What is a martial art?

Many of the martial arts available to study in modern life owe their origins ultimately to the battlefield of yesteryear. Before technology changed the art of war forever, warriors fought at close-quarters using hand weapons or, if disarmed, their bare hands. Warfare was brutal and required the fighting men to develop highly honed skills along with immense bravery. Self-defense training was not the main goal; victory in a one-on-one (if the combatant was lucky...), brutally violent fight was the sole aim of training. In these circumstances the first formalized fighting arts of ancient Greece and ancient India were spawned and began to spread into neighboring areas. Undoubtedly there were other methods of making war, but these systems, if indeed any such organized systems ever existed, have been lost to history.

As technology advanced the role of the elite warrior became obsolete. Mass conscript armies dominated the battlefield and the distance between the lines of soldiers increased as firearms became more widespread and easier to use. A key to victory became simply amassing greater firepower than the enemy. Skill in the use of weapons was less important than the number - and the power - of weapons that could be brought to bear on an opponent. The usefulness of traditional battlefield fighting arts began to decline and self-defense became a priority instead. Others began to adapt classical techniques for the sporting arena. Fencing, boxing and wrestling in the West were introduced to the Olympic Games, thereby encouraging standardization of techniques and rules for different arts in other countries. The most recent and widespread development is Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) which tends to be made up of boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). In Japan in particular, the move to modernization of classical fighting arts was undertaken and led by Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, whose sport would later also be included in the Olympics. There is currently an attempt to have karate registered too as an Olympic sport.

Other masters, moreso in Asia than in the West, encouraged the pursuit of spiritual awakening through the intensive practice of a fighting system. In Japan in particular the arts had long been associated with Zen Buddhism through the samurai warrior class who had adopted the ascetic spiritual tradition as their own. In India yoga had always heavily influenced all physical pursuits. Training then was less about fighting and personal protection or sport and more about the serious nature of spiritual realization. Combative movement became a form of dynamic meditation.

Still others recognized that martial arts could provide a good workout. Again, Jigoro Kano was an early proponent of this approach and in recent years we have seen the immense popularity of the Billy Blanks Bootcamp DVD (Blanks is a practitioner of Tae Kwon Do). The movements naturally lent themselves to the development of both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, along with promoting flexibility and, again moreso in Asia, healthy, deeper breathing patterns.

If we ask 'What is a martial art today?' then we find that one of the most attractive features of training is that the arts are so multi-faceted. A practitioner can choose to specialize or he or she can soak up the immense benefits that regular practice offers for all ages. Well-balanced lessons will provide instruction in the various techniques that comprise the different styles in a safe, productive manner. Supplementary conditioning will further help to improve your level of fitness and raise your health awareness. Many classes end with a period of meditation, visualization or quiet reflection. Training can be performed as a solo exercise or at an academy which will also offer the benefit of a social support network.

Martial arts can be studied by anyone of any age or background. Schools and gyms tend to offer different programs to cater for kids and adults. Children especially love to train and are highly motivated by the acquisition of different colored belts that reflect growing expertise and personal growth and development, with the much-respected black belt being the ultimate target of many participants. In recent years more women have also become attracted to the pursuit of a chosen art and continue to reap the rewards. Indeed, it is not unusual nowadays to find a family training together either in the same class or at different times in the same school. You will usually be able to observe classes and take a free lesson prior to joining to take your time and choose the gym and instructor that is best suited for you and your needs.

Equipment tends to be fairly simple and may comprise of nothing more than a training uniform. Any needs you may have can be met by shopping online or at a local store. The arts have become so popular that most cities will have at least one specialist shop selling clothing and other apparel, sparring gear, books, and instructional DVDs.

I myself have been training for some 30 years and have no regrets at all about the amount of time and energy I have given to my chosen arts (karate in particular). The pursuit of a martial art is, I strongly believe, one of the best courses of action a person of any age can undertake. Enjoy your journey! Osssuuu!!!

MMA

MMA, or Mixed Martial Arts, has become immensely popular in the early 21st century. Dana White, UFC President, describes it as 'the fastest growing sport in the world'. The fundamental concept is simple: take the best elements from the best styles and combine them to create a new hybrid style. Currently the 'core' arts for study are considered to be Boxing, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. Well rounded fighters such as Georges St Pierre are able to excel in all disciplines, while others may specialize in just two (usually a stand up art, that is, one striking art, and one for groundwork, or grappling).

The origins of MMA lie in the Ancient Greek art of Pankration which blended what we now separate into Boxing and Wrestling. Although Pankration had its own roots in war it was also an Olympic sport.

The simple notion of mixing different martial arts is not itself new and is and has been a feature of both Western and Asian arts throughout history. Many of the modern martial arts described on this site, such as karate, judo and TaeKwonDo, and even some of the staples of MMA itself, most notably Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, are the end result of a blending of different styles tempered with experience. Where Mixed Martial Arts perhaps differ is that in contemporary society the study of any combative method is much easier, allowing for greater variation, and the emphasis that is placed on covering all the distances of unarmed combat. An awareness of the importance of this latter fact is often attributed to Bruce Lee who, through his concept of Jeet Kune Do, studied the different ranges of combat. While Karate, for example, is a blend of different arts, these arts are for the most part striking arts (such as White Crane and Whooping Crane kung fu blended with indigenous te techniques). Judo, by comparison, is a hybrid of various Ju Jutsu schools, but these again tended to specialize in throwing and grappling movements. A characteristic then of MMA is its intent to be effective at the kicking, punching, clinching and grappling ranges. The term is not commonly used to refer to, say, a blend of Karate and Muay Thai (both of which are for the most part confined to the kicking and punching ranges).

