Interesting Article on the Top Finishers in BJJ

All the major adult tournaments are over (Master Worlds in September: can I get a hell yeah) and Bjj Heroes has an interesting article on the top finishers for the year.

There are a number of names that I’m not surprised to find on there, such as Faria, Galvao- but I was actually surprised by some of the other names on the list: particularly Cornelius, the Miyao brothers and Caio Terra.

I also appreciate that the site explained why women’s stats were excluded. It sucks, but at least there was some method to the madness.

Check it out, let me know what you think- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

Reactions to the Equal Prize Money for IBJJF Black Belt League

Sigh.

Ok, so soon after the announcement that men and women would receive the same amount of prize money for the IBJJF’s Black Belt League, most people welcomed the news with positive statements and support for the decision. A few people (particularly men, from what I’ve seen) however raised an issue with this, stating that women should not be paid as much as men.

Which frankly, I’m not surprised: there’s always going to be that minority that disagrees: either for legitimate reasons, or just to be an opposing voice in the crowd.

I understand the argument they are trying to pose: that women don’t have as many competitors in their division, so the prize amount should not be as great. I understand the argument, but I don’t agree with it- as many others have pointed out, based on that logic blue and purple belts should receive the lion’s share of prize money, since they have the most people in their divisions and would have to fight the most amount of people to reach first place.

Personally, if anything, making the prize money equal for both genders only benefits the sport, and particularly the IBJJF organization. It offers (hopefully) enough of an incentive for female black belts to continue to compete in these events, knowing there is a chance they could win just as much as a man could- at the very least there’s the recognition that their efforts and sacrifices in the sport are worth just as much as their male counterparts.

Let me know what you think-otherwise, have a great day everyone!

IBJJF Offering Same Prize for Males and Females for the Black Belt League

Well would you look at that.

According to GracieMag, the IBJJF is offering the same amount of prize money to the top male AND female members of the Black Belt League.

It’s definitely a step in the right direction: check out the article and have a great day everyone!

New York Open Results

Good morning everyone! This past weekend I competed in the summer NY Open: I don’t talk a lot about the tournaments I compete in (other than Pans) but it was kind of important, mainly because it’s the first time I’ve competed since I injured myself during, and right after Pans. It was a long, unbearably hot day (like no joke, apparently one competitor passed out from the heat) but it went pretty quickly.

Well, anyway, my teammates fought hard, had some awesome sweeps and great takedowns, and a number of us received medals. I had one competitor in my weight division, lost on points, registered for the open (since I was still able to qualify) fought one other girl and the girl from my division, won both fights and received gold for the absolute. Hooray!

If they gave awards for being the shortest competitor, I totally would have won that as well.

Overall it was a hot, but pretty great day. Anyone else compete this weekend? Let me know- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

Article on Jiu Jitsu Outgrowing the IBJJF

Bloody Elbow published an interesting article about how (professional) jiu jitsu is outgrowing tournaments run by the IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu JItsu Federation, for anyone who isn’t sure). As the sport grows, as jiu jitsu players turn professional and more events offer super fights and a cash prize, the IBJJF will become more irrelevant.

I agree with the author- while I think a number of higher competitors will continue to register for these events, these events will no longer be a high priority. As discussed in the article, we’re already seeing this trend with some of the bigger names in jiu jitsu: if there is a tournament to prepare for that will pay cash, competitors will opt out of the IBJJF tournaments.

I think there is still value in the IBJJF “brand” (for lack of a better term). There is still the impression of prestige to these events, but the organization is going to have to step up their game and offer more financial incentives if they want to keep star power at the larger tournaments. I think they have taken a step in the right direction with the BJJ Pro tournaments, in which winners are given a cash prize-  I just hope it’s only the beginning to something more, and not the only action the IBJJF is willing to take.

What do you guys think? Let me know- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

2015 Worlds: The Dark Horse Competitors

Hey everyone, BJJ Heroes has a list of the “Dark Horse” Competitors for IBJJF Worlds this year.

Check it out, and have a great day everyone!

New IBJJF Rules: No Horseplay, No 50/50 Advantages, and No Sports Bra Exposure?

So IBJJF put out some new rules this week that have some people thrilled, others enraged, and a lot of us just scratching out heads.

