Is Ju-Jitsu cool?

Well here we go. School is back on, and I am out of my summer hibernation.
Back to the story.
On November 12, 1993 I was in Ottawa helping my friend move from Fredericton. During one of our many breaks, we turned on the television and I see a commercial for a Martial Arts tournament in Denver, Colorado!
The world of Martial Arts had changed forever!
The UFC was born.

Now this was 1993; the internet was still a baby. All we had was this commercial that was on every 3 or 4 hours on the same channel.
I was shocked.
After being told for years that my Karate and Ju-Jutsu training, was for self-defense and fitness only; when you see everything that you have learned getting use in the most realistic way as possible, it’s a bit of a shock!
Enter the popularity of Ju-Jutsu “or if you would rather Jiujitsu”.
The Gracie family was instrumental in promoting Ju-Jitsu. The goal of the UFC was to show that in a real combat situation Ju-Jitsu will always win! That was the reason for this tournament.
Now we all know what became of the UFC – but what about Ju-Jitsu? The most efficient martial art in the world is now turning toward tournaments and fitness. Students are learning how to stall a fight or get points. Everything is based on grappling and old school teachers are forgetting how to teach self-defense!
Tournaments are great but if you are only learning how to score points, good luck telling the guy in a street fight trying to tear you a new #$## %% that he is cheating. It won’t end well for you!
I still get calls for Ju-Jitsu classes asking if we do grappling. I say yes we do incorporate some ground fighting in our system. This is sometimes followed by a moment of silence because some people think that Ju-Jitsu is all just fighting on the ground. (From what I understand BJJ is ground fighting . I could be wrong, but this is the impression I get).
Ju-Jitsu is what we can call the Swiss Army Knife of Martial Arts. It was developed to defend yourself on the battlefield, in any situation. Wearing clothes, armor, in the snow or in the mud it is a very broad art. This is why it takes a long time to earn a Black Belt.
Ju-Jitsu teaches how to fight with only one rule: SURVIVE.

No points, no referee, no rules just SURVIVE!
Now I am not knocking other schools or organization, and I respect good intentions. I just see some schools change their whole curriculum just to be like the guy on TV or YOUTUBE!
The Indian Merchant that taught the Shaolin Monks Martial Arts, wanted them to improve their health and give them the ability to defend themselves – not win championship belts on pay per view.

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Want to learn about martial arts history? Read a book, DON’T GOOGLE IT!

Marc Paradis
Paradis Martial Arts