What is Jiu-Jitsu?
A semi-philosophical view of the art.
Our martial arts history has an age-old debate about the roots, stems, branches, and leaves. I’ve written previously about the differences between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Japanese Jujitsu. This post takes a different look at what we call “Jiu-Jitsu” by critiquing our preconceived notions. My point is to get at just what we are talking about when we talk about Jiu-Jitsu.
While talking to my friend Scott and a few other Jiu-Jitsu guys at his academy, the question was asked, “What is Jiu-Jitsu?” First, Jiu-Jitsu is a sound that comes out of my mouth to signify a personal concept of a particular martial art style. Second, I don’t think there is one universal Jiu-Jitsu that we can all, with 100% accuracy, describe as “The Jiu-Jitsu” (to the Gracie fans, please accept my apologies in advance). As Scott discusses in one of his videos, Jiu-Jitsu is as diverse as cars, and each person has an individual preference for the ideal ride.
The 10th Planet nogi guys consider their Jiu-Jitsu the best version, while the Gracies think their Jiu-Jitsu the authoritative Jiu-Jitsu. Judo guys tend to see BJJ as “basically just Judo.” The Japanese Jiu-Jitsu guys see Judo and Jiu-Jitsu as new interpretations of their art. Yes, these are gross generalizations, but the sentiment will suffice for this post.
