On 11/1/15, Verbal Grappling (a collaboration between Jiu Jitsu Times and The BJJ Hour) aired its fourth episode, and it was awesome! Featuring special guests Dan Camarillo and Kurt Osiander, the episode consisted of a discussion about the effects of the current rule sets present in sport jiu jitsu and what can be done to improve upon those rule sets.
Both Osiander and Camarillo are very well known and well respected black belts. Both earned their black belts from the legendary Ralph Gracie. The reason we chose these two particular gentlemen for the show is that they also both have extensive competition experience.
The two guests saw eye to eye on most subjects, and unlike our prior episode this was more of a conversation than a debate. Some key points:
- Both men feel that decreased time limits can help quicken the pace of BJJ matches.
- Kurt shared a bit about his KO Finisher competition. He spoke of reasonably short (5 minute) rounds, going until a submission, or if needed being determined by judges.
- Dan shared his opinion that BJJ needs to take a few pages out of Judo’s book. Specifically he feels that we, as a sport, need a unified rule set and that stalling should be punished.
I voiced disagreement with the idea of decreased time limits, stating that I think that in this sport we need MORE time to work, not less.
I then brought up the topic of foot locks as they pertain to jiu jitsu competition. There has always been a stigma on foot locks in Brazilian jiu jitsu and this stigma was passed on from Ralph Gracie to Kurt and Dan, they both feel as though foot locks should be restricted and neither has incorporated foot locks into his game, however both expressed that if the rules allow for them they make sure to teach them along with proper defense.
Perhaps the best aspect of this episode was the presence of these two legends. Both have such distinct and well developed opinions. I highly recommend this episode if you want to get a glimpse into the minds of two of the longest standing and most well respected competitors in the sport.
If you caught the episode, what did you think of the opinions and commentary by Kurt and Dan? If you didn’t, well, you ****** up a long time ago… Go train, and when you’re done watch the episode!
We will be featuring many more special guests throughout our series, providing perspectives on the controversies that exist in our sport. Stay tuned!
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