Japanese and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
“What is the difference between Japanese (classical) Jiu-Jitsu (jujutsu) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?”
The first and most important reason can be found in the history of art and is paramount to all the others that will be discussed later. When you research the history of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, you will understand that it came from “Judo” in its rebirth days. By the early 1900s, judo was developing from a variety of styles of Jiu-jitsu to make it the most comprehensive and effective martial art in the world. Some older Jiu-jitsu schools only focused on one fighting area (some mainly practiced standing techniques) and had been left without a realistic battlefield proving ground for hundreds of years. If you remember the history of the beginning of judo, you will know that in the beginning it consisted mainly of standing techniques, Kito Ryu Jiu-jitsu and some other styles. This alone was not enough, so the Fusen Ryu base was added, making it more complete. When you say “traditional” or “Japanese” Jiu-jitsu, you are referring to only one of these styles of Jiu-jitsu, which is incomplete on its own. When you say Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, you mean the best techniques from a wide variety of styles.
Our Jiu-Jitsu in the United States was underdeveloped compared to Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil. We are only now beginning to catch up, and we are still suffering from the shortcomings of the ‘older’ and more traditional Jiu-Jitsu schools in this country. To give you an idea of what I mean, I will tell you a little about my training. I got a black belt in a classic style of Jiu-Jitsu, which taught all the judo throws of the Kodokan and Aikijitsu (the grandfather of Aikido). It was a great art, but one that could not be used with someone of skill effectively before fully mastering it. Later I was defeated by a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu student who was only at the blue belt level, while I was a black belt in traditional Jiu-Jitsu. Why? Lack of realistic practice is the reason. There was too much of: “You stand perfectly still while I try a wacky technique with you and you play along.” There are many techniques which is where Judo is great, and some traditional schools teach techniques that were designed thousands of years ago whose applications have not been modified or thought about since. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is simple to learn, so simple that a dedicated one-year student can easily beat martial artists of other styles who have many years of experience.
Some martial arts styles spend hundreds of hours working on a rigid stance and a hundred standing techniques that cannot be mastered in a reasonable amount of time. I once interviewed Royce Gracie and he gave an answer that supports this point quite well:
“We do not believe in teaching a lot of movements in each class and that the student leaves with limited knowledge. We prefer that our students know 20 techniques at 100%, than 100 techniques at 20%.”
(Interview with Gene Simco for http://www.jiu-jitsu.net)
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focuses on techniques that are easy to learn in a very short period of time. The techniques taught in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are also effective and have been tested on knowledgeable, uncooperative martial artists. A small number of simple but high-percentage techniques make all the difference. If all you do is practice five or six techniques, you will be very good at them in about a year, but if you have to divide your time between a hundred or more techniques, you are most likely an expert in all trades and a master. of none in the time of a year.
The differences in the two styles of Jiu-Jitsu are not necessarily in technique, but in practice and application. First of all, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has a very sophisticated ground game, where Japanese Jiu-Jitsu gives importance to standing techniques, just like Judo. Judo as a sport does not allow leg locks, as Brazilian jiu-jitsu does. Sports rules for judo dictate that if a player has been pinned down by his opponent for 25 seconds, he will lose the match. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has no time restrictions on ground positions and stagnation occurs most often while standing. Older styles of Jiu-Jitsu (often spelled jujutsu or jujitsu) are often preceded by their style name or Ryu (the Japanese word for “style”). These Jiu-Jitsu Ryu were developed a long time ago and do not have any sports application that allows them to develop technically. Lack of realistic practice is what makes some styles ineffective or outdated.
To truly understand the differences between Brazilian and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, one must research the history of both arts. In particular, the birth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Carlos Gracie, founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, who was an avid boxer. Most of the Japanese Jiu-Jitsu fighters were studying the traditional karate blows, which are very different from those of a boxer. Maeda, the man who introduced Gracie to Jiu-Jitsu, was also a student of Judo, which at the time was considered an updated version of Kano’s Jiu-Jitsu or Jiu-Jitsu. As mentioned above, the Judo that was presented to the Gracie family was a Judo whose focus had been on fighting on the ground in recent years. This fight on the ground came from a single style of Jiu-jitsu (Fusen Ryu), the other styles that made up Judo had not focused on working on the ground, so as they continued their practice, they kept on its traditional roots, which were considered mainly standing techniques. . While older styles of Jiu-jitsu adhered to their core curricula, judo soon forgot about the experience and turned his attention to gaining world exposure as an Olympic sport, eventually restricting the art that was once a sport. great art and would make her focus once more on standing. techniques. Maeda was also exposed to Western wrestling, having met a particular wrestler at the West Point Military Academy in New York, and had more experience fighting in Europe and America than any other Japanese wrestler of that time.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a progressive style of Jiu-Jitsu; Once a technique is developed and used in competition, other Jiu-Jitsu players begin designing counters for that technique and counters for those counters, allowing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to evolve freely. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu players do not prepare for the untrained opponent; they assume that their opponent may be more technical.
The problem with some “older” styles of Jiu-Jitsu is the same problem with old cars, or anything that hasn’t been updated or modified. I got a black belt in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and now that I’m at an advanced level of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I notice the similarities and differences. Some of the self-defense movements are identical; It is typically in preliminary work (ne waza) where the Japanese Judo or Jiu-Jitsu practitioner lacks skill. That is why I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Comparing “old” Jiu-Jitsu to “new” Jiu-Jitsu is like comparing old and new cars. Both a Ford Model-T and a Ferrari will do the same job, but a Ferrari will do it more efficiently. The ability of Jiu-Jitsu teachers can be compared to that of certified mechanics to work on these cars; If you take a 1910 mechanic and show him a Ferrari, some things would be familiar to you, but you wouldn’t understand the new design and the complexity of the modern variation without the proper training.
In the style of traditional or “Japanese” Jiu-Jitsu that I learned, there are not many technical differences. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has more techniques on the ground, while Japanese Jiu-Jitsu has more techniques on the feet. What I like now about having a lot of experience in both styles is that I feel like it has brought my technical level to a greater understanding. I know many little details and “tricks” or “secrets” within the techniques that you do not see anywhere. I think that although things improve in the evolution of Jiu-Jitsu, you also lose some details that the “old” schools sometimes keep “secrets”. Without proper modification, these “secrets” don’t mean much, but when you combine them with the refined practice of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you really do have something. As I moved up the ranks of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I began to appreciate the Model T. I am no longer ashamed of my “old” black belt in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, in fact I am learning to apply it. I know details of arm locks and chokes that I don’t see anywhere else. It is important to note, however, that I attribute my ability to apply ancient Jiu-Jitsu to my advanced level in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
For more information on Jiu-jitsu, visit www.jiu-jitsu.net.