Rickson Gracie, Jiu-Jitsu and Weapons
Enter the Weapons, the new Rickson Gracie’s course is now available, and all the feedback we received thus far from the students attending the course are positive, which is fantastic for any product.
It’s time to address some comments that we received on the social media, from people who haven’t enrolled in the program.
They are mostly reacting to images in which master Rickson is dealing with weapons (knife, guns, clubs), but they don’t have these images and moves within the proper context.
There are two more important aspects of this that I’d like to develop:
- What Jiu-Jitsu has to do with weapons?
- Is not dangerous to react against any weapon’s threat?
To answer the first question, we need to open our mind to understand the Jiu-Jitsu origin. As more as we all like to roll and engage in a game of who submits who on our daily practices, Jiu-Jitsu is primarily a self-defense art.
When we look back to the last century and research about the curriculum carried by the original Gracie Academy located at Rio de Janeiro downtown, the masters always taught reaction against weapons.
So the relationship between Jiu-Jitsu and weapons is not new. It is just that the sparring part and the ground game is more popular nowadays. We don’t want to stop it, but it doesn’t hurt to know the entire program.
As for the second and more actionable question, yes, it is dangerous to make any move against an aggressor armed, and you won’t find any Jiu-Jitsu teacher that encourages it.
So our recommendation is the same Grand Master Helio Gracie would give to you: if someone has a knife, a gun, a club, regardless of his/her skill, collaborate, avoid contact, get away and even run when possible.
However, technique and awareness give you calm and more chances, and if the situation involves protecting someone dear to you, or even it’s your last chance of surviving, odds will be slightly better if you have practiced these techniques before, as long as you assess the scenario reasonably.
Thus, in two short answers: 1) Jiu-Jitsu was always related to weapons. 2) And yes, it’s dangerous to react against an armed aggressor.
I hope we have transparently addressed these questions.
With that being said, we have another point to make in favour of these moves. You will develop your fundamentals even better if you practice them because they all involve a solid base, weight distribution awareness, leverage, connection and timing. Plus the strategy very clear about avoiding the confrontation above all other roads.
Enjoy your Rickson’s course “Enter the Weapons” and have fun learning his Invisible Jiu-Jitsu by practicing every single move he teaches.