MMA and the UFC

A key factor in the development of Mixed Martial Arts was the activities of the Gracie family, originators of Gracie (or Brazilian) Jiu Jitsu. While no-holds barred fighting had taken place underground in Europe it was the Gracie fighters who had been dominating Vale Tudo events in Brazil. Vale Tudo was (and is) Brazil's version of no-holds barred fighting. The BJJ of the Gracie's had enjoyed immense success in such competitions and the family felt confident enough to organize the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in the US in 1993. This initial foray into full contact no-holds barred fighting was not yet Mixed Martial Arts. It was more style vs style, with the Gracie's keen to demonstrate that their style was the superior one. Royce Gracie, the family representative, swept away all competition despite his size disadvantage.

The sport at that time was not really a sport as such. There were very few rules and the early UFC tournaments were about fighting, pure and simple. There were no rounds and no weight classes, for example. After some initial interest all but the hardcore fans became less enthusiastic as many matches involved the fighters grappling on the ground with little apparent action for minutes on end. Contrary to expectations, the strikers were not dominant in the sport and it was the BJJ and wrestling experts who claimed victory after victory. While it vindicated the claims of the Gracie family, it was not good entertainment.

As the original business model went into decline the UFC was bought by Zuffa, a company owned by the Fertitta's, at the suggestion and encouragement of their friend, Dana White, who would go on to become UFC President of the new company and direct the growth of the UFC thereafter. Under new management, more stringent rules were introduced that made competition safer and gave some advantage back to the strikers (the referee would stop a fight and stand the fighters back up if there wasn't enough action while grappling and the end of a round also forced the fighters to stand and resume combat at the beginning of the next round). With these new rules it became apparent that to succeed the fighter could not specialize in just one area, or range, of combat, and so the arts began to be mixed, thus creating MMA.

Nowadays full blown MMA gyms are emerging, which combine all the core arts and teach Mixed Martial Arts as a complete package, whereas before fighters would find themselves rushing from one training facility to another to get a well-rounded education in the different styles. Mixed Martial Arts has also found appeal at an amateur level for self-defense and physical health reasons. It is also fair to say that MMA has in turn impacted many of the traditional arts from which it emerged, at least in the West. Karate students will engage in ground and pound practice for example, working on their striking from grappling range or from the clinch. Though their core style itself has not changed as such, they have begun to examine the applicability of techniques from different ranges (which in fact is how Karate was meant to be interpreted in any case, at least according to the 'Bible', the Bubishi).

Why I Fight

BJ Penn, author of Why I Fight, is most famous through fighting in the UFC and he is only the second person, following Randy Couture, to have been a UFC World Champion in two different weight classes. At the time of writing his career has been in decline. He lost his lightweight belt to Frankie Edgar and failed to avenge his defeat in a rematch at UFC 118. After beating Matt Hughes he drew with Jon Fitch then lost to Nick Diaz and seriously contemplated retirement before announcing that he would return to the Octagon to face Rory McDonald for a fight which Penn subsequently lost badly. He finally faced Frankie Edgar for the third time at the conclusion of the The Ultimate Fighter season 19 and lost. His career in the UFC has been the subject of much discussion and it is widely known that he doesn't enjoy a good business relationship with UFC President Dana White, a relationship that Why I Fight examines closely.

Why I Fight: The Early Years

Before entering the world of MMA BJ was a world class competitor in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a career that was also full of conflict. He gained his black belt in BJJ in less than four years (itself a Herculean effort) but also won the Gold medal in the most widely respected BJJ World Championship as a black belt.

Before all of this though BJ Penn was born on December 13, 1978 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Named Jay Dee Penn, he is better known as BJ Penn, or 'Baby Jay'. At the age of four he and his family moved to Hilo, Hawaii, where he fights out of to this day. In his early years Penn notes that his parents didn't have a lot of money but they did possess a strong drive and healthy work ethic to gain financial success as young entrepreneurs, something they appear to have succeeded in achieving and a factor that I feel is crucial in explaining Penn's success in martial arts. More on this point later.

BJ Penn enjoyed a stable upbringing and was close to his family, and his younger brother Reagan in particular. He played soccer until he was kicked off the team for fighting an older member. Penn appears to have had an above-average propensity for getting into fights in his youth, something he admits to in Why I Fight. With no soccer practice he chanced upon boxing. Buying a pair of boxing gloves he was soon sparring, albeit in a disorganized way, on the front porch of his family home with anyone and everyone that fancied turning up on a daily basis. Penn's informal fight club was a success with local boys and BJ learned not only how to deliver a punch but, arguably more importantly, how to take one. This was a major turning point in his mentality towards fighting as he realized that he could take punishment and continue to dish it out.

