Remember when BJJ was cool...

Sometime in prehistory (ca. late 90s/early 2000s) Brazilian jiu-jitsu was cool. Getting a blue belt was a big thing. No butt-scooting or instant guard-pulling. No fancy competition techniques that would get you hurt in self-defense/real fight scenario. Practitioners were tougher than today. Basics ruled.

I don’t know what happened. Perhaps it was money, sport rules or what.

I guarantee you didn’t start BJJ in late 90’s or early 2000’s.

lol why the hell do some say such things?  I honestly don't get people caring more about what some do instead of focusing on their own training.  Hell most bitching about competition techniques I would wager barely train and would get smoked by most competitive purple belts even if they are a black belt.

Romo Detector 2015 - I guarantee you didn't start BJJ in late 90's or early 2000's.

Why so? Got into BJJ through Mousels/bjj.org/adcombat and other early websites, first rolled in a gi (good old Machados Kimono) in 1999.

It's as popular as ever before probably more. The level of competition is very high. Top Bjj athletes are able to make a living from it through seminars etc. I'd say it's still cool even if the rule sets make for some lame trends.

Tell that to the thousands of people I witnessed at the Kid's Pans this past weekend. I watched kids pull off some pretty "cool" shit. The sport is blowing up. I started in '93 and love where we are today.

Barry Soetoro Jr - Sometime in prehistory (ca. late 90s/early 2000s) Brazilian jiu-jitsu was cool. Getting a blue belt was a big thing. No butt-scooting or instant guard-pulling. No fancy competition techniques that would get you hurt in self-defense/real fight scenario. Practitioners were tougher than today. Basics ruled.

I don’t know what happened. Perhaps it was money, sport rules or what.

I wish the gym I train at had a self defense based class, they “sprinkle it on” here and there, which is better than nothing. 

Hunter V -

lol why the hell do some say such things?  I honestly don't get people caring more about what some do instead of focusing on their own training.  Hell most bitching about competition techniques I would wager barely train and would get smoked by most competitive purple belts even if they are a black belt.

Depending on the rules....

I think BJJ is cooler now than ever before, lots more quality gyms, teams, lots of tournaments, lots of very high quality instructional videos and I think the quality of teaching has improved a lot allowing students to get good more quickly and accelerate the evolution of the sport 

A better question would be how long will it stay 'cool', seems like it's getting to the point where now everyone knows about it and may lose some of its appeal  

 

GaspareBJJ -
Hunter V -

lol why the hell do some say such things?  I honestly don't get people caring more about what some do instead of focusing on their own training.  Hell most bitching about competition techniques I would wager barely train and would get smoked by most competitive purple belts even if they are a black belt.

Depending on the rules....

depending on rules? I bet the top blue belt back in the day had sub-par ground technique, sloppy wrestling/judo and clinchwork, and basic rudimentary striking. Threw all that together and called themself badass because no one else knew what they knew

Today, the top blue belts are much more athletic and come up in a much deeper competiton pool with basics that have been refined over the years. I know for a fact many high level blue belts that cross train as a supplement to BJJ as their primary activity, in boxing/muay thai since access to high level striking training is much easier today than it was back in 1990/2000 along with the old mentality of training only "jiujitsu" to be pure. That I thought, was the most utter garbage thnking of that era. and I guarantee even though the "new" school blue belts pull guard frequently, they have better level of takedowns than those back then. 

Keep telling yourself the old days was better

Thomas Edison invented the motion camera and the lightbulb and made major headway into those as products. Because he originated it and started it, he's supposed to have the best ever and can't change it because it's pure right? No way. ANyone thinking that would be majorly ridiculed today.

Going with the same logic as above for good reason, I don't see why so many of the Gracie Academy group idolize Helio so much where they say they are learning from "the source" and thats the best ever and shouldnt be changed.  Outdated thinking

It was so damn cool, that went people asked what sports I played, they thought I was coming out of the closet. 

Wait I'll show you, get between my legs... 

No! The only thing that  you need to posture up and drive your hips I to me!

mideastgrappler -
GaspareBJJ -
Hunter V -

lol why the hell do some say such things?  I honestly don't get people caring more about what some do instead of focusing on their own training.  Hell most bitching about competition techniques I would wager barely train and would get smoked by most competitive purple belts even if they are a black belt.

