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I train BJJ as part of my repertoire of martial arts. Unlike most of the students in my class, I’m not into Gracie-worship... I respect them for developing aspects of ground fighting, but the idea of ground fighting has been around forever in small circles. People have been doing MMA and grappling arts in remote corners... The difference is exposure, setting and time.
If you don’t already know, let me spell it out for you — Martial arts is big business. It’s reality TV in an age where people are hooked on “live” media. The Gracies understood this. They knew that as long as BJJ remained a sport in Brazil, it was going nowhere. Their timing couldn’t be better. Several reality-based shows were already in the works — “Survivor” being the most predominant.
To the uninformed, BJJ is seemingly invincible. Afterall, they witnessed a “lanky, hollow-chested, litle guy defeat giants in UFC 1 through UFC 5. The problem is Royce Gracie was NOT undersized in comparison to the other fighters of UFC, nor was he “lanky” or “hollow chested.” He was more likely the most conditioned fighter for that particular event. He stands at 6’1” and between 175-180 lbs... That’s not small. Small is Yuki Sakai from Rickson Gracie’s documentary “Choke.” Small is being 5’6” 130 lb. and defeating guys 6’6” 250 lb. But even Royce knew his role was just to start the fire, and he bowed out when he realized people were catching on. MMA was on the horizon of media entertainment.
Rorion’s vision is near complete as thousands of people flock to learn BJJ. As you probably know by now, America is a favorable environment for Mcdojos, and there are plenty of BJJ Mcdojos out there — we’ve all heard stories or been there, but no one really says anything because of BJJ’s reputation. Don’t get me wrong, I love BJJ for what it is – another angle in the martial arts, but that’s all it really is. I’m reminded of when karate first arrived and everyone believed a reverse punch could kill. Now, I we know there’s no substitution for a jab, cross and hook.
Another problem is that within the long lineage of Jiu Jitsu pioneers, the Gracies have painted a picture of themselves as the major contributors. Jiu Jitsu was mainly a weapons art, so it is hardly true that the Gracies have brought more to the table than anyone else. Yet in all their self-promoting publications, you’ll find excerpts placing them above everyone else. They’ve even changed much of Jiu Jitsu’s history to accommodate their claims. There’s one contradicting idea that is continually forced throughout Renzo Gracie’s book, “Mastering Jujitsu.” In one paragraph, Renzo and John Danaher note that nothing is known of Fusen Ryu Jujitsu or its training methods, then later they explain that BJJ is closer to Fusen Ryu than any other style of Jiu Jitsu.
People are changing. For every BJJ who joins our club thinking he has come to enlighten, we also have others who understand that hard work is second to none. Actually, one of our trainers, Gary Campbell, who is our SD specialist and competes regularly in NHB type events makes it a point to show everyone that NO martial art is complete, not even SD... There are techniques in karate, kung-fu, BJJ and Muay Thai that just don’t work on the streets.
Paul Stevens
Northern Racquet & Fitness Club
If you don’t already know, let me spell it out for you — Martial arts is big business. It’s reality TV in an age where people are hooked on “live” media. The Gracies understood this. They knew that as long as BJJ remained a sport in Brazil, it was going nowhere. Their timing couldn’t be better. Several reality-based shows were already in the works — “Survivor” being the most predominant.
To the uninformed, BJJ is seemingly invincible. Afterall, they witnessed a “lanky, hollow-chested, litle guy defeat giants in UFC 1 through UFC 5. The problem is Royce Gracie was NOT undersized in comparison to the other fighters of UFC, nor was he “lanky” or “hollow chested.” He was more likely the most conditioned fighter for that particular event. He stands at 6’1” and between 175-180 lbs... That’s not small. Small is Yuki Sakai from Rickson Gracie’s documentary “Choke.” Small is being 5’6” 130 lb. and defeating guys 6’6” 250 lb. But even Royce knew his role was just to start the fire, and he bowed out when he realized people were catching on. MMA was on the horizon of media entertainment.
Rorion’s vision is near complete as thousands of people flock to learn BJJ. As you probably know by now, America is a favorable environment for Mcdojos, and there are plenty of BJJ Mcdojos out there — we’ve all heard stories or been there, but no one really says anything because of BJJ’s reputation. Don’t get me wrong, I love BJJ for what it is – another angle in the martial arts, but that’s all it really is. I’m reminded of when karate first arrived and everyone believed a reverse punch could kill. Now, I we know there’s no substitution for a jab, cross and hook.
Another problem is that within the long lineage of Jiu Jitsu pioneers, the Gracies have painted a picture of themselves as the major contributors. Jiu Jitsu was mainly a weapons art, so it is hardly true that the Gracies have brought more to the table than anyone else. Yet in all their self-promoting publications, you’ll find excerpts placing them above everyone else. They’ve even changed much of Jiu Jitsu’s history to accommodate their claims. There’s one contradicting idea that is continually forced throughout Renzo Gracie’s book, “Mastering Jujitsu.” In one paragraph, Renzo and John Danaher note that nothing is known of Fusen Ryu Jujitsu or its training methods, then later they explain that BJJ is closer to Fusen Ryu than any other style of Jiu Jitsu.
People are changing. For every BJJ who joins our club thinking he has come to enlighten, we also have others who understand that hard work is second to none. Actually, one of our trainers, Gary Campbell, who is our SD specialist and competes regularly in NHB type events makes it a point to show everyone that NO martial art is complete, not even SD... There are techniques in karate, kung-fu, BJJ and Muay Thai that just don’t work on the streets.
Paul Stevens
Northern Racquet & Fitness Club
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