Why I Fight next discusses how the young Penn continued to get into trouble though and the next major event in his life was leaving school at the age of 16 after being caught smoking marijuana. It isn't clear if he was forcibly expelled from school or if his father quietly agreed to remove him, but whatever the reason BJ Penn began homeschooling. Remarkably though his father primarily encouraged BJ to workout and continue boxing. His father wanted him to become disciplined and also to ensure BJ was healthy after smoking. Peculiarly though, this meant that at the age of 16 Penn was effectively training as a professional fighter would: his days was mostly spent working out and boxing.

The pace of Why I Fight changes in the next chapter and becomes of much more direct interest to martial artists. Over the summer of 1996 a major change took place in Penn's life. Tom Callos, a skilled exponent in various grappling and striking arts, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, entered the scene. After some initial hesitancy about attending classes, Penn was hooked once he got started. It was at this point in his life that Penn really seems to have become interested in the art of fighting and not just about being a tough guy who could hold his own in a street fight. Penn describes his life in Why I Fight at this point thus: 'All I had to do was wake up, do whatever household things were needed of me (there was always something), drive over to the gym, practice, and then chill out. It was a stress free life.'

Penn made great progress and at the end of the year Tom Callos began talking about taking the teenager back to California with him for more advanced training. Penn arrived in San Jose in February 1997 and trained with Ralph Gracie a few times. Penn impressed Ralph and the latter encouraged him to return in the future for a longer stay and to train more.

Again Penn's very easy going father played a crucial role in molding his son by encouraging him to return to California for an extended period and learn more about BJJ. At the beginning of summer 1997 Penn was flying back to California.

Penn's father played a crucial role throughout the former's career as a martial artist and it is a point that I feel Why I Fight underplays to be honest. Penn went to Ralph Gracie to train full time. He had no job and as far as I can tell from reading Why I Fight BJ has never actually had a job. Certainly there is no mention of any work outside of training or fighting, not even of part time work.

Almost immediately upon arriving in California Penn began his competitive career. He won his first competition, taking first place in his own weight class and the Open division. This would mark the beginning of Penn's dominance on the West Coast. After winning his second tournament Penn moved up to blue belt, stating that 'This was when I put the thought of fighting for its own sake behind me and focused more on competitive BJJ.'

Through Ralph Penn also gained his first exposure to the world of MMA, his first contact being a sparring session with Frank Shamrock, a man that BJ would get to know much better later on and enjoy working out with.

This early contact with the world of competitive MMA later became much more pronounced when Penn had his first fight after being encouraged by Ralph Gracie. BJ won his first MMA fight and picked up $400...but didn't give Ralph - his cornerman - a cut, something that he regrets to this day. The details of the fight, as with every fight in Why I Fight, are well written and well described while also giving us the perspective of one of the competitors, a definite strong point of the book.

Over the summer on 1998 Penn and some of his brothers traveled down to Brazil to compete in the Mundials, the world championship of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Although BJ didn't win, his younger brother Reagan did, becoming a world champion white belt. BJ performed well though and upon his return to California he was awarded his purple belt.

Why I Fight moves forward to several months later when Penn's training and life took another major turn. Through his elder brother Jay Dee BJ came into contact with John Lewis and the Nova Uniao team, which was created in part by legendary BJJ expert Andre Pederneiras. Training at this new location and with new people was the beginning of the end of Penn's relationship with Ralph. The split was cemented in late 1999 when Penn competed in the Copa Pacifica, one of the biggest BJJ competitions in the US. Penn won his division but had done so representing Team Nova Uniao, who he had been training with extensively. When Ralph found out he was less than happy and BJ and his brothers were asked to leave his gym.

I think this is an interesting event - and Why I Fight is full of situations to ponder - and causes one to consider traditional approaches to training and teaching compared to modern, more commercial approaches. From Ralph's point of view he had invested his time and trust in BJ and clearly wanted his school well represented to gain the respect he felt he deserved as a teacher. Penn on the other hand notes in Why I Fight that he saw the relationship as being more of that between a paid coach and a trainee. Afterall, Penn was paying for the tuition and Ralph was providing a service, so what else was there to the matter?

In any case, Penn was now a full member with Nova Uniao and continued his training. It was while training with Nova Uniao that a man called Steve DaSilva christened BJ with the nickname 'The Prodigy'. It was also shortly after shifting to his new team that BJ gained his brown belt. Later Penn traveled with his new team to the Mundials in Brazil, where he lost a controversial decision to Fernando Augusto, or 'Terere' as he was known.

BJ Penn in BJJ action!

Upon his return to San Jose BJ continued to train hard and began spending more time at the American Kickboxing Academy. Here he came into contact with a lot of different people, some of whom would be pioneers in the world of competitive MMA. At the time however Penn didn't see the financial return from MMA and the UFC as being worth it. He was more set on becoming a champion in BJJ and setting himself up as a teacher. Penn though was being exposed to some of the then top people in MMA as well as being around when the American Kickboxing Academy was establishing itself as an MMA powerhouse and not just a place for kickboxing. It would have been nice to read in Why I Fight more about this very interesting period for fight fans.

