How have your opinions of BJJ changed over the years?

At White and Blue Belt, I felt like I found the best hobby of my life. Never stopped thinking about jiu jitsu. Was pretty much obsessed.

In regards to turning a blind eye, when I first started, I looked at blackbelts as if they were zen-like monks. Looked up to them like they were mentors. First time I realized they were just like everyone else outside the gym was when I met a blackbelt in the drug business as a side job. Met another that robbed a house. Met another who was hitting on one of his student's girlfriend. Don't get me wrong, I've also met awesome blackbelts that are great role models on and off the mats. But now, I just don't automatically look up to them for anything other than their mat ability until they've shown to be good people off the mat as well.

Only regrets of training are the injuries. What I appreciate the most is having the confidence to be able to defend myself better and all of the great friends I've made through jiu jitsu.

All the shady characters in bjj and gym politics doesn't bother me much because I can detach myself from that stuff. It used to bug me alot but now I can laugh at most of it. For example, Ari getting a Gracie tattoo and soon to be a blackbelt. I can laugh at that now, when a couple years ago, Ari really pissed me off.
 
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All the shady characters in bjj and gym politics doesn't bother me much because I can detach myself from that stuff.[/QUOTE]

This is how I feel. And compared with the bullshit and politics I've put up with in my working life, it's not hard to laugh off gym politics most of the time.
 
Calibur said:
I think I've explained it before, but jiu jitsu is like a marriage.

I met BJJ 14 years ago. Married the game 12 years ago. I still love jiu jitsu but the love is not the same. If anything, its something that nags, and gets on my nerves if I stay close by too long, but its something I will always go back to. My dedication is something that I can't put into words. Have we grown apart? Yeah. Did BJJ change on me? Sometimes I think I did, sometimes I think this is what it always was, but I was too young and stupid to recognize it. Sometimes I think that everything is perfectly normal and I've just been involved a little too long.
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I used to love H.E.R. By Common..
You should check that song out.
 
I started with Rickson in 1994. Everyone had some other martial arts background. It was all about street fighting then. We used to put on gloves and practice takedowns and work from the guard with punches. Submissions were all that mattered. Now, it seems to be all about tournaments, advantages, and competing in your own weight class.

The level of ground grappling is better now overall. But, there is a disconnect from reality. The little standup that we do now is MMA ring related. There is no punching to the groin, multiple attackers, eye gouging, or biting.

And, there is no discussion of weapons whatsoever. It is if they don't exist. Heck, I remember Rickson bringing a Sig Sauer 45 caliber handgun to class. No big deal. it was just a tool. It was a different time with a different emphasis.

Also, back in the day, it was understood that you could train your whole life and not get a black belt. There were no belts for attendance or "A"s for effort. Most of us believed we would never make it past blue or purple. But, that was okay. The belts were real. We liked that. It was a welcome change from the arts we came from - karate or kung fu. Unfortunately, that changed too.

Some good. Some bad.
 
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I finally accepted the fact that Wushu is a form of modern dance, not a deadly combat art.
 
Oldguy said:
Now, it seems to be all about tournaments, advantages, and competing in your own weight class.
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This is an area of some ambivalence for me.

I have in the past resented my gym not being big into tournaments and competition, though at the same time I appreciate learning techniques that are intended to work, get you to the top and finish. You'll never hear my instructor say "make sure to hold here for 3 seconds until you get the points" or "you'll get an advantage for doing this.
 
Holy shit old guy...you started with Rickson back in the day.

Freaking awesome. That's really all I wanted to say
 
TalkShowOnMute said:
......(I get in 3 or 4 sessions a year nowadays.).....
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What are the occasions that you only go in 3 or 4 times a year? Have you basically stopped rolling except for when a gym buddy or your instructor invites you in for a special occasion or something?
 
I started about 9 years ago. Never had any delusions about blackbelts in terms of their character. In fact, I felt my 1st BB instructor was a bit shady when I first started. But I wasn't joining a church, I was joining a BJJ school to learn BJJ.

But I didn't know anything about BJJ itself. I bought totally into the belt hierarchy - blackbelts can tool any brown, brown can tool any purple, purple can tool any blue, etc. And like all newb whitebelts, I thought I could be world champ.

