Traditional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

What many martial arts enthusiasts and prospective practitioners eventually came to dislike about "traditional" martial arts or "TMA" wasn't necessarily the "effectiveness" (whatever that means). I would argue it was the gatekeeping and tribalism. What initially seemed liberatory about Brazilian jiu-jitsu or BJJ was that your rank was based on how good you were at sparring. It seemed matter-of-fact, direct, and literal—based on physical rules rather than jargon and metaphorical language. The goals seemed clear, easy to understand, and within your control. You weren't tested on techniques or memorization but on results. Rather than loyalty, dogma, or in-group fealty, you just trained. Similar to the meritocracy and fairness of competitive sports.

People don't realize it now, but back in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, BJJ seemed like a radical departure from traditional martial arts pedagogy. Its structure was closer to modern sports science and coaching practices. But all the "tradition" has come back, including ritual hazing like belt whipping.

BJJ, as reactionary as its origin was, either used descriptive names or names based on people, so it would be both helpful and easy to memorize. Now it's gone back to the nomenclature of what people initially didn't like about "traditional" arts, making them feel out of the loop until they get in the inner circle. Now the instructor matters even more because they're the decoder of guarded knowledge. It used to be anyone who was there longer than you could be your teacher. Now the cultish "sensei" is back but with even more deference. Income, athleticism, durability, and affinity for toxic training spaces are the gates.

Teaching should be so everyone can learn. So use the language everyone will understand. But that's no longer the goal of teaching, even in "nontraditional" martial arts. Instead, it's a sorting system, teaching and catering to the "elites" in the room until that's all who are left. Just as gentrified yoga and Pilates studios don't create tall, white, slender women, sorting systems only select for the types they are seeking. It's an illusion of "improvement" when what's really happening is a selection process. What are we even unconsciously seeing as "improvement"? Oppressive Western standards of excellence and eugenics. Unfortunately, capitalism plays to our trauma and triggers guilt and shame for who we think we ought to be and profits from it.

"Teaching" in martial arts is often selling and initiation. Many of the "nontraditional" arts promote the same conservative traditions and mythical past as the "traditional." White BJJ reactionaries aren't using Japanese aesthetics to be "authentic." It's to undo universal and common language and culture and realign the art with imperialism and feudal cops/soldiers. Then being an art for cops, elites, and the military rather than common people isn't a contradiction but tradition. The gym becomes a private monarchy. A return to tradition.

What many Americans initially liked about BJJ over the other popular martial arts in the West was no bowing, no pictures of masters, no having to learn Japanese, Chinese, or Korean words to participate, and just being met where you are. That's mostly gone now.

BJJ and many other "nontraditional" arts are becoming the worst of both worlds. Combining conservative, gatekeeping traditions with modern rightwing masculinity and white supremacist culture, and unironically sharing "reject modernity, embrace tradition" memes.

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