Just before the New Year came Penn experienced another turn in his fate. John Lewis introduced him to two men for a relaxed training session who were at the time just starting to mess around, apparently in a casual manner, with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. One was a very rich businessman with his own private gym. The other was a heavier guy with a passion for boxing. The first was Lorenzo Fertitta and the second was Dana White. As they chatted Penn again stated his lack of interest in MMA. I think Penn's observations on the UFC and Dana White in particular will be of the most significant interest to readers and Why I Fight doesn't disappoint. There is much more to come later...

The following summer the Mundials rolled around. Penn had to fight for his spot on the Nova Uniao team and did so successfully. So successfully in fact that after winning his matches for selection he had his brown belt taken from him and was awarded his black belt. A truly remarkable feat, meaning that Penn went from white to black belt in less than four years. More was to come though...

At the Mundials Penn fought through to the final where he faced Edson Diniz from Team InFight. Penn was able to dominate the match and so became the first American to win the gold medal at the Brazilian Mundials as a black belt.

After the fight BJ fully intended to return to defend his title and continue fighting for Nova Uniao in the future, but it was a future that was not to be.

At this point Why I Fight I would guess becomes very interesting for the majority of Penn's MMA fans.

After some rest and some time thinking about what he wanted to do next Penn turned to Javier Mendez at the American Kickboxing Academy and announced that he was interested in pursuing MMA. Soon his first fight came up. His opponent would be Caol Uno in a King of the Cage promotion, scheduled for February 2001. Penn was let down though when Caol Uno pulled out...to fight against Jens Pulver in the emerging Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) now owned by a company named Zuffa, which was in turn owned by Lorenzo Fertitta, the super rich businessman Penn had trained with briefly months before.

Penn's turn came next and he was signed to fight Joey Gilbert at UFC 31 and this is where the story of Why I Fight really begins for fans of the UFC and Penn's career in it.

Penn tells us in Why I Fight that he was immediately impressed with the professionalism of the UFC compared to organizations like King of the Cage. His training on the other hand - like every other fighter at the time - was makeshift and exploratory. No one fighting at that time had enough experience to really say what worked and what didn't work plus MMA was illegal at that time in California where the American Kickboxing Academy is located. One thing that made a difference though was the presence of Frank Shamrock who was able to guide Penn and others getting into MMA.

What Penn has to say here is very interesting as he is able to make well-informed comparisons between what we see nowadays with the UFC and MMA and how it was when it was first getting off the ground. There simply were no stars at that time and the promotions were small scale.

Penn of course won his first fight against Joey Gilbert in the first round.

Following his first fight the reader is introduced to what Penn would presumably describe as being the lighter side of Dana White. At the time Penn tells us that White, along with Fertitta, was keen to get the UFC fighters more money for their fights. Penn was obviously encouraged by this but was disappointed later in his career when, as will be revealed, he came to the conclusion that he wasn't getting the kind of money he deserved, thereby souring his relationship with the UFC. Penn concludes that '...in the long run it turned out to be just business for these guys. To them, every fighter is expendable'. There is a lot more that Why I Fight has to offer on this subject in later chapters.

Penn won his second fight against Din Thomas and, following his win, had his first experience of a fan asking him for his autograph, an event that clearly touched the young BJ.

Penn won his third fight against Caol Uno in convincing fashion, taking only 11 seconds to destroy his opponent. Following this came a call from Dana White offering Penn a title fight. Penn was a little hesitant to fight again so soon but accepted. He entered his training camp and again Why I Fight offers tremendous insight into this period that you just can't get anywhere else.

Penn was to fight Jens Pulver and began training...hard. Too hard. He simply added more and more of what he was learning from other fighters rather than replacing less effective training methods with ones that were known to be more effective. Penn became slow, his strength began to desert him and he was feeling the effects of injuries more than he had done in the past.

The fight with Pulver came around and Penn notes that at the beginning of the third round he was done physically. He went on to lose by majority decision at the end of five rounds, thereby suffering his first defeat in the UFC. This was also the first indication of a problem that has haunted Penn to this day: getting his training camp just right so he is ready and fit to fight over all three or five rounds. This becomes a common theme throughout Why I Fight.

Following the loss Penn returned to Hawaii to relax and think about what he wanted to do next.

After some reflection Penn returned to training for this his third fight of his three fight contract with the UFC. He made some changes in his preparation, cutting back on the hours he was doing while also finding a local expert boxing coach. BJ's match would be against UFC-newcomer Paul Creighton and Penn won with no real problems.

Re-negotiations for a contract with the UFC began and this is where Penn's relationship with Dana White began to sour, a fact that is hinted at at this point of Why I Fight. Pulver had already left the UFC to fight in Japan as he didn't feel he had enough money and Penn was already thinking that is was actually costing him money to fly his team from Hawaii to an event on mainland USA for a fight. Penn finally signed another three fight contract paying him $15,000, $20,000 and finally $25,000 for the third fight with the same bonus thrown in if he won. It is these little facts and insights that make Why I Fight such a compelling read. It is not just a collection of training and fighting descriptions.

