If you haven’t heard, then the Jiu Jitsu World League may sound like something out of an old Bruce Lee movie. Although this isn’t the case, it’s actually a pretty cool idea which shows why it’s become popular in such a short space of time. So, if you’re wondering what this promotion is and how it works then read on for more information.
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So, what is the Jiu Jitsu World League exactly?
The Jiu Jitsu World League is an American promotion that does competitions every few weeks around the USA. One week there may be a competition in Dallas, then two weeks later the next one may be in San Diego and so on.
So far, this format is pretty ordinary compared to most BJJ comps, but this is where it gets different. Firstly, each individual competitor is awarded points based on their performance. For instance, a gold medal will score you 12 points, silver 6, and bronze scores 3. Then, you get two points for each submission and 1 for a win. In other words, if you’re a serious competitor then you can quickly rack up points for yourself. In World Championship competitions (as opposed to league ones) these points are doubled.
This is then scored like a soccer league and each belt will have its own rankings table which is then divided into weights, masters, etc. Of course, the person at the top of the league isn’t necessarily the best competitor as it may just mean they compete the most. Nonetheless, it’s a cool way of tracking things and roughly shows what you’re up against. Speaking of which, you can search the names of your prospective opponents to see their past medals and win ratio.
Similarly, this idea is also carried over to each team as well. As you would expect, the big organizations like Checkmat and Gracie Barra dominate the team rankings, but it also shows smaller gyms up there too. Once more, your gym is more likely to succeed if it has a bigger pool of competitors, such as the aforementioned.
What are the rules of the Jiu Jitsu World League exactly?
If you want to know more about the Jiu Jitsu World League rules, then check out their manual here. If you’re going to compete at an event then it’s probably worth glancing through, seeing as this can literally be the difference between winning and losing where technicalities are concerned.
One thing worth noting though is that for the most part, the Jiu Jitsu World League follows IBJJF rules for the most part. Having said this, there are a few nuances. For example, one of the better rules is their interpretation of takedowns.
Here, a takedown that results in half guard could score 2 points. However, one that lands in side control could score 4 points. Obviously, there’s a big difference between the two and many have argued that dominant takedowns should score higher for a while.
Other notes on the Jiu Jitsu World League
Perhaps one of the biggest issues with BJJ competitions is stuff like timekeeping. Thankfully, this is one of the strengths of the Jiu Jitsu World League. In other words, if your match is scheduled for 3PM, it’s going to start around 3PM and not 5PM. For those who are on a tight schedule and are pretty busy, this is a nice change compared to most tournaments that typically slack in this area.
Furthermore, in some competitions, there’s even entertainment for kids. Again, this is a nice touch for competitors. Imagine you’re a masters competitor and have to take your kids with you, sometimes there are video games available to keep them distracted whilst you try to strangle your opponent! In short, there’s genuinely a lot of thought that has gone into the Jiu Jitsu World League.
Final thoughts
Although many older competitors in the USA have fond memories of the likes of Grappling Industries, there were undoubtedly problems with this type of competition. In short, they would run over, have people standing on mats and at times could be very chaotic. This is where the Jiu Jitsu World League has stepped in and filled the void.
Often, people think of competitions that aren’t IBJJF or ADCC as amateur and badly organized. However, this certainly isn’t the case for the Jiu Jitsu World League which seems to be very strong in how it’s done. In other words, if you’re thinking about competing in the Jiu Jitsu World League then it’s a pretty cool competition and due to its success, it seems that it will be around for quite some time.
