When A Jiu Jitsu Match Becomes A Fight
Rarely do we ever post any media on our site that we didn’t create ourselves, but in this case we wanted to share this epic match because it serves as a great example of the topic of this article.
One of the frustrating parts of jiu jitsu has become the last day of the World Championships. Attendees who have spent the last 3 days competing, and watching a high-level of talent compete, are subjected to conservative matches in which very little risk is taken. Many of these matches occur in the finals and are decided by a referees decision or a single advantage. In these close matches the frustrating part is the actual lack of fighting. This leaves the spectators underwhelmed, and disappointed, because it feels like a very anti-climatic ending.
Now don’t get me wrong, when I say fighting– I mean battling. I am talking about two competitors laying everything on the line, no more secret techniques, no cruising to victory after getting up on points, and no more stalling until the last minute to actually compete. There are a lot of matches at the Mundials, but unfortunately when the gold is on the line we see very few fights. The above match in the video is an example of a match that turned into a fight. Buchecha almost always turns matches into fights, and this match against Calassans is great example. He forces opponents to fight back, because he keeps attacking. If his opponent doesn’t defend or counter ,it’s usually a very short contest.
The question becomes, how do we force competitors to fight in all the matches? Many rules changes have been suggested to produce this type of experience, and the upcoming Metamoris tournament even suggests it’s own solution (limited rules, submission only). Unfortunately, as demonstrated above, the burden to create a fight is solely on the competitors in each specific match. Unless one, or both, competitors choose to attack and elevate the intensity we will continue to see very conservative matches in which very little action occurs.
Finally, the last factor to consider in all of this is the actual original premise of ju jitsu. We need to be sure that in our incessant need to create action and excitement that we don’t change the style of jiu jitsu toward a version of wrestling that offers very little real-life application. In real-life scenario, my personal intention to protect myself is not to create action and to be aggressive, it’s to be safe and escape said situation unharmed. That might mean establishing a position and advancing slowly until help arrives, I choke my opponent unconscious, or until the confrontation is resolved.
So my point is this, if we want to change the prevalence of stagnant matches the burden falls on all of us. If you compete in jiu jitsu, it’s your job to press the action and finish the fight. The rules can’t make you fight, and a submission only situation won’t either. You have to put your ego to the side, and decide that you want to test your jiu jitsu against someone else with jiu jitsu. This is not self-defense, and it’s not a life or death scenario, you are testing the top level of your ability. If both competitors rest in one position the entire match, both competitors are to blame. Never blame the rules for a boring match. The rules do a good job of pointing us toward who had the most success in the match (our studies have consistently shown this), but the rules cannot make you fight. It’s up to all of us to create the jiu jitsu matches we’d all like to see more of.
Thanks for reading,
Tyler Bishop
BishopBjj.com