Penn's first fight would be against Matt Serra and he began preparation which was, by his own admittance, 'dumb'. He simply wasn't working hard enough and his ideas on how to peak for a fight were amateurish. Plus Penn's diet wasn't healthy and he was regularly eating the wrong foods. Why I Fight paints a very vivid picture of a confused Penn trying to bring together his training but just never quite getting there. That said, Penn says he was well-prepared mentally if nothing else and it is a credit to his skill as a fighter that he had gone as far as he has with what is probably poor preparation compared to other fighters.

Penn and Serra were well matched but by the end of the second round Penn was done in but he did enough in the closing round to take a unanimous decision.

The next match would be a re-match with Caol Uno for the championship owing to Pulver now being absent, and Penn again made changes in his camp, taking a kickboxing coach over his boxing coach. Despite the preparation Penn again felt tired going into the third round but held on until the end of round five after which the fight was announced a draw through a split decision.

An announcement for Penn's next fight was slow in coming but one fighter BJ was after was Takanori Gomi. Jay Dee, Penn's older brother, decided to bring the Japanese fighter to Hawaii in a new promotion he had started: Rumble on the Rock. At this stage the UFC contracts were far less limiting than they are today, and Dana White gave his full support to BJ. In Penn's mind this fight would decide who the best lightweight fighter in the world was, something that many people would probably not know without reading Why I Fight.

Penn won the match which made him, as far as he was concerned, the top lightweight fighter in the world. Returning to the UFC Penn's next match would be against Matt Hughes for the welterweight title.

Penn took the title and was dismayed to see that, in his eyes, Dana White was not happy about it that Matt had lost. Again, Why I Fight provides this kind of insight you can't get anywhere else. Nothing could stop Penn going home with the belt though.

Immediately following his victory (literally!) Penn was approached, via his brother, by a representative from the Japanese K-1 fight promotion. K-1 is huge in Japan and specializes in its version of kickboxing. They were planning to expand on this into something called K-1 Romenex, which was their move into the world of MMA. Penn was interested for the simple reason that they were prepared to pay him $187,500 for a single fight. A lot of the UFC's top fighters that are household names nowadays fought in Japan, though usually for the now defunct Pride organization. People like Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida and Rampage Jackson all fought over there. Why I Fight makes it clear why: the money and the career opportunities were just a lot better. K-1 fighters enjoy a certain popular celebrity that UFC fighters have only begun to realize over the last few years.

BJ told Joe Rogan about his plans who he met at the airport the day after the Hughes fight. Penn believed the conversation to have been innocent enough but Dana White found out and went ballistic. The root of the problem was the cash Penn wasn't receiving for his fights. Hughes was making more and even after attempts at renegotiation White wasn't prepared to match what Hughes was making. From the perspective of the UFC they believed the exposure they were giving Penn was itself a business opportunity that BJ could capitalize on. Free advertising for himself as a brand. Penn comments on White in Why I Fight that 'Things between us would never be the same.'

Eventually Penn heard that if he fought for another organization the UFC would strip him of his title. He wasn't impressed. To make matters worse Penn was notified that White demanded a public apology at the next UFC event. Neither side would back down and finally Penn was stripped of his title and decided to fight in Japan. White went berserk and you can read his 'colorful' language in the book.

Penn fought Genki Sudo in Saitama and won in the first round. He next fought Rodrigo Gracie in a Rumble on the Rock event and won a unanimous decision while Hughes fought the emerging Georges Saint Pierre and won making him the champion again. Going back to Japan Penn next faced Lyoto Machida and lost a unanimous decision, though Lyoto was something in the region of 40-50 pound heavier.

Penn's third - and final - fight with K-1 Romanex would be against Renzo Gracie, though the match would be held in Honolulu. Penn took his second victory against the Gracie family with a unanimous decision. Penn closes this chapter with some respectful words to the Gracie's, remembering his earlier experiences when he went to Nova Uniao.

Penn was still caught up in legal issues with the UFC but in the meantime the company had launched The Ultimate Fighter, a reality TV show...and Penn wanted in on the action.

Mediation followed and Penn and White thrashed out an agreement in a one-on-one meeting. BJ would return to the UFC in a quest to get his title back. It is this latter period, detailed well in Why I Fight, that really established Penn as a firm fan favorite alongside other notable names that have enjoyed consistent success.

Penn announced his return at UFC 56 before settling back to watch Sean Sherk and Georges St-Pierre go at it. St-Pierre won the match in convincing fashion but Penn overhead the defeated Muscle Shark comment that the Canadian fighter had been greased up and that he couldn't hold him. Penn dismissed this at the time but the memory would come back to him later. In Penn's next match he would face St-Pierre with the winner getting a shot at Hughes.

The fight came quickly and Penn lost by split decision after dominating St-Pierre in the first round.

Months passed with no opponent available for Penn until St-Pierre injured himself in training for his match with Hughes. Penn became the replacement and had to hurry through a training camp. Penn was badly beaten up and suffered two cracked ribs and other problems. Hughes remained the champion. The book gives a very good description of the match from BJ's point of view.