You can check out the rules page on their site, but one of the updates includes “When one or both of the athlete’s disregard the seriousness of the competition by performing actions simulating or faking combat.”

So, no intimidating your opponent with your sick Karate Kid moves during the match. Fair enough.

Also a new development, advantages (for those who aren’t familiar with the term, it’s an “almost” point) will no longer be awarded for the 50/50 guard. And no suplexes.

Two of the more head scratching updates include white belts no longer being allowed to jump guard, which is odd, and the requirement for women to now wear a rashguard, singlet or leotard set up under the gi. Personally, I’m a little confused by the former, and not really phased by the latter. In regards to the guard jumping, maybe one too many white belts got slammed on their backs? Missed the hips and fell on their opponent’s knees? Again, I’m not really sure about the method behind the madness here.

In regards to the rash guard- I typically wear a tank top under my gi in competition, so it really doesn’t make much of a difference to me. There are some women out there that really have a problem with this- from what little chatter I’ve read on Facebook, some have a problem with the idea of overheating, and someone suggested there be an increase in the weight cut off to account for the additional garment. I don’t particularly agree with either statement, but everyone is entitled to their opinion and welcome to voice their concerns. Some also mentioned a double standard, which I can see, and maybe the solution is to require all competitors to wear rashguards under their gis. I don’t think it would be a popular solution, but it’s something to consider.

What do you guys think about these updates? Let me know- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

Happy Friday! Respectful Competitor Edition

Happy Friday everyone!

If there is one thing you could say about the jiu jitsu community, it’s that for the most part its participants and competitors are tremendously respectful, particularly at the higher levels.

GracieMag recently published an article about how one competitor, Monique Elias of Alliance, injured her ankle during one of her matches at Pans. And, true to the character of a jiu jitsu player (aka, being stubborn as all hell), Elias decided to continuing to compete even with her injury.

The tournament continued, and none of her competitors went after the ankle- which, it didn’t even occur to me until it was mentioned in the article, but technically it’s not illegal to attack an injured limb.

It’s the respect they had for her- and for their own technique, I feel, that made everyone avoid her injured ankle. Everyone wants to win, obviously, but they also want to show their skill, and respect their fellow competitors. Personally it wouldn’t even occur to me to attack an injured limb- if anything, in all honesty I would try to avoid it at all costs. What sort of skill and technique mastery are you displaying by intentionally exacerbating an existing injury?

I’m totally going to geek out on all of you for a second, I’d like to think jiu jitsu players take a page from Firefly character Malcolm Reynolds’ book. In one scene a character asks if Reynolds will shoot him in his sleep:

Have a great weekend everyone!

Competing in Pans? Review the Updated IBJJF Rules

Everyone talked about this a while ago, about how the rules were going to change for IBJJF tournaments. I vaguely remember what was going to be changed, but considering I can’t remember what I discussed with someone last weekend, let alone things that were discussed months and months ago, my memory of what’s allowed now and what’s not is a bit fuzzy.

Thankfully, the IBJJF not only has the updated rule book on their site, but also a handy dandy cheat sheet to review what updates have been made, so you don’t have to read the whole thing over again.

Check it out, particularly if you are planning on competing at Pans next week or at an IBJJF tournament anytime soon!

The Curious Case of the IBJJF Background Check Policy

Georgette recently wrote about the sort of confusing situation regarding the IBJJF and their attempt to implement background checks, among other things.

Admittedly, the language is a bit misleading: on the website it’s implied that any black belt looking to register, or renew their membership with the IBJJF  needs to perform a background check. However, when looking further, that is apparently not the case. The background check only applies to those who wish to register to be an IBJJF Certified black belt, or wish to continue to be considered certified: background checks have no effect on the membership of a black belt who simply registers and wishes to compete.

So what are the benefits of being certified? Honestly, other than your name on their website, I have no idea. If you run your own academy and wish to be recognized by the IBJJF, then maybe, but otherwise I’m really not sure what benefits one gains from being a “certified black belt” with the organization. It’s not like they offer catastrophic insurance like the USJA does.

I think IBJJF is starting to get on the right track in certain areas, but there lacks a certain cohesiveness to their policy when it comes to their members, particularly their black belts.

What do you guys think? Let me know- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

*Edit- I screwed up the title guys, it’s now corrected. My bad.