I have taken some heat in the past saying I don't believe in sport jiu jitsu, and that such a sport mindset can get you killed. I even suggested that true jiu jitsu isn't just grappling, but striking, too. A lot of people said I didn't know what I was talking about. I will let the words of Royce Gracie speak for themselves:
"When I tour the country and give seminars, I am surprised by how many people who are experts in sport jujitsu but do not know the most basic self-defense techniques of jiu-jitsu. The problem with this is that you can get a false sense of security from what you know. Just because you can handle yourself on the mat doesn’t mean you’ll know what to do when attacked. In that case, sport ju-jitsu can actually be a detriment because you’ll be overconfident. We were shocked by how many longtime students had completely forgotten, or even worse never learned, the very important self-defense aspects. For my father Helio,the self-defense moves are far more important than the sport moves. Every time I see him, he always tells me that students are not being taught enough self-defense moves.”– Royce Gracie, Grapple Magazine
That is why I have always been hard on what passes for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Gracie Jiu Jitsu isn't sport jiu jitsu, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu isn't fight jiu jitsu. That might seem overly simplistic, but that's the way I've always seen it. When someone says he practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I know he means jiu jitsu for NAGA, or some other mat event. Go back and read Royce's words.
