BJJ Beginner
Green Belt
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- Nov 13, 2003
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On a related note, I'd like to point out that the the sooner the day comes that Brazilians no longer dominate, the better it will be for the art/sport.
First of all, it will mean that it has truly become an international phenomenon. Think of how baseball and basketball have become popular enough outside of the US for other countries to challenge and even defeat us in international play. For there to be any hope of BJJ ever becoming an Olympic sport, the sport will have to be competitive enough on an international basis for Brazilians to lose their stranglehold on the top levels of competition.
Second, while this will probably be an unpopular concept wth many, the continued growth of BJJ requires the decentralization of the art/sport's most widely accepted governing body. The 'I' in the IBBJF is a joke - not only is the organization run almost if not entirely by Brazilians, but to a large extent by a single person. Even the USBJJF is comprised almost entirely of Brazilian immigrants. For BJJ to truly be considered to have spread internationally, it will need a governing body that reflects that.
So we should all look forward to the day that the podiums at ADCC and the Mundials look more like the United Nations and an American or European or Japanese is the head of the IBJJF, because that will mean that BJJ has truly grown beyond its first initial.
First of all, it will mean that it has truly become an international phenomenon. Think of how baseball and basketball have become popular enough outside of the US for other countries to challenge and even defeat us in international play. For there to be any hope of BJJ ever becoming an Olympic sport, the sport will have to be competitive enough on an international basis for Brazilians to lose their stranglehold on the top levels of competition.
Second, while this will probably be an unpopular concept wth many, the continued growth of BJJ requires the decentralization of the art/sport's most widely accepted governing body. The 'I' in the IBBJF is a joke - not only is the organization run almost if not entirely by Brazilians, but to a large extent by a single person. Even the USBJJF is comprised almost entirely of Brazilian immigrants. For BJJ to truly be considered to have spread internationally, it will need a governing body that reflects that.
So we should all look forward to the day that the podiums at ADCC and the Mundials look more like the United Nations and an American or European or Japanese is the head of the IBJJF, because that will mean that BJJ has truly grown beyond its first initial.