a popular boxing or kickboxing fight and would think right away “I would choke that guy in seconds if I face him”, and the dream of most was to challenge names like Mike Tyson and prove how efficient Jiu-Jitsu is. There were constant comparisons between the styles, with the grapplers being perceived as a biggest threat to others. I remember world class wrestlers being very fearful of the unknown locks that a skinny black belt could apply. BJJ had the respect it deserved by everyone in the game.
Now I see it’s the other way around. Any somewhat decent MMA fighter, with limited ground skills looks at the BJJ practitioners and thinks “if I only punch that guy once he’s done”. So it’s the reversed picture, with BJJ guys now being seen as the ones who live on past glory, but are not a threat anymore.
In conclusion, all martial arts and combat sports have their value and share in the overall contribution to the world of sports. However, I can’t help but reminisce on the old days when BJJ was challenged constantly and proved better most of the time. It was respected by all and not without a reason. I truly believe it is still one of the best, but I can no longer categorize it a coherent fighting system that can be proven most effective, and it’s not because the other styles got better, it’s because BJJ became more narrow and confined by rules, creating a world of its own, rarely challenged by outsiders.
