images/stories/newsDisplay/helio.jpg Jiu-Jitsu is turning a page in the book of its journey. It’s impressive how a slew of new competitions in a number of places across the globe have popped up. As with any other activity, some will make it and others won’t. Organization, perseverance and professionalism are key elements in the recipe for success. And that’s what those who literally go to battle for this flag can expect.

However, nothing has impressed quite as much as the first professional Jiu-Jitsu championship, held December in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. The organizers took a great leap forward, and are raising the sport to heightsnever before seen. The money prizes grab attention; however, what is most important is not the amount, but the value it aggregates for the athlete. Few sports have reached such a point of evolution where they break from the lack of belief in them as a viable occupation.

Without detracting from the dream of becoming an Olympic sport, more than their being able to return home with medals hanging from their necks, gentle art practitioners have joined a new and select group. It is a group that affords athletes the luxury of practicing the sport they love and make a living doing it. The fact that Jiu-Jitsu has literally grown in all directions brings us to reflect on several points.

Without a doubt, MMA helped and continues to help the sport gain recognition, but in contrast distances the idea that the sport can be practiced by anybody. Albeit involuntarily, fighting events align Jiu-Jitsu with violence and stimulate only a small group of people to seek out Jiu-Jitsu schools.

Looking at it from another angle, and without being naïve, professional championships bring financial comfort to only a small portion, but one cannot calculate the impact this new factor may have on demand for schools teaching the famous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in generations to come. 

Being prepared to adapt and absorb this change will be a determining factor not just for athletes and instructors, but also for investors. It’s worth remembering what this opportunity means: to survive without being swallowed up. For those teaching, what makes the difference is still not based solely on titles and CV’s, but on those who are truly professors, “blackbelts” in the dojo and in business.

Professor Milton Regis is a 3rd degree black belt under grand Master Francisco Mansor.  His own a academy, Kioto Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, is located in Sayville, NY.  He is also co-founder of the Long Island Pride Championship.

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