The next big event in Penn's life was him being selected as a coach on Season Five of The Ultimate Fighter. His opposing coach was none other than Jens Pulver. For those that don't know, part of the allure of The Ultimate Fighter is that the coaches face off in a UFC event after the season has finished. Penn wanted the match to avenge what he saw as being the biggest loss of his life.

Penn won the match and also struck a blow for his independence. In the habitual post-fight walk through with Joe Rogan Penn told people to simply check his own website for news about him. He was snubbing the UFC and Dana White wasn't happy. Penn concludes this chapter with some personal observations on how he believes the lack of an independent fighter ranking system is problematic.

Before the Pulver fight Sean Sherk had become champion and was the person Penn next wanted to fight. Before that could happen though Sean had to defend his title against Hermes Franca, which he did successfully. Unfortunately drug tests for both fighters revealed that they had used anabolic steroids. Sherk denied the willful use of banned substances but it meant Penn would fight Joe Stevenson for an interim title. Penn won the fight and when Sherk was found guilty of using drugs the 'interim' was removed from the title and Penn became the lightweight champion.

Sherk made a comeback to face Penn for the title. Penn is scathing in his treatment of Sherk here and has little sympathy for a man he brands a 'cheat'. Whatever the case with the drug use, Sherk lost and BJ defended his title, finally, he writes, proving himself.

Next Penn set himself an even greater challenge: he would move up in weight to face Georges St-Pierre once again and for the first time in UFC history two current champions would fight.

Penn was keen for the fight but far less enthusiastic about the media that went with it. To make the situation worse he had his first child - a daughter named Aeva Lili'u - and BJ's life became hectic. He had another run in with Dana White over the Countdown show but otherwise he came to the fight well prepared.

The tone of Why I Fight makes a major change at this point and it is difficult to know what to make of it. Penn introduces the reader to the idea of 'greasing', or 'painting' the body with some chemical that makes it difficult to hold onto. You will remember that Penn noted about how he heard Sean Sherk saying after his loss to St-Pierre that he couldn't get a grip...well, the same challenges to St-Pierre's honesty arise here. The problem I have with this is that Penn offers no evidence against St-Pierre despite these very serious allegations. It is difficult to know therefore whether he is telling the truth or if he is just trying to make excuses. Whatever the real reason, it is the closing pages of the book that are the most shocking.

Penn first recites a pre-fight conversation between his co-author David Weintraub and the UFC fighter Kenny Florian. According to Penn Florian later sent a text to Weintraub saying that St-Pierre was a 'greaser'. He returns to the topic following his match.

BJ Penn vs GSP

The fight itself belonged to St-Pierre all the way. It is one for the connoisseur as St-Pierre used his weight and wrestling skills to force Penn to carry his weight around for the first couple of rounds before switching to stand up...with Penn's arms now too tired to box effectively. Penn was exhausted at the close of the fourth and was facing a severe beating in the fifth so one of his corner called the match and the victory went to St-Pierre. Penn's perspective in Why I Fight is very interesting and could be a testament to the effectiveness of St-Pierre's game plan or an explanation for it GSP's dominance.

Returning to the subject of greasing, back in the locker room commissioners were claiming that they had caught St-Pierre in the act of cheating and one of his team wanted BJ's shorts to conduct a chemical analysis to determine if a foreign (and banned) substance could be traced on them. What happened to the chemical test is not disclosed.

Penn was definitely hurt after the fight and needed to go to hospital and he suffered from his injuries in the weeks after. Legal action against St-Pierre began and included a hearing before the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The media cast Penn as the villain in the piece though, something he was not happy about and he seems to blame the MMA media for this. Personally, with the lack of evidence, I don't see how Penn could expect the public to react any other way. Unfortunately this isn't discussed in Why I Fight. There is only time for Penn's personal views.

Penn wasn't happy but he moved on.

He tells that he became happier when he learned his next match would be with Kenny Florian for the lightweight title. In the press coverage of the St-Pierre greasing incident Florian, despite Penn's claims that he had first tipped them off about the Canadian fighter's tactic of 'greasing', denied all knowledge of it. Penn felt that Florian was trying to make him '...look like an idiot' and he lost all respect for the guy.

Penn began working with Marv Marinovich, a professional trainer and famous for his work with NFL superstar Troy Polamalu (and someone whose work I strongly suggest you look at if you are a practicing martial artist). Penn was fascinated by the blend of different exercises using different machines and water-based workouts designed to improve the responsiveness of the nervous system. Penn was over the moon with the results and came into UFC 101 in tip-top condition. Penn wanted little else than to beat up Florian, something he did until Florian tapped out in round four, meaning Penn had successfully defended his lightweight title.

Thus Why I Fight comes to a close. Penn's career declined in the following years but his place among the legends of MMA was already sealed.

Why I Fight is a great read, most notably of course for fans of BJ Penn but also for anyone with an interest in the UFC and BJJ. Anyone aspiring to become a professional fighter would also do well to take a look to get an insight into the business side of the fight game. There is so much more that I would have liked to have read, such as more descriptions of Penn's training, his mental preparation and the role his parents played in shaping him and helping him, but the word count would have risen and perhaps much of what else I would have liked to have seen belongs best in a 'How to train like BJ Penn' type of book. Overall, Why I Fight is very highly recommended.

