I Tried To Expose BJJ

- In 1993, Royce Gracie shocked the world when he won the first UFC with Brazilian jiu-jitsu. And ever since then, everyone thinks BJJ is the world's most effective martial art. But it's just a sport.

And it doesn't teach you how to fight without a referee, rules or time limits. Yet for some reason, it's the world's fastest growing martial art. And that's why I'm here at the world famous Gracie University because it's time to expose Brazilian jiu-jitsu and confront Mr Gracie himself.

So would you say that Modern jiu-jitsu has lost its way? But first. .

. I'm at the American Championships to talk to some athletes. Why do you practice jiu-jitsu?

- It's so much fun. - For the community sense. - It builds my mind mentally.

- Probably for the discipline. - Hmm. Turns out nobody practices jiu-jitsu for self-defense because they've all discovered the ugly truth.

- There's a big difference between violence and sports fighting. - Well, you know, it's not a complete sport, which is also the reason why I plan to do standup. - In a fight, we put jiu-jitsu to the side and we start brawling.

- (laughs) Really? All right. I've heard enough.

Time to experience jiu-jitsu myself. I have no idea what I'm doing here. I barely know any submissions, but I do know that I have to expose jiu-jitsu before somebody tries it on the street and gets themselves killed.

Suddenly, he appears. Ryron Gracie. Grandson of Helio Gracie, the founder of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

It's time to start rolling. - You're in my way. - How can we resolve this?

I'm so sorry. I'm gonna move my car. I don't even know why I parked there.

- I thought we would lie down on the ground and try to score points. Instead, we're pretending to be in an argument. Do we have a problem or- - No, we don't have a problem.

- With the goal of avoiding a fight using our words. - I'm sorry. I made a mistake.

I don't know what I was thinking. I can say that because deep down I know what? I'll choke him.

- Then we practice how to block a punch, take the opponent down, control them, choke him out and stand up. And I don't know what to think because this is not the jiu-jitsu I expected to learn. That's when I'm approached by the man himself.

- What's up man? You parked here? What's wrong with you, bro?

Why you parked in my parking spot. - After what seems like an eternity, the class is finally over and the only thing that got exposed was my own ignorance. Because I came here to get answers.

But all I have is more questions. There is only one thing left to do. This is not at all what I expected.

It feels a lot more like a self-defense class rather than a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class. And I don't really know how to feel about that. I mean, I like it, but is this jiu-jitsu?

I think I need to have a word with Mr Gracie himself. What just happened? 'Cause that is not what I expected from a jiu-jitsu class.

- Most people feel the same way who have only ever been exposed to jiu-jitsu that is very competition focused. - Mm-hmm. - Deep down there is something about, you know what, if I get in a fight tomorrow, it's nice to know that I can keep myself safe.

And when you teach people how they can use their words, I think it kind of gives men permission, especially men, because men sometimes feel like once altercation starts a little bit, they have to like puff their chest and it maybe even go hands on where the. . .

No, I'm so sorry. And if a punch is thrown, teach them how simply it can be defended using skeletal structure, using frames. - And why don't we see these kinds of things in other jiu-jitsu gyms or even tournaments?

- I think it has a lot to do with what excites people. - Uh-huh. - And today, there are a lot of amazing grapplers- - Yeah.

- Athletes, you get inspired by that. I want to be like that. Not realizing that that individual is one in a hundred thousand.

They'll never be anything near what that athlete is. But what they will experience is life, right? And in life you get into arguments with people, there is road rage.

It could be in a parking lot, it could be at school, it could be in the workplace, wherever it is, people say and do things that cross the line. - So would you say that modern jiu-jitsu has lost its way? - There are people who their focus is to score points and catch submissions, and win medals.

And for one phase of your life that might work, compared to somebody that practices jiu-jitsu without this. (knuckle thudding) - Mm-hmm. - Always having to dominate, always having to be on top, always having to score more points and catch more submissions.

