Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a live organism – it keeps changing and evolving as the years pass. Even just five years ago, it’s been quite a bit different from what it is today… Let alone something like 30 years ago.
But, wait. What is the biggest difference in today’s Jiu-Jitsu from the one in the 1990’s, exactly? Well, one answer is that BJJ today is less “rough” than it was back in the day.
Fabio Gurgel explained what this means in an interview with BJJEE:
In the 1990’s, Jiu-Jitsu wasn’t really „friendly“ sort to speak, because of its rough nature.
What I mean is, let’s say it’s the ’90s and that you want to start training BJJ for fun. And so you get to the mats, but when you step onto them for the first time you are in the middle of a shark tank.
You train with people who are very serious about competition and who are training very intensely. Harder and harder with each training.You’d most likely quit, isn’t that right? Instead of finding an environment where you can develop yourself slowly and with positive people around you, you just get crushed every single training session.
That’s why a lot of people quit back then.
Another aspect, explains Gurgel, is the self-defense one:
Jiu-Jitsu was more connected to self defense back then, as well as with vale tudo. And that is how BJJ was actually born, out of self defense. And we were closer to that aspect back then than we are today.
You see, „Old Jiu-Jitsu“ versus „New Jiu-Jitsu“ comes down to self defense.
I believe that self defense should be more important today, as important as it was back then.
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