Have BJJ Gyms Gone Wimpy?
Let's Wrestle the Truth
Let’s just rip the Band-Aid off: BJJ gyms these days are softer than a rash guard after three rounds of fabric softener. Somewhere between the invention of personalized belt ceremonies and Instagram reels of guys doing flow rolls to indie folk music, we’ve lost the plot. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is supposed to be about grit, toughness, and — dare I say it — intensity. Instead, it’s turning into a glorified yoga class with chokes.
Don’t get me wrong, BJJ is an art. It’s a science. It’s chess with your body. But you know what else it’s supposed to be? A war. And that’s where wrestling has us beat. Wrestlers don’t walk into practice and light candles for a ten-minute mindfulness session. They’re busy running stairs, doing live goes, and puking into buckets. You don’t see wrestlers complaining about mat burns; they’re too busy trying to score takedowns while breathing through their eyelids. Meanwhile, in BJJ, people are sitting out rounds because they’re “slipping around too much” or “too tired”.
Warm-Ups or Nap Time?
The typical BJJ warm-up has become a parody of itself. Oh, you want me to shrimp down the mat? Cool, but can I do it at a speed that’ll actually help me escape side control in a match? Instead, you’ve got guys moving like they’re auditioning for a sloth documentary. Compare that to wrestling practice, where the warm-up alone is harder than most BJJ open mats. Sprawls, shots, sprints — wrestlers warm up like they’re preparing for war. BJJ gyms? We’re preparing for pajama pilates.
Sparring Should Feel Like a Fight, Not a Hug
Look, I get it. BJJ has this whole “safe space” vibe now, and that’s great for beginners. But once you’re a few months in, it’s time to crank up the heat. You’re not going to learn how to deal with pressure by flow rolling with your buddy who weighs 135 pounds soaking wet. You need the 200-pound purple belt who’s going to smash you into the mat until you either figure it out or tap out. Wrestling doesn’t coddle you like that. It throws you into the fire and tells you to survive. It’s brutal, but it works.
Drill Till You Kill
Another thing wrestling gets right? Drilling with intensity. In wrestling, every drill feels like you’re fighting for your life. In BJJ, you’ll see dudes practicing their techniques at half speed, like they’re rehearsing a middle school play. How are you supposed to get better if you’re not training with the same intensity you’ll face in competition? Wrestlers drill like their lives depend on it, and that’s why they’re beasts on the mat. BJJ gyms could learn a thing or two about going hard, even if it means fewer Instagrammable moments.
Time to Stop Wimpy BJJ
If BJJ gyms want to breed champions, they need to bring back the fire. Less “team bonding” and more shark tanks. Stop handing out stripes for showing up and start rewarding people for grinding it out. Wrestling’s intensity is what makes it so effective, and if we want to stay competitive, we need to borrow a page from their playbook. Let’s stop babying ourselves and start getting after it. Because at the end of the day, the mat doesn’t care about your excuses, your feelings, or your sore forearms. It cares about who’s putting in the work.
So next time you’re at practice, ask yourself: am I here to roll or to conquer? The answer should be obvious.
MAKE BJJ INTENSE AGAIN!