Depending on the rules....

depending on rules? I bet the top blue belt back in the day had sub-par ground technique, sloppy wrestling/judo and clinchwork, and basic rudimentary striking. Threw all that together and called themself badass because no one else knew what they knew

Today, the top blue belts are much more athletic and come up in a much deeper competiton pool with basics that have been refined over the years. I know for a fact many high level blue belts that cross train as a supplement to BJJ as their primary activity, in boxing/muay thai since access to high level striking training is much easier today than it was back in 1990/2000 along with the old mentality of training only "jiujitsu" to be pure. That I thought, was the most utter garbage thnking of that era. and I guarantee even though the "new" school blue belts pull guard frequently, they have better level of takedowns than those back then. 

Keep telling yourself the old days was better

Thomas Edison invented the motion camera and the lightbulb and made major headway into those as products. Because he originated it and started it, he's supposed to have the best ever and can't change it because it's pure right? No way. ANyone thinking that would be majorly ridiculed today.

Going with the same logic as above for good reason, I don't see why so many of the Gracie Academy group idolize Helio so much where they say they are learning from "the source" and thats the best ever and shouldnt be changed.  Outdated thinking

What about a hobbiest blue belt that doesnt cross train vs a blue belt from back in the day, in a self defense/“fight” situation. Ive trained at a ton of gyms, most hobbiest blues Ive trained with do not have great takedowns and struggle escaping a headlock. 

The past is very over romanticized as far as what people were trained to do and capable of executing. 

GaspareBJJ -
Barry Soetoro Jr - Sometime in prehistory (ca. late 90s/early 2000s) Brazilian jiu-jitsu was cool. Getting a blue belt was a big thing. No butt-scooting or instant guard-pulling. No fancy competition techniques that would get you hurt in self-defense/real fight scenario. Practitioners were tougher than today. Basics ruled.

I don’t know what happened. Perhaps it was money, sport rules or what.

I wish the gym I train at had a self defense based class, they “sprinkle it on” here and there, which is better than nothing. 

take a MMA class, better than that SD bs

i like the modern BJJ gyms. especially at this point in my life.

the instruction is better, the gyms are cleaner, the training is safer.

but i get what OP is saying. i wouldn’t say the old days were “cool” but they were definitely different.

back in the day, BJJ gyms were for fighters. at least where i was from. everybody in the gym was tough and was down to scrap. the only people who trained were people looking to learn how to really fight (in the cage or on the street). it was like a fight club.

now things are definitely different. most people train for fun. it’s become a hip sport. i’d say most of the people in most gyms have never been in a fight and probably never will. not that this is a bad thing. it’s just different.

GaspareBJJ -
mideastgrappler -
GaspareBJJ -
Hunter V -

lol why the hell do some say such things?  I honestly don't get people caring more about what some do instead of focusing on their own training.  Hell most bitching about competition techniques I would wager barely train and would get smoked by most competitive purple belts even if they are a black belt.

Depending on the rules....

depending on rules? I bet the top blue belt back in the day had sub-par ground technique, sloppy wrestling/judo and clinchwork, and basic rudimentary striking. Threw all that together and called themself badass because no one else knew what they knew

Today, the top blue belts are much more athletic and come up in a much deeper competiton pool with basics that have been refined over the years. I know for a fact many high level blue belts that cross train as a supplement to BJJ as their primary activity, in boxing/muay thai since access to high level striking training is much easier today than it was back in 1990/2000 along with the old mentality of training only "jiujitsu" to be pure. That I thought, was the most utter garbage thnking of that era. and I guarantee even though the "new" school blue belts pull guard frequently, they have better level of takedowns than those back then. 

Keep telling yourself the old days was better

Thomas Edison invented the motion camera and the lightbulb and made major headway into those as products. Because he originated it and started it, he's supposed to have the best ever and can't change it because it's pure right? No way. ANyone thinking that would be majorly ridiculed today.

Going with the same logic as above for good reason, I don't see why so many of the Gracie Academy group idolize Helio so much where they say they are learning from "the source" and thats the best ever and shouldnt be changed.  Outdated thinking

What about a hobbiest blue belt that doesnt cross train vs a blue belt from back in the day, in a self defense/“fight” situation. Ive trained at a ton of gyms, most hobbiest blues Ive trained with do not have great takedowns and struggle escaping a headlock. 

Ok, fair enough. I was thinking at the top of the food chian level.

I do agree, especially with your statement of most people don't know how to escape a headlock. It isn't taught much nowadays and I think that is the one most useful part of SD training, as most combat sport martial arts even wrestling/judo don't deal with it as much because it's not something a "skilled" opponent would use, but can be devastating if left unchecked.

