When I first came across Jiu Jitsu, it felt unfinished in the best sense of the word. Training spaces were basic and often borrowed. Classes ran in leisure centres, small gyms, or wherever mats could be laid down. Instruction depended entirely on who was in the room and what they had been exposed to themselves.
Progress was slow, but no one seemed in a hurry. You learned what was put in front of you and trusted that understanding would come later. There was little expectation of quick results. Improvement was measured in small changes that only became obvious over time.
Knowledge moved at the same pace. Seminars were uncommon and treated as something special. If someone had trained elsewhere, particularly abroad, they brought back ideas that were listened to carefully. Learning felt uneven, but personal. You absorbed what you could and made sense of it through training rather than explanation.
Foundations and Early Identity
In those early years, Jiu Jitsu carried its background openly. The influence of earlier grappling arts was clear, both in how training was structured and in what was emphasised. Control mattered. Remaining calm under pressure mattered. Positions were taught because they solved problems, not because they looked impressive.
Discomfort was expected. You spent long periods learning how to survive in bad positions rather than how to escape them quickly. There was an assumption that clarity would come after repetition, not before it. Technique was important, but it was always framed as part of something larger rather than as an end in itself.
Growth and the Changing Shape of Learning
As Jiu Jitsu spread, the rhythm of learning began to change. At first, the growth was gradual. More gyms appeared, followed by more instructors and small competitions. The community widened, but training still relied on being physically present and putting time in.
That changed once digital material became widely available. Techniques were no longer tied to geography. Matches could be watched repeatedly. Instructional content expanded quickly, allowing people to study positions they might never have encountered in their own gym.
This altered how people approached training. Students arrived with ideas already formed. They wanted clearer explanations and a sense of direction. In response, teaching became more organised. Classes were structured more deliberately, and progress was discussed more openly. Training became easier to access and easier to understand, even if it sometimes lost a little of its roughness along the way.
Specialisation and Technical Detail
One of the more noticeable changes over time has been the move toward specialisation. Early training was broad by necessity. You learned a bit of everything because that was what was available. Modern practitioners often shape their game around specific positions or approaches from an early stage.
This has led to a level of technical detail that would have been hard to imagine years ago. Positions that once received brief attention are now studied in depth. Transitions are mapped carefully. Counters are refined again and again.
At the same time, this depth has changed how the art feels. It is no longer easy to talk about Jiu Jitsu as a single thing. Training looks very different depending on whether it is gi or no-gi, competition-focused or recreational, sport-based or self-defence oriented. Rather than weakening the art, this variety reflects how much it has grown.
Competition and Training Priorities
Competition has played a large part in shaping these changes. As tournaments became more organised, rules began to influence how people trained. Certain actions were rewarded, others were ignored. Time limits affected how matches unfolded.
Over time, training shifted toward what worked best within those boundaries. Efficiency and tactical awareness became more important. Some areas of the art received more attention, while others faded into the background. This was not because earlier ideas were wrong, but because they were less useful in a competitive setting.
As always, Jiu Jitsu adjusted to the conditions placed upon it.
From Obscure Practice to Everyday Activity
Perhaps the biggest change has been how normal Jiu Jitsu has become. There was a time when explaining what you trained felt awkward or pointless. Now most people have at least a vague idea of what it is. Gyms cater to children, office workers, and older adults as much as competitors.
Training environments have become more organised and, in many cases, more welcoming. Safety is taken more seriously. Coaching standards are higher. Expectations are clearer. This has allowed the art to reach people who would never have stepped into earlier gyms.
It has also changed what people expect from training. Students often look for structure, explanation, and clear outcomes. The idea of simply training hard and trusting that things will make sense later is less common than it once was.
Perspective Over Time
Time changes how you relate to Jiu Jitsu. Early progress is obvious. You pick things up quickly and improvements are easy to spot. Later on, change becomes more deliberate. You move less, but with more intention. You stop collecting techniques and start relying on what holds up under pressure.
With experience, patterns become easier to remember. Ideas fall out of favour and return years later under different names. Techniques dismissed as outdated regain relevance when circumstances shift. The art moves in cycles rather than straight lines.
This is not a weakness. It is how living practices survive.
A Practice That Continues to Adjust
Jiu Jitsu has lasted because it adapts. It has crossed borders and cultures without becoming fixed in any one form. Each generation reshapes it according to its needs, sometimes consciously, sometimes not.
The difficulty lies in losing sight of purpose. When technique becomes detached from the problems it was meant to solve, training can become hollow. When purpose remains clear, change strengthens rather than dilutes the art.
Looking Forward
There is no reason to think this process will stop. Training methods will continue to shift. Access to knowledge will keep expanding. The gap between professional and recreational practice will likely grow.
What matters is how practitioners respond. Whether they remain curious rather than passive. Whether they see Jiu Jitsu as something to engage with rather than simply consume.
Final Reflections
Having watched Jiu Jitsu change over many years, I do not feel the need to defend the past or worry about the future. The art has changed because people needed it to, and it will continue to change for the same reason.
Each generation carries a responsibility, whether it realises it or not. To learn from what came before without being bound by it. To add something of value without losing sight of what made the art worth practising in the first place.
That balance, more than any trend or technique, is what allows Jiu Jitsu to endure.
About the author
Terry Sutherland is a long-time grappler with a black belt in judo and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Having spent decades on the mats, he writes about the value of strong stand-up skills and the lessons learned from a lifetime of training.
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