BJJ

BJJ, or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (aka Gracie Jiu Jitsu), finds its inspiration in Japanese ju jutsu, the precise origins of which are unknown. Some claim a Chinese origin, though it should be noted that earlier in Japan's history Chinese cultural influence was seen to be pre-eminent and such a theory may owe more to building prestige than any reality. Certainly there is no overwhelming evidence of a Chinese origin and the Nihongi (an official history of the origins of Japan completed in 797 CE) makes mention of a grappling match conducted in 23 BC before the Emperor that ended with one of the protagonists thrown to the floor and kicked to death.

By the Kamakura period the samurai were emerging as the elite warrior class and while they preferred to war with weapons, in the event of weapon loss or breakage they needed a set of battlefield-effective unarmed combat moves which resulted in what is loosely known as kumiuchi. Armor, along with the press of bodies on a battlefield, prevented the developed of a kicking and punching art and so grappling was emphasized. One of the principle stratagems was to take the opponent to the ground where a knife could be neatly inserted between the armor plates and the adversary killed.

For centuries the Japanese martial arts of all forms were necessarily brutally effective. It wasn't until the early 17th century that peace was established under the Tokugawa shogunate. For the next 250 years the arts stultified. While the rest of the world modernized and formed large armies of drilled conscripts, in Japan the samurai remained the elite without actually doing very much in the way of fighting.

The close of the sengoku jidai (civil war) period saw the establishment of formal ryu (schools). The first ju jutsu ryu to emerge was the Takenouchi ryu in 1532. Many others followed. This school, and those that followed, taught self-defense methods more than battlefield skills, a reflection of the political change that had taken hold of Japan.

Fast forward to the mid-nineteenth century and Japan's opening of its harbors to foreign trade and Western influence, it became obvious that the traditional fighting schools were redundant in the face of modern weaponry and tactics. Japan too began to modernize (reflected in part in the Tom Cruise movie The Last Samurai) and the traditional warrior class was disbanded. Ju jutsu went into decline until its savior arrived in the form of Jigoro Kano.

Jigoro Kano and the development of judo

Kano began his study of ju jutsu in the late 1870s as a way to combat people bullying him by building his strength and his fighting skill. Kano first studied under Fukuda sensei of the Tenjin-shinyo ryu for two years. Upon the passing of his teacher Kano continued under Mataemon sensei. His death forced Kano to switch to the Kito ryu under Tsunetoshi Ikubo where a great deal of the throwing techniques of judo were learned.

Throughout his study Kano took notes and considered the problems and limitations of ju jutsu. He decided to emphasize character development over pure fighting skill and introduced several innovations, one of the most famous of which was the practice of randori (sparring) which led to shiai (competitive matches). By making judo safer (though not ineffective) it was able to appeal to a wider audience and, the Gracie family would argue, more relevant to combat as techniques could be practiced with much more vigor owing to rules and the mutual agreement to end a match when one or the other taps (submits). Kano moved away from the theoretical deadliness of techniques that could not be practiced safely (such as eye jabs). The result, paradoxically, was to create a more combat-effective system as more rigorous training could be engaged in.

Kano also took the maxim of 'minimum effort, maximum effect' as the fundamental guiding principle of judo, a philosophy he was keen to see applied to other aspects of life outside the training hall.

Essentially Kano's great breakthrough was to educate the practitioner first over the techniques themselves.

Kano was vindicated in a famous tournament held in 1886, a mere four years after the Kodokan (the HQ for judo) had been opened. Kano attracted several top ju jutsu practitioners and his team defeated one challenger after another. Finally in 1886 the Tokyo police wished to determine which art was most suitable for recruits to be taught and held a competition to decide the matter. The Kodokan team won 13 of 15 matches, and drew the other two. This success catapulted Kano and his art to enormous popularity and growth. In turn judo entered the public school curriculum.

Fusen ryu

While today judo is best known for its throws and BJJ for its ground work, ultimately the origins of the ground techniques found in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lie beyond judo in the little-known Fusen ryu school of ju jutsu.

Fusen ryu had been in existence for some 100 years before its head master, Mataemon Tanabe, issued an unexpected challenge to the Kodokan. Unlike other schools of ju jutsu, the Fusen ryu concentrated on grappling over throwing. This tradition had been continued in the Kodokan with the victories in other challenges being the result of superior throwing technique. In fact, at this time, the syllabus of judo does not appear to have incorporated any ground grappling.

Tanabe was aware of the weakness in judo and formulated a simple strategy for the challenge: he would take the match to the ground. He sought to win through submission rather than scoring a point with a throw.

The precise details and date are lost but the challenge took place in the early 20th century between the Kodokan and the Fusen ryu. What isn't in dispute is the result: for the first time the Kodokan was defeated. Easily...

Kano was shocked and realized immediately the weakness in judo and - displaying his typical desire for improvement - invited Tanabe to teach at his school.