When you create a training environment where you can be very energy efficient, very calm, there's no stress to win, just stay safe. You allow people to enjoy the martial arts for 20, 30, 40 years, which I believe is what happened a 100, 200, 300 years ago. People didn't do martial arts for four years, seven years.

Once you were in it, you were in it. And that's part of the reason why I believe my grandfather, Helio Gracie, was able to do jiu-jitsu for so long because of what he expected of himself, what it meant to do jiu-jitsu was much different than what you see today on social media. You see people fighting for 40 seconds.

It looks like two wild animals. I see some movement sometimes and I'm like, "Wow. " - Yeah.

- How do they move like that? (Jesse laughs) But then again, the millions of people in the world that wanna learn how to get out of a headlock or how to hold somebody down who's just attacked them. - Yeah.

- They're never gonna learn that at a school that focuses on 100% go, go, go, go. - Yeah. - Not that the school's not teaching it, they just won't last long enough.

- Could you help me understand the technical difference between sport jiu-jitsu and what you do? - So lay on your back right here. - Okay.

- How would someone go for an arm bar in the competitive world? They would probably start to grab onto the fabric- - Uh-huh. All right.

- And pull the fabric across. - Yeah. - Maybe frame my neck right here.

Put your foot on my hip and start to step around my head. Turn a little bit. - All right.

- Yeah. - Yeah. - Maybe that.

- Yeah. - Now you don't have to work that hard in a street fight. Number one, they're gonna come at you throwing strikes.

- Yes. - So our goal is to stay safe from the strikes. Let's say you're hugging my neck right here lightly.

- Okay. - They might start to push you away. So now you can simply create the angle and spin.

That was probably much easier. - Yes. - But there's a lot more risk because it is a fight.

- Yeah. - And they could actually scratch you. They could go for your eye, right?

- Yeah. - They could potentially knock you out. Another technique that we can talk about is a headlock.

- Okay? - So let's say I'm laying down and you sit on your hip right here on this hip, on the ground. - Yep.

- Now this is a very smart headlock. You see how you're controlling my arm? - Yeah.

Mm-hmm. - But think more headlock. The guy at the gas station who knows nothing, he's gonna wrap the neck.

- Oh, okay. So if I don't know anything- - Hold your own hand. - Right.

Right. - Then you go squeezing my neck. - Maybe like this?

- You don't understand the value of this arm. - No. - Or you could be pulling punches, so pull a punch.

- Right. - Oh, there. There you go.

So we know that a headlocks not a very smart thing to do in the grappling world if you go for a headlock. - Yeah. - People may very quickly like slip out.

Your back is very closely, it's very available. - Yeah. - But it doesn't mean that that's always possible.

So if you go for a headlock- - Yeah. - Instead, I'm gonna do this look. Go ahead.

Pull your head in closer. Hold. - Yeah.

It's kinda of hard. - There you go. - Yeah.

(laughs) - Helio Gracie, my grandfather. he would love to grab people that were like 270 pounds. - Uh-huh.

- Very strong people. - Yeah. - And he would say, "Hey, get me in a headlock.

" - Mm. - C'mon pull yourself closer. The more you pull, the more uncomfortable it is for you.

- Yeah. - Now my leg goes. - Oh.

(grunting) - So now I have both my legs around his neck. I can cross my feet, extend my legs and squeeze right here. Or I can climb up and go one, two, three, four.

Another move. Stand up please? Someone might strangle you by the neck.

- Mm. - Most people's first thought is to like, hit the arms. - Yeah.

- And fight the arms off the neck. Whereas in jiu-jitsu we teach this. - Whoop.

Oh. - Now there's more. Like for example, if you're standing neutral right here and I wrap you by your neck.

- Uh-huh. - Go ahead. One.

And now I'm gonna lower my head and. . .

- Whoop. (body thuds) - And now if the person happens to surprise you- - Okay. - And pull you backwards.

So soften the base. - Yeah. - And let's say I get here.

- Oh. - Take me down. - I can't.

- You can't. - No. - So now you wrap my neck.

So my goal is to always go, "Oh, he beat me. " From that, I go here (body thumps) in an angle. Let's do one more standing technique.

