So earlier this week I wrote an article on some changes the IBJJF and other large organizations could make in regard to paying their top athletes. I received a lot of feedback about the rules that need to be changed and I agree. The rules for BJJ are slowly watering down the sports. We see more and more rules that try to prevent injury or to decide a winner that end up making the art less effective and less spectator friendly. So now I want to tale about some of the rule changes some people would like to see. I WILL NOT BE TALKING ABOUT SUB ONLY FORMAT. SUB ONLY IS SIMPLY TO LONG FOR LARGE TOURNEMENTS.
- No More Advantages- Advantages are an interesting topic because they were created in good faith. The advantage attempts to make a final decision should both competitors be tied in the end. However some practitioners not take this rule and use it by stalling and aiming to win by a single advantage.
- Legalize Submissions- Everyone has a different view on this subject, but the general thought is that more submissions need to be allowed earlier and that brown and black belts should be allowed to do anything (including heel hooks).
- Take Downs – Give more points for take downs or penalize the guard pull. This one is controversial, but would be a big step in creating more well-rounded practitioners and making the art more spectators friendly.
I absolutely agree with everything except penalizing the guard pull. In a way this seems like it is against people who play the bottom game and leans more toward a top player/wrestler game. Fighting from the bottom is one of the best things about jiu jitsu and if that’s where you want to take the match that shouldn’t be a penalty
Penalizing guard pull would be terrible, some of the most exciting practitioners of all time are guard and bottom halfguard players, we shouldn’t turn BJJ into ADCC takedowns+stalling.
I like 1 and 2 but 3 leads to problems when facing wrestlers. If we are really honest with ourselves its very hard to take down a highly skilled wrestler if they do not want to be taken down. Sometimes the best method is to just jump guard.
Get a high level D1 wrestler and good luck taking them down. they will just wait until they can get a dominate position.
I would like to see intent taken into account. are you engaging or trying to engage.