Sometimes people will talk about ‘modern’ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Whether this is a good or a bad thing, the point stands that some people are very opinionated on what modern BJJ is exactly. For instance, older practitioners may talk badly about modern Jiu Jitsu and insinuate that it isn’t effective against old school BJJ.
Similarly, you may hear new guys claim that modern Jiu Jitsu can be superior to the older stuff as it’s more advanced and technical. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. The old stuff still works but it may be a good idea to verse yourself in how the modern game works at least for defending it if nothing else. With this said, what is modern Jiu Jitsu exactly?
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Most of modern BJJ is actually playing guard
Interestingly, old styles of guard passing have never been more popular and there isn’t anything completely new which has came and completely changed the top game. Perhaps the most recent advancement in modern passing styles has been the Ruotolo leg pin or Gordon Ryan’s floating pass.
Nonetheless, the floating pass has been around for a while – and although the leg pin looks solid, it currently hasn’t taken off on a global scale. Whilst this may yet happen, the point is that where passing is concerned, most people stick to the old methods. That’s not to say passing has been solved as a theory, but for now at least it’s been the same for years.
We know this due to the sheer number of high level athletes that we’ve interviewed. Basically, almost all of these use some form of pressure passing. This typically involves stacking, under over, leg drags or knee slices. In brief, there’s no real difference between these moves from today and when they first formed many years ago. Whilst the technique and quality of passing methods may have advanced considerably, fundamentally passing is still the same.
Modern BJJ mostly revolves around the guard
Examples of modern BJJ include berimbolos, worm guard, crab rides, matrix and the saddle advancement. These moves have all came out in the past 10-15 years and are all relatively new compared to the old school moves. For instance, before the Mendes brothers, berimbolos weren’t really done (at least not on a mass scale), neither was worm guard before Keenan Cornelius. Elsewhere, the saddle was a known move but was actually seen as an inferior position; whereas the likes of John Danaher reinvented the position and proved it could be very powerful.
It could also be argued that modern BJJ began with the evolution of the 50/50 guard. This guard entered BJJ slightly before the likes of berimbolos but hasn’t been around too long either. It was birthed out of strategy to help win sports Jiu Jitsu which gained criticism from older players who saw it as boring, slow and ineffective in a real combat situation. Regardless of your thoughts on the controversy of 50/50, it’s now a regular position and was possibly the birthplace of the term modern Jiu Jitsu.
Is modern Jiu Jitsu bad?
This question may be asked wrong. Instead, it should be asked whether a position or move is fundamentally sound or not. The answer to this is that most modern Jiu Jitsu is absolutely fine. For instance, the matrix position has no real flaws and can also be very effective. It also requires little athletic strength and shares similar fundamentally sound principles when compared with older Jiu Jitsu.
With this in mind, it’s important to look at moves in terms of percentages with success rather than if you think it’s good or bad. For instance, if the top players in the world are using berimbolos, then they are proven to work and are, therefore ‘good’.
Having said this, there are times when the application of modern Jiu Jitsu can be considered ‘bad’. For example, if you try to learn the worm guard before the basics of de la riva, then there is little point in training the worm guard. Although it’s a powerful position, you need to learn the subtle details of BJJ before trying to learn it. Like everything in BJJ, it can be shut down and isn’t invincible.
Because of this, you need to learn the fundamentals to begin with otherwise you may be wasting your time. This is an important distinction; it’s not that modern Jiu Jitsu is bad or gimmicky, most of it is fine and works. However, you may need to learn the mechanics and technical application of certain moves before looking at more advanced stuff.
So, should I just focus on the fundamentals?
This is why BJJ is so fun, because it’s up to you. For example, you could say the Miyao brothers have very modern Jiu Jitsu. They are both excellent, love berimbolos, saddle’s in nogi and are in the new era of BJJ. At the same time, Roger Gracie famously did the basics such as closed guard and cross collar chokes. Because of these examples, there’s no real right or wrong answer. However, what should be said is that you can never go wrong with the fundamentals. These moves are tried and tested throughout time and may be easier to learn, at least in the beginning.
It should be noted though, that it’s important to learn defenses to modern Jiu Jitsu even if you don’t plan on using it yourself. For instance, if a new practitioner does happen to tie you in worm guard, it’s good to know counters and defenses. Whilst you may have no intention of using the worm guard, you may sometimes see older black belts struggle to pass the position due to a lack of knowledge.
This is where modern Jiu Jitsu can sometimes get an edge if there is a knowledge gap due to someone being ignorant. You may think this only happens with newer belts, but sadly there are times where older black belts will struggle due to a lack of information or understanding around a new move.
Are there any modern submissions?
Perhaps the most modern submission is the twister. The twister is relatively new in BJJ terms and although it isn’t that common, it is at least fundamentally sound. Other than this, most submissions are very old and have been figured out for the most part. For example, the Kimura may still get developed with certain, efficient grips. However, to keep it simple a Kimura is still a Kimura.
With this said, modern BJJ still effects submissions in a significant way. This is mostly surrounding the entries which are still evolving. As mentioned before, the saddle recently rose to prominence. This move along with heel hooks had been used forever. However, it was the entry that made the saddle more effective. Because of this, modern Jiu Jitsu took a once inferior position and developed it into a popular, common position.
This shows that through the evolution of the game and changing ways of thinking, modern Jiu Jitsu helps advance the sport, make it more efficient and ultimately more effective as a result.
Summary
Modern Jiu Jitsu can be categorized into moves that have been developed in the last 5-20 years. Generally speaking, these moves are situated around the guard but also crossover into other areas such as submissions and entries. Whilst modern Jiu Jitsu may not always be appropriate for newcomers, it’s success at the highest levels show it is capable of being applied with good results. Remember, as long as any move is fundamentally sound and isn’t gimmicky – it can be taught and used by anyone.