A front headlock guillotine. - Mm-hmm. - So if I wrap your neck like this.

- Yeah. - I can lift and crank on your throat right here. It could be very dangerous.

- Yes. - My head down wrap my neck. - Okay.

- Mm-hmm. That's it. So here's what I'm gonna do.

I hug your back. - Yeah. - Now as you attempt to choke me, go ahead.

I move to the side. - Yeah. - Now my knee buckles your knee.

(Jesse laughs) Now I use my arm, let go of my neck. Verbal commands, "let go of my neck! " There you go.

And now I slip out. - Hmm. - What kind of behaviors exist?

Someone trying to strangle you. - Yeah. - Somebody trying to pull your hair, reach for your face, punch you in the head.

For example, when you mount on someone in a street fight, the behaviors that you expect are that they push and that they twist. - Right. - A while.

. . - Somebody who's not playing the game with you.

- Yes. - They're not trying to shrimp out- - 100%. - So if that's all you do, what happens when you face somebody who doesn't act like that?

- Yes. - Then jiu-jitsu doesn't work? - So much so that when we did the class earlier.

And as soon as a take down happens, I try to like make the most random sit up and twisting and turning. - Right. - And that's hard for the students because they don't wanna burn energy.

So back to what I was saying is people train at jiu-jitsu schools and they grapple a lot and they are learning self-defense. But I would say it's a little bit incomplete. - Yes.

- It's 40% self-defense where the majority is not. - Yeah. - And I would say the majority is the way that they think because people will end up on the bottom of side control and try to escape for four minutes straight.

- Uh-huh. - How could you do that? There's no doubt that most people in your position, what do they want right now?

- Get out. - They wanna get outta here. If it's a striking situation and you can find an eye or a nostril or a hook fish to hook the mouth, maybe you get out.

- Yeah. - Maybe. Maybe you don't.

Maybe you fight for 20, 40 seconds, two minutes and then get tired. And then wonder why I don't have good endurance. I need to get in shape.

I need to lift weights. No. What you need is to understand.

Try one escape. Put me in your guard. Go for it.

Try, try, try. Okay, now stop. Once you try one escape and it doesn't work, now, hug my neck with this arm.

This hand holding behind your own head. There you go. So my arm is trapped.

So now you have stopped trying to escape. You have accepted that I am on top of you. And now you wait.

Now the ball is in my court. Okay? So now I'm thinking, you know what?

I want to attack. To attack, I need to create space. As I sit up to create space, now block my hip and put me in your guard, hip out and put, there you go.

And you put me inside your guard. - Right. - So this is something that every person that I meet that is from the sportive world, the competitive world of jiu-jitsu has a hard time doing- - Mm.

- Because what they're used to is fighting for 20, 30 seconds. And the problem is that when you escape, you tell yourself a story. - Yeah.

- And that story is if you work hard, you'll get out. - Yeah. Yeah.

- But that story is dangerous because it's not always true. I did a jiu-jitsu match maybe nine years ago against Josh Barnett, who's a very, very good catch wrestler. There was a point in the fight where he was.

. . I was on my back.

- Okay. - And I don't know the move too well. I think I was just kind of waiting and breathing.

And then I remember feeling like, you know what? I gotta do something. Like, I gotta go.

Mix it up. - Okay. - And then I did something where I kind of brought my leg around his head or body.

- Okay. - I'm not sure where his arm was to make that happen, but I believe he stepped over me and kind of fell back and crossed his legs around me and then attacked my foot and caught my foot. It's like he squeezed it, but he felt it get tight and he held it and I tapped right away, tap.

And this isn't to say that he can't beat me, but it's more to say that I lost. Someone makes a mistake. - Yes.

- And then the other person capitalizes. And my grandfather used to say, "You do what you can, not what you want. " - Mm-hmm.

- I grew up hearing that. Even my father said it, my whole life I've heard that. But it feels like in jiu-jitsu on the competitive world, we do what we want.

