The Olympics and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Part II

In our last installment we discussed the bureaucratic barriers to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s inclusion in the Olympic Games. Today, we’ll be looking at a few of the loopholes around those barriers.

In 2002, the IOC, passed a resolution limiting the number of sports in the Summer Olympic program to 28. Of those 28 spots, 25 are reserved for core sports. The remaining three spots are non-core sports and are changeable. The three current non-core sports are; Wrestling, Golf, and Rugby. Regardless of the year, it seems unlikely that the IOC would vote in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu over one of these other sports.

If you are familiar or active in the worldwide grappling community you may remember the uproar when Wrestling was dropped from the Olympic program. Wrestling probably won’t be dropped for several Olympics, and certainly not for another grappling sport with less niche-appeal.

It is further unlikely that Golf or Rugby would be dropped in favor of BJJ. Like Wrestling, Golf and Rugby have broader appeal. And while the IOC seems to have enjoy having a plethora of racket sports: Tennis, Table Tennis, and Badminton, there is no evidence to suggest that they would want another grappling sport.

However, there is a loophole. The Olympics allow multiple disciplines for a sport, if all those sports fall under the jurisdiction of the same international federation. Aquatics, run by FINA, is composed of Swimming, Diving, Synchronized Swimming, and Water Polo; Gymnastics, run by FIG, is composed of Artistic, Rhythmic, and Trampoline; Wrestling, run by FILA, is composed of Freestyle and Greco-Roman. This loophole affords us several unlikely options.

The best option, from a Jiu-Jiteiro’s position is the creation of an international federation for racket sports. The formation of a new IF for racket sports would fold Badminton, Table Tennis, and Tennis under its wings. It would also create two new core sport slots. However, this is also the least likely option to take place. Each of these sports has taken decades to reach the level of Olympic sport and would undoubtedly be against the combining of their three federations.

Another option is for the IOC and FILA to add Submission Wrestling to Wrestling. Of course, the governance of Submission Wrestling by FILA creates its own set of problems. We have no idea what FILA-sanctioned Submission Wrestling would look like. It probably would not resemble IBJJF Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Neither Freestyle or Greco-Roman Wrestling use the gi. It may not even resemble No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is much more likely that FILA Submission Wrestling would be akin to Catch Wrestling. Freestyle Wrestling has Catch roots. While this would undoubtedly thrill the Catch Wrestling aficionados, it would not satisfy the Jiu-Jiteiros.

Catch Wrestling, like nearly all other forms of grappling, places an emphasis on the top game. Like Freestyle and Greco-Roman, Catch matches can be won with a pin. Catch matches can also be won via submission. Joint locks are allowed in Catch, but strangleholds are not.

Another possible option, and one that could save the gi, is for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to join forces with Judo. But this would require the IBJJF and the IJF to reach an amicable settlement. Much like the aforementioned racket sports IF, the governing federations of both Judo and BJJ would have to decide to create a gi grappling federation. More importantly, and less likely, the Presidents and officers of each federation would have to be willing to step down and undergo a new election process. Again this forces Jiu-Jitsu players to confront the manipulation of their beloved sport.

Like FILA Submission Wrestling, we have no clue what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu run, at least partly, by Judokas would look like. Nearly annually, the IJF changes the rules of Judo. First, it was banning pick-ups and leg-grabs (techniques similar to Single- and Double-Legs in Wrestling). Then it was placing time limits on particularly dominant grips (belt grips or over the shoulder grips may only be held for three seconds) or outlawing them outright (Judo practitioners are now only allowed to grab their opponents pants to counter a throw). Now, Judokas are no longer permitted to use a two-on-one grip break (that is to say that they can’t use two hands to break a grip). Personally, I would rather have Jiu-Jitsu stay out of the Olympics than be bastardized in the way that Judo has been by the IJF, but this is solely my opinion.

As in our previous post about Olympic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it becomes clear that BJJ’s addition to the Olympic program is a long way off. More importantly, if Jiu-Jitsu does become an Olympic sport, it may not be the sport we want it to be.

On Adaptation

“You will adapt to Jiu-Jitsu, and Jiu-Jitsu will adapt to you.”

- Unknown

I have heard this quote spoken in gyms and academies across the country, but I have been unable to find the source. It is so prevalent that I think it must be from the first generation of Jiu-Jiteiros. Or it was stolen from another art. The beauty of this thought is that it can apply to nearly any activity.

There is a physiological adaptation to everything that we do. The human body has been designed by something -- whether it is evolution, God, or something else is irrelevant to this discussion -- to be a compensation machine. When you sit at your desk and type away at your computer, your body is learning ways to do it better. When you stand at a prep table and dice vegetables, your body is learning to do it better. When you play video games for hours at a time, you body is learning to do it better. Your body will round your spine to rely on solid, bony structures instead of pliable muscle. Or your body will adjust to standing eight hours a day, and your knife hand will become faster. Or your body will learn where all the buttons are so you’re not constantly looking at the controller.

What are the physiological changes that occur when you grapple? You will begin to lose body fat. You will begin to develop lean muscle mass. Your heart and your lungs will become physically larger. Your resting heart rate will decrease. Your bones will increase in density. You will become more flexible. But the mental and emotional adaptations that you will undergo are even greater. Confidence will be built in knowing that you are capable of physically subduing another human being. Mental strength will be developed through determination to drill and compete. Compassion will be established in helping others learn. And self-acceptance will be found in creating a style for yourself.

In his famous interview with Pierre Barton, Bruce Lee said that “all types of knowledge ultimately mean self knowledge.” Taken a step further, all types of expression ultimately are self expression. In Jiu-Jitsu, as in other sports, a style or game is developed based on one’s strengths and weaknesses. One’s style is typically composed of moves that resonate with the individual. It could be something discovered by accident: the first move that worked when sparring; or deliberately chosen to solve a problem: dealing with a taller or stronger opponent.

Regardless of how it comes about, the moment when your style becomes a reflection of you is beautiful and reaffirming. We are all different. Humans come in all sorts of different sizes, shapes, and lever lengths. Because of these differences we have a tendency to place value or pass judgment on ourselves and others based on size or shape. I have found grappling and Jiu-Jitsu to be a panacea for this sort of thinking.

Everybody and every body type has the potential to be great at Jiu-Jitsu. I am tall, lanky, and underweight for my height. But I can get ankle and knee picks from just about anywhere. I have hit Triangles on men more than twice my bodyweight. My skinny arms can fit into nearly any crevice, and have Rear Naked Choked everybody at my gym except for Professor. It sounds silly to say out loud, but Jiu-Jitsu has taught me how to express myself, love myself and love my body. And for that reason I will always love Jiu-Jitsu.