CJI proved butt scooting is here to stay

   I propose that the people that hate butt scooting and guard play do not understand what the sport of jiu jitsu actually is. 

  To define what sport jiu jitsu is, it may be wise to start with what it is not. It is not a self defense scenario. It is not MMA. It is not wrestling. It is not boxing. It is not Sambo.    The sport of jiu jitsu, at its heart, is grappling with an emphasis on submission of your opponent. No matter the governing body or event, the submission is always key. You get a submission you win on every jiu jitsu platform.    It is not easy to submit a well trained opponent, therefore  judges or referees are told criteria to look out for that is a little easier to acquire. Progress from a neutral spot to a technically more advantageous spot is rewarded. As an example, passing a guard or getting back control normally leads to points or advantages in the judges eyes. We have set these points in place for a couple reasons. First, if all tournaments were submission only, no tournaments would make money and competitors would be waiting at the venue for 37 hours just for their bracket to end. Additionally, from a spectator point of view, many times in submission only, the competitors get tired and simply don’t do much. This makes for a really boring spectator sport.

   While I understand why high energy movement is more fun to watch, I also understand that at times it will not be high energy.  Let’s think about other sports. Most baseball players can not hit home runs consistently. Not all boxers are knock out artists. Not all basketball plays are fast breaks. Those sports have evolved all sorts of different styles of playing their particular sport to win. Those different styles allow different personalities to shine. 

   If you only like the home run hitters then you are not a fan of baseball, just the exciting parts. If you only watch Nascar for the crashes you are not a true Nascar fan. Sports offer many different perspectives along a journey of a game. Like life, the more that you can appreciate the beauty at any given time the more you will enjoy that time.

   For the haters of guard pullers I can tell you this with a reasonable amount of certainty.  As long as the sport of jiu jitsu revolves around the submission we will have guard pulling. Learn to appreciate it. You will be joyful not only when you see a match like Kade Rotoulo vs Andrew Tacket but also when you see people like Levi Jones-Leary work his guard magic. If you learn to appreciate all of the nuance that these incredible athletes have developed in jiu jitsu, the sport becomes a little more magic to watch.

   If you train sport jiu jitsu, don’t limit yourself to just butt scooting, or just take down, pass, submit. Learn it all facets of the sport. Be creative in your movements and string ideas together to create your own art, whether it starts on your butt or not.