We're always fighting for what we want. We're not waiting for what's being given to us. - Right.

Mm-hmm. So that means you have to change your whole mindset? - You have to change your mindset.

It's probably the biggest gift that I can give anybody from that world of very go, go, go competitive jiu-jitsu is why are you going? Some people don't even compete in tournaments. - No.

- But still they've adopted this mindset- - Hmm. - Of having to go, go, go all the time. They don't even know why they're doing it.

- No. - The reason why is because it is what's taught in the culture of their school. Maybe 20%, maybe 5% of their friends compete.

So they're just playing along with them, but they don't compete. But still, when they shake my hand, they fight for their lives not to get their back pain to the ground or let me pass their guard. And they never want to be in the inferior position.

I was training a couple years ago with a guy, very good athlete, and I remember telling him saying, "Hey, let me start on top of you. " Because I couldn't get on top of him when we were grappling. MMA fighter very good.

But he was so confused about me saying, "Let me start on top. " - Mm. - But my thought process was, you're a professional athlete.

- Yeah. - You're gonna be fighting in two months. - Yeah.

- I just want to help you. Don't you want to be comfortable everywhere? - Right.

- Like is there a position that you try to avoid? - Yeah. - Because if there is, I would say that you should probably go straight there and hang out there a little more often.

- Let's say somebody is only doing traditional self-defense based jiu-jitsu. Would they benefit from going to a tournament and testing themselves? - When I say self-defense based, I mean, there's no clock.

That's the big thing, - Right. - Like there is no rush. - Mm.

- You can't just explode. - Yeah. - Because if you do that, you burn out.

Now you're exhausted two minutes later and you don't feel pressure to go, go, go and score a point or two or get a submission because you're down by four points. Most of our students here are learning that, that there's no rush. Now is it healthy for them?

Is it good for them to sometimes practice the go, go, go? The answer is yes. - Mm.

- Do they have to do that in a competition? - I don't think so. 'Cause you can have two guys train and say, listen, whoever's back is on the ground in two minutes, loses.

So it's very common that I've trained with professional athletes and they're like, "Wow. " Maybe they can't submit me. So I feel like there's a little bit of a.

. . Almost like "they're not that tough".

- Yeah, exactly. (laughs) - Which I kind of understand it. And I think people do that as a way to make themselves stand out.

- Yeah. - Because if I'm not that tough and you have eight gold medals on your wall or 10 trophies, you are obviously tough. So it's a way to like, "Hey, come over here.

They're not tough. Come over here. " Which I think even that people are starting to mature a little bit.

It's a general culture shift, right? People are a little bit less on the trash talking side- - Yeah. - And more on the.

. . Let me just do my job well.

- So if somebody is right now practicing a more sport oriented type of jiu-jitsu, how can they learn to bridge that gap and make it a way of life? - Think about things that may happen in a street fight when you want that there might be another school- - Hmm. - That can help you.

- Yeah. - And that's not disrespecting your instructor that you're currently with. - Hmm.

- That's just acknowledging that for that phase of your life, that person served you. So it's quite common that instructors get very protective. Like "how could you go train somewhere else?

" - Yeah. - Whereas we work very hard on not doing that because we have students of ours that have started here. But then you can tell they really want to compete.

- Yeah. - And they go train somewhere else. - Yeah.

- And I support them because I know that I can't take them there. Find a school where the students are working together to build each other- - Hmm. - Not building themselves on the other.

- Yeah. - Because sometimes the training environment is so competitive that the people that are not at the top, it's very difficult for them and they struggle. And you can spend months, and months, and months, if not years on the receiving end, never really seeing the light and being in the top positions, and you're always just being crushed, and crushed, and crushed.

Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of every technique all the time. - Mm. - So a school that teaches what you believe you need for yourself and people that wanna help you and build you and you'll have a blast.

- And just like that, my Brazilian jiu-jitsu investigation had come to an end. Well, it turns out jiu-jitsu is. .

. much more than I thought. And I guess that's a good thing?

'Cause that just proves there's always more to learn. I hope you agree.