Sport Jujitsu...

So I’ve been doing a lot of searching online recently for fighting tournaments I can enter. The Toughman Contest I entered back in Feb. has really sparked an interest in fighting competitions and I’m eager to compete in another event. I would really like to enter into an MMA type event because I want the freedom to be able to fight in all aspects of true combat (striking, takedowns, and grappling). However, I also really like the tournament format (you fight multiple people in one day). To my knowledge there are no MMA Tournaments in the U.S.

That's when I stumbled upon Sport Jujitsu.

Sport Jujitsu (not to be confused with BJJ) is a combat sport very similar to MMA, in that the fighters are free to utilize all aspects of true combat – striking, takedowns, and grappling. There is a time limit on how long fighters are allowed to grapple on the ground (15-30 seconds) and fighters must execute a takedown within 5 seconds of engaging in a clinch. Not really a big deal, such rules would make the fight more entertaining for the crowd (more action) as well as enforce and promote the idea of being able to quickly and efficiently take one’s opponent to the ground and submit them as quickly as possible (more carry over into actual combat mindset). The striking pretty much follows MMA rules except striking to the head is to be “light” or controlled. This takes away a bit of the realism of the fighting, but it makes Sport Jujitsu a more appealing alternative to MMA for the amateur level athlete and the weekend warrior who doesn’t need his/her face smashed in/bruised up when they return to work on Monday. (I should note that a few of the videos I found on Sport Jujitsu show competitors utilizing very hard strikes with the hands and feet to the head)

A typical Sport Jujitsu tournament will require competitors to wear a semi-traditional “Gi”, or Japanese martial art uniform. Besides Freestyle fighting, tournaments will usually feature a “Self-Defense” event where competitors show off either unrehearsed or rehearsed (depends on the tourney) responses to various attacks and holds. I’ve even come across a few tournaments with a Kata event for the competitors.

All in all, Sport Jujitsu sounds like a very good idea and I’m pretty much sold on the free-fighting aspects of these tournaments. Expect to see me in a few sometime in the future.
I’ve included links to the major Sport Jujitsu organizations as well as a few Youtube videos.

Enjoy and Train Hard,
Josh Skinner

http://www.sportjujitsu.org/index.html

http://www.jujitsuamerica.org/sportjujitsu.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPWHK1gQV1U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0OprCc07Cw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITmDdJgI6Nw&feature=related