Earlier, you said "I wish the gym I train at had a self defense based class, they “sprinkle it on” here and there, which is better than nothing. "

Waht do you mean by that? I'm curious about some examples. 

hizzo -
GaspareBJJ -
Barry Soetoro Jr - Sometime in prehistory (ca. late 90s/early 2000s) Brazilian jiu-jitsu was cool. Getting a blue belt was a big thing. No butt-scooting or instant guard-pulling. No fancy competition techniques that would get you hurt in self-defense/real fight scenario. Practitioners were tougher than today. Basics ruled.

I don’t know what happened. Perhaps it was money, sport rules or what.

I wish the gym I train at had a self defense based class, they “sprinkle it on” here and there, which is better than nothing. 

take a MMA class, better than that SD bs

For sure, but we are talking jiujitsu here. I wouldnt call self defense bullshit

mideastgrappler -
GaspareBJJ -
mideastgrappler -
GaspareBJJ -
Hunter V -

lol why the hell do some say such things?  I honestly don't get people caring more about what some do instead of focusing on their own training.  Hell most bitching about competition techniques I would wager barely train and would get smoked by most competitive purple belts even if they are a black belt.

Depending on the rules....

depending on rules? I bet the top blue belt back in the day had sub-par ground technique, sloppy wrestling/judo and clinchwork, and basic rudimentary striking. Threw all that together and called themself badass because no one else knew what they knew

Today, the top blue belts are much more athletic and come up in a much deeper competiton pool with basics that have been refined over the years. I know for a fact many high level blue belts that cross train as a supplement to BJJ as their primary activity, in boxing/muay thai since access to high level striking training is much easier today than it was back in 1990/2000 along with the old mentality of training only "jiujitsu" to be pure. That I thought, was the most utter garbage thnking of that era. and I guarantee even though the "new" school blue belts pull guard frequently, they have better level of takedowns than those back then. 

Keep telling yourself the old days was better

Thomas Edison invented the motion camera and the lightbulb and made major headway into those as products. Because he originated it and started it, he's supposed to have the best ever and can't change it because it's pure right? No way. ANyone thinking that would be majorly ridiculed today.

Going with the same logic as above for good reason, I don't see why so many of the Gracie Academy group idolize Helio so much where they say they are learning from "the source" and thats the best ever and shouldnt be changed.  Outdated thinking

What about a hobbiest blue belt that doesnt cross train vs a blue belt from back in the day, in a self defense/“fight” situation. Ive trained at a ton of gyms, most hobbiest blues Ive trained with do not have great takedowns and struggle escaping a headlock. 

Ok, fair enough. I was thinking at the top of the food chian level.

I do agree, especially with your statement of most people don't know how to escape a headlock. It isn't taught much nowadays and I think that is the one most useful part of SD training, as most combat sport martial arts even wrestling/judo don't deal with it as much because it's not something a "skilled" opponent would use, but can be devastating if left unchecked.

Earlier, you said "I wish the gym I train at had a self defense based class, they “sprinkle it on” here and there, which is better than nothing. "

Waht do you mean by that? I'm curious about some examples. 

So we will learn basic self defense tactics: block punch to clinch, escape head locks etc. but id say 98% of the classes is sport based (which is WAY more fun) but as a smaller guy, putting time and effort into a martial art, I wish I felt more comfortable in a street/self defense situation. 

So saying I wish my gym had self defense based classes id say a class, maybe half sport and half self defense or even combat bjj. Then advanced class on all sport, as Im sure 99% of the guys who train are in it for the sport and self defense is boring. 

I dont think a self defense class would attract a lot of people though, so I understand why a lot of gyms dont do it. 

Terry Maxwell - 

Tell that to the thousands of people I witnessed at the Kid's Pans this past weekend. I watched kids pull off some pretty "cool" shit. The sport is blowing up. I started in '93 and love where we are today.

Lol I just made a post on the Helio thread about kids pans… I was there too. I was blown away at the talent level of freakin GREY belts! The future of jiu-jitsu is definitely bright.

hizzo - 
GaspareBJJ -
Barry Soetoro Jr - Sometime in prehistory (ca. late 90s/early 2000s) Brazilian jiu-jitsu was cool. Getting a blue belt was a big thing. No butt-scooting or instant guard-pulling. No fancy competition techniques that would get you hurt in self-defense/real fight scenario. Practitioners were tougher than today. Basics ruled.

I don’t know what happened. Perhaps it was money, sport rules or what.

I wish the gym I train at had a self defense based class, they “sprinkle it on” here and there, which is better than nothing. 

take a MMA class, better than that SD bs

EXACTLY!..the problem with jiujtisu.

It’s stupid game now