04/23/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1GgxhgR4c3/?mibextid=wwXIfr
A recent article features Dean Lister saying that jiu-jitsu was tougher back then… but better today.
And as someone who started training in the 90s, I completely agree.
When I started, jiu-jitsu was all about self-defense.
What attracted me wasn’t the sport. It was seeing jiu-jitsu work in real situations.
I remember watching challenge matches in São Paulo, jiu-jitsu vs kickboxing, with guys like Renzo Gracie, Ralph Gracie, and Marcelo Behring.
They were taking down strikers with ease.
That’s when it clicked for me.
Before that, I had trained other martial arts, but I never saw that level of efficiency.
Once I started training, I realized something else that hooked me.
Even though I was young, small, and skinny… I could hold my own against adults.
Technique made that possible.
That’s when jiu-jitsu became an addiction.
Back then, training was different.
We didn’t just train for sport. We trained for real situations.
We had boxers coming into the gym, we simulated fights, we did “taparia” with controlled strikes, and a lot of black belts were expected to have some kind of Vale Tudo experience.
It was tougher.
More raw. More intense.
But at the same time, even back then, I was already obsessed with the technical side of jiu-jitsu.
I would spend my days thinking about connections, setups, how to off-balance people, how to build traps.
And in a way… I was already imagining what jiu-jitsu would become.
Because today, the level is completely different.
We have:
* better coaching
* more structure
* access to high-level knowledge
* the ability to cross-train without rivalry
Back then, schools were divided. There was a lot of tension between teams.
Today, people are more open. More mature.
You can train, compete, and still respect your opponent.
And most importantly…
You can train jiu-jitsu purely as a sport.
You don’t need to prepare for a fight to justify training anymore.
So yes, jiu-jitsu was tougher back then.
But today, it’s smarter.
More technical. More accessible. More complete.
And in my opinion, that’s what makes it better.
What do you think? Would you rather train in the old school era or today’s jiu-jitsu?