One of the main nicknames for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is ‘The Gentle Art’ which it is sometimes referred to as. However, if you’ve ever trained BJJ for a prolonged period of time – then you may understand that this almost sounds ironic! This is because BJJ is infamously tough on the body and very few people reach black belt without requiring some kind of major surgery due to training.
With this in mind, The Gentle Art often sounds pretentious. However, it’s not meant to be – at least it wasn’t originally. In this article, we shall look at why BJJ is called The Gentle Art and what it means exactly.
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Why BJJ claims to be The Gentle Art
It’s important to remember when BJJ was made. At this point, there were a number of striking martial arts that were around which could cause concussions and CTE. In comparison, as BJJ doesn’t use striking – you could claim that it was gentle in comparison. This is kind of true as well, considering that even the hardest roll in BJJ isn’t exactly like getting your head pounded in by hard punches.
On a similar note, BJJ is also more gentle compared to its biggest inspiration – Judo. It’s no secret that Judo is more intense compared to BJJ and is more brutal on the body due to its hard throws. This differs from BJJ which is more laid back and chilled, both physically and culturally.
With these examples in mind, BJJ is more gentle compared to quite a few martial arts. Remember, the likelihood of training in any combat sport comes with physical implications and in the big scheme of things, there are harsher martial arts out there when compared to BJJ.
Why BJJ isn’t gentle at all!
At the same time, BJJ isn’t really all that gentle. The reason for this is that it’s still tough on your body and is physically demanding. For instance, if you’ve trained for a number of years then you’ll probably disagree that BJJ is gentle. Similarly, if you’re sparring against a tough opponent who isn’t afraid to get physical, then once again you’ll argue that it isn’t gentle!
In short, people get injured fairly regularly. This could be a chronic injury such as lingering arthritis from years of wear and tear. However, injuries could also be due to bad submissions such as joint locks and neck cranks which can also cause serious health problems. In other words, it’s a bit rich to call it a gentle art when it’s pretty tough at times.
On the other hand, BJJ could be described as an art. When you see two people flowing through moves and hitting techniques with perfect timing, it certainly feels like art anyway. As a martial artist, hitting a beautiful sweep or submission can look like poetry. With this said, it’s fair to say that BJJ is artistic at times. The issue is whether it’s gentle!
Summary
Love it or hate it, the saying ‘The Gentle Art’ seems like it’s here to stay. Whether used ironically or seriously, it’s pretty commonplace within BJJ culture and plenty of people are happy to mention it. Having said this, whether you view it as a literal gentle art is up to you.
In conclusion, BJJ is either a beautiful, gentle art, or it’s a brutal form of combat that is neither artistic nor gentle. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual.
