Jiu-Jitsu: Fighting Art or Sport?

The true test of any martial art is whether it gives students the ability and the confidence to defend themselves in a real street situation while enhancing their quality of life through intangible and tangible benefits. Many martial arts have strayed away from basic self defense techniques and have, instead, ventured into tournament training due to the growing popularity of competition based fighting. Tournament or competition training is fine so long as it makes the player a better fighter. Jiu-Jitsu is unique in that the way we train for competition is very close to the way we would fight in a real combat situation. With the exception of strikes, the way we train is the way we fight. Every now and again I hear a student in class say "that technique wouldn't work on the street." When I hear this, my response is always the same - "In the street, the Jiu-Jitsu player's game is enhanced by his/her ability to throw strikes from dominant positions." Too often, people forget that we train positions so that we can dominate fights while taking minimal punishment from our opponents. In Jiu-Jitsu, we can end a fight with a submission or by striking effectively from dominant positions. When people learn that I am a Jiu-Jitsu instructor, the response is usually "Jiu-Jitsu...That's the stuff with armbars and chokes...submissions, right?" - Wrong. It is the art of POSITIONS where I put my opponents in places that are so inferior and vulnerable that they fear ever returning to fight me.


So in terms of whether Jiu-Jitsu is a fighting art or a sport, I would say that it is successfully both and the better you get at the sport of Jiu-Jitsu, the more fluid, confident, and stronger you will be in your ability to execute the correct techniques at the right time in a street situation. The environment in the street is a dynamic one that can change very quickly from one second to the next. Training Jiu-Jitsu allows you to become comfortable regardless of the position you are in and control the situation so that you can end the fight on your terms. Always look to end the fight, not someone's life.