Rickson Gracie’s opinion on modern Jiu-Jitsu:
“In the past, when we arrived in the US, we were teaching Jiu-Jitsu to Karate black belts, who at the time felt like they knew everything. When they got exposed to real Jiu-Jitsu, they would say that they lost 20 years of their lives doing Karate, and now they realized what the real thing is. So somehow when I go to a (BJJ) seminar these days, I get the same impression from Jiu-Jitsu black belts. They’re like “Wow, I never taught that this existed in Jiu-Jitsu”. If we don’t do something very soon, Jiu-Jitsu will lose its fight identity.”
Check also:
- Rickson Gracie: Rule Number One for BJJ Students
- Rickson’s Invisible Jiu-Jitsu & 5 most effective techniques
- Karate Guy challenged BJJ Guy to a Bare Hands fight
Do you agree with Rickson on this? Or you think his teaching and his views don’t fit with your goals and what you’re trying to do with your BJJ? And should Martial arts and grappling martial arts be focused on self-defense as many people think of martial arts as mainly self-defense art and sport after that?