Now, I know better :)
 
I think there are some dirtbags, but overall I still think that you get a cooler array of people in bjj than in the general public. Politics do get messy. There was a situation where a girl who I trained with ended up renting a room in the duplex my wife's family owns and that we basically managed for them. She disrespected every rule of the house and when my wife eventually asked her to leave she stole everything that wasn't nailed down, then took us to court when we held back her deposit (the only thing she left behind was a huge dildo, lol-- should have shown it to the judge and demanded to know if she had ever seen it). It was weird because her boyfriend was our instructor's brother, and she was basically part of the family. BUT, my instructor is cool and I think knows she's shady and I'm not, so he didn't care. Still, it's awkward, and I would not want to train at a place where she does because every time I see her fake little rat face I would want to puke. THAT is nasty politics, I guess.

The art itself? I feel as a whole it's growing. A lot of people bitch that the sport aspect is ruining the self defense aspect, but that's bs, in my opinion. Just keep a self defense attitude, and apply all the great technical innovation that's coming along in that frame of mind. Overall I feel it's getting better.

Youtube has also changed things a TON. People used to guard techniques like crazy, but everyone shares everything now, and I think it's great.
 
Badger67 said:
IBJJF = Imperial Empire.

It's a great art being polluted and babied by the sport rules. I like competing less and less now because of it (despite loving to compete).
My current team i absolutely love, makes me feel like a family member nearly.

As far as culturally goes, it has it's gang mentality from time to time and this creonte stuff i just don't care for.
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don't you think tournaments like Abu Dhabi and Metamoris, gracie nationals, (eddie bravo has a new comp) are changing this?... I feel like there is a big shift in the BJJ community (physically and philosophically) moving away from the IBJJF.
 
Jeff Goldblum69 said:
don't you think tournaments like Abu Dhabi and Metamoris, gracie nationals, (eddie bravo has a new comp) are changing this?... I feel like there is a big shift in the BJJ community (physically and philosophically) moving away from the IBJJF.
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Yes, and thank God! Win by advantage. Honky please!
 
Why's Goldblum got dubs? 10 years on this forum, never got dubs. And I've definitely said some stupid shit!
 
I started off thinking grappling arts were pretty crap compared to boxing and kung fu etc.

Then after UFC1-4 I decided BJJ was completely superior and striking was pointless. That carried on especially after starting BJJ and getting smashed by small guys.

Now I've moved to thinking it's far more balanced, that BJJ is by no means a single solution and that it's more of a sport than a martial art now.
 
One thing definitely that changed is the availability of BJJ.. back in the day you would be lucky if there was a black belt teaching in your town. Now, there is a gym with BJJ every where.. But I also think quality of teaching went down. Not saying all gyms are bad but I see so many gyms with purple belts or blue belts teaching. (and with no black belt guidance) Mostly some "MMA" (air quotes) gym. And is it me or the LA Boxing/UFC gym is like Starbucks now? It seems like there is one every block..
 
mattemate said:
...my wife eventually asked her to leave she stole everything that wasn't nailed down, then took us to court when we held back her deposit (the only thing she left behind was a huge dildo, lol-- should have shown it to the judge and demanded to know if she had ever seen it). .
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Holy. Hahaha

Just shows that dirtbags are everywhere. I've seen plenty of falling outs in the Jiu Jitsu brotherhood.


"Your Honor. Look at this dildo. It's obscenely large. It almost hurts my feelings just to look at it. I believe it was designed with the proportions of the Western Black Rhino in mind."
 
platfox said:
What are the occasions that you only go in 3 or 4 times a year? Have you basically stopped rolling except for when a gym buddy or your instructor invites you in for a special occasion or something?
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Actually I just show up a few random days a year (I get an itch and need a grappling fix, basically.) Huff and puff like a fat-ass and then disappear for a while.

I basically make sure that that the days I show up are not when we are having a big promotion ceremony or seminar or something. Because I would feel like a super chump or poser if I only showed up for those things.

==============

For example, I remember last year (maybe the end of 2012)...Budo Videos came by to film rolled up. People came out of the woodwork that I hadn't seen train in months. Showed up in their best gis with their hair styled. I couldn't help but think ..WTF is this? It seems really fake to me.
 
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