Royce Gracie, UFC’s and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend, thinks that BJJ academies have “lost their way”.
Predominantly because, in his opinion, they are increasingly neglecting the essence of martial arts – which is self defense.
The legendary Gracie shared his views in a recent interview with the “Globo“:
The academies forgot the essence of martial art.
The academy influences this competition business the most.
Royce continues elaborating on competitive BJJ:
I think that competitive Jiu-Jitsu, today, is already very distant from Jiu-Jitsu perhaps more rooted by Hélio Gracie, Royce, from those first generations to Royce and Rickson.
Because it ended up being very competitive and having rules, which ended up characterizing it as a sport that is going to get points, and often that essence of self-defense, which is behind the construction of the modality, is lost.
He acknowledged that BJJ would grow even more if it became an Olympic sport, but…
As an Olympic sport, it would get much bigger, but it would lose the essence of self-defense, which is the martial art.
For example, karate in the last Olympics, one athlete knocked out the other, and the one that was knocked out won. The one who knocked out was disqualified for excessive force, violence.
How can that be, man? Karate was made for that, to knock the person out.And the guys: “No, you have to score.” I’m not just talking about Jiu-Jitsu, no.
I’m talking about martial arts in general.
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