Gracie Jiu Jitsu; The great split.
If we take a closer look at Jiu Jitsu in the early 21st century we can see that what was once one martial art can now be categorised into three.
Gracie Jiu Jitsu for self-defence and MMA.
Brazillian Jiu Jitsu (Gi) for competition.
ADCC style No-gi competition Jiu Jitsu.
The Origin and Divergence
When I say “one martial art” I refer to the birth Jiu Jitsu, of Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu side by side in the hands of the brothers Helio Gracie and Carlos Gracie Snr some 100 years ago. Because it all started as one art under one family believe it or not… And as the title of this blog post states, ‘the great split’, it was not a cataclysmic event but a slow gradual ‘growing apart’. The two brothers Helio and Carlos Snr, despite having some minor differences, worked symbiotically in developing and promoting the art. Helio was focused more on the development and preservation of the original fighting art whilst Carlos Snr was focused on the development of the sporting side of Jiu Jitsu and developing it as a business. Arguably Jiu Jitsu wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t for both sides of the martial art.
It wasn’t until the sons of both brothers started to come into the foreground of Jiu Jitsu that the rift started to widen. Sons being sons they were fiercely loyal to their respective fathers’ teachings and viewpoints, eventually taking the rivalry far further than it ever would have gone under Helio and Carlos Snr. Helios' sons Rickson, Royce, Rorion, Royler, Relson, Rolker and Robin all continued training, teaching and developing Gracie Jiu Jitsu for self-defence and competitive combat (notably MMA). Rickson Gracie, the most successful and widely regarded of the 7 brothers, has continued to develop Gracie Jiu Jitsu to this day. Throughout his career he repeatedly put his family martial art and his reputation on the line in countless no rules fights, taking any challenge from any challenger. Famously stating “If you don’t know self-defence you don’t know Jiu Jitsu”.
As for Carlos Gracie Snr, his sons Carlos Jr, Robson, Carlson, Rolls, Reyson, Reylson, Carley and Carlion for the most part followed their father into the sport/competition and business side of Jiu Jitsu. Most notably Carlos Gracie Jnr went on to found Gracie Barra academy. Gracie Barra is the most widely established and known sport jiu jitsu academy in the world, more like a corporation than a martial arts academy. It also happens to be run by the same people who manage the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), the most widespread and largest sport Jiu Jitsu organisation/governing body in the world. The IBJJF dictates the direction, format and rules of (Gi) sport jiu jitsu competitions world-wide.
A 3rd Branch Emerges
What once was one martial art had now become two, however in the past two decades a third branch has emerged, commonly referred to as “New Wave Jiu Jitsu” named after the Texas based academy led by the prolific grappling coach John Danaher. It has grown out of the format of Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). The ADCC Submission Grappling Tournament first started in 1998 and has been held every 2 years since. It is a No-Gi only tournament and whilst victory is secured by accumulation of points or submission, athletes can be penalised for stalling or not engaging with their opponent.
ADCC opened up a whole new realm of No-Gi tournaments, many now submission only so as to eliminate as much as possible the stalling tactics so common in points-based competition. ADCC/No-Gi sub only format is today more a blend of freestyle wrestling and No-Gi Jiu Jitsu than traditional Gi jiu jitsu and Judo. As a result, it is more fluid, faster paced and relies more heavily upon physical prowess and athleticism than the Jiu Jitsu of Helio and Carlos from 100 years ago.
Looking Towards the Future
As I write this, it is entirely possible that the next evolution of Jiu Jitsu is playing out on old jig saw mats in some far-off corner of the globe. Maybe Combat Jiu Jitsu will be the next big “new wave” in this evolution… only time will tell. What I do know is, whatever comes next is sure to be exciting and garner a whole new generation of Jiu Jitsu dreamers.