The example Tanabe set provided a key factor in the development of BJJ. The challenge demonstrated the importance of taking an opponent out of his comfort zone and into the area of combat the protagonist was most proficient in. This strategy came to be known as phases of combat, with each phase representing a part of the overall fight. Judo had previously fought in the throwing phase of combat; Tanabe took the fight into the ground grappling phase and beat the Kodokan.

The result of Tanabe's teaching at the Kodokan was an explosion of interest in ne waza, or ground grappling, at the expense of the hitherto emphasis on throwing.

Mitsuyo Maeda

An important figure to emerge from the shift in training to ground grappling was Mitsuyo Maeda. A skilled ju jutsu practitioner, like many others, he mad the switch to judo. Maeda became one of the top students to emerge from the Kodokan and he was sent around the world by Kano to spread the art. He traveled around Europe before heading to Brazil prior to the outbreak of World War One. At the time Japan was looking to expand its program of overseas colonization and Maeda became involved, advocating Brazil as a great place for Japanese to live.

While performing his duties Maeda came to befriend a Brazilian by the name of Gastao Gracie, a man of Scottish descent. In return for political favors, Maeda taught Gastao's son, Carlos, for somewhere between two and four years. Thus the seed of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was planted.

Maeda was an accomplished street fighter and challenge-match fighter. His experiences in Brazil exposed him to different physiques and different styles that required him to modify his more traditional Japanese martial arts. There was no gi jacket and opponents tended to have a background in either wrestling or boxing, neither of which were seen in Japan at that time. To counter a boxer, Maeda would move into a tight clinch, take him to the ground and force a submission. While Maeda had never seen anything like boxing before, boxers had never seen anything like the ground work of judo.

Carlos Gracie and the beginnings of BJJ

As noted above, Carlos studied with Maeda for no more than four years and this would have included stints under Maeda's top students while the master was traveling. Following this tuition Carlos opened his own school in 1925 along with his brothers who he had been teaching. The Gracie brothers were known as excellent technicians, but more than this, they were known as fearless competitors in challenge matches. The family and the style went unbeaten.

This ongoing exposure to real combat created a feedback loop that was then honed in the gym among the brothers. With each fight came discussion and the honing of an evermore effective technique. The family tended towards the small size and so they often found themselves fighting from their backs, pinned by a larger opponent, and dealing with this situation became a key feature of BJJ that is still apparent today. Not only that, the Gracie's were engaged in challenge fights, not challenge grappling matches. In this environment is became clear that the pin was ineffective as it did not end the fight in and of itself.

The Gracies learned that two positions were more effective than any other: moving behind an opponent and taking his back and achieving the full mount position. This was the origin of the points system used in competitive BJJ which rewards contestants with ever-higher point scores as they achieve more difficult (and more dominating) positional control.

Continued development of BJJ

As the years passed and experience grew the theory of positional dominance grew and became of prime importance. Basically the theory recognized that the positions two fighters took with regard to one another could be graded, from the individual's perspective, as ranging from very good to very bad. For example, the mount position was, from the point of view of the person in the mount, very good; from the person trapped below the position was very bad. As such, the technique and strategy evolved to emphasize gaining a very good position in relation to your opponent and avoiding, escaping or reversing a very bad position. This emphasis on gaining positional advantage was reflected in the point system used in BJJ competition, which rewarded fighters who could force their adversary into a disadvantageous situation.

Differences between BJJ and traditional ju jutsu

While BJJ has its roots in classical Japanese ju jutsu, it has morphed into something that, certainly at the level at which fights are conceptualized, is different. In general, the techniques themselves tend to be inherited, but the guiding combative principles that govern the execution of those techniques have developed along different lines in BJJ.

- Positional Strategy

The most important difference is the revolutionary emphasis on gaining positional advantage. This overall guiding strategy in BJJ has its roots in the experiences gained by Gracie family members in real fights and subsequent training and honing of technique and the feedback loop this process created. Once positional dominance had been gained a submission could be much more easily applied as the opponent is less able to resist. The opponent may also be finished with a flurry of blows (usually palm strikes to save the knuckles from damage) from the mount.

- Training Method

Unlike classical ju jutsu BJJ makes continual and effective use of live training (randori) to teach, understand and practice positional dominance. This is an inheritance from Kano's introduction of sparring at the Kodokan. Although BJJ does make use of kata (forms) in the use of pre-determined drills, practice does not start and stop there as it does in the original ju jutsu schools.

The point of live training is for the opponent to actually resist the application of techniques against him, unlike in kata or drill practice where resistance is minimal to non-existent.

A criticism leveled at BJJ sometimes (and against those that spar 'safely' - according to rules) is that 'realistic' movements such as eye gouging and biting are not practiced. The standard answer is that experience has demonstrated that it is the superior grappler who will be better able to execute such techniques. My personal feelings are that such extreme attacks have little place in modern life with its legal constraints. Gouging another's eye had its place on the battlefield but nowadays the same technique can cause you to be the one convicted of a crime. As for a defense against such attacks, again, it is through the study and practice of positional advantage that prevents you suffering any damage. Taking someone's back effectively allows you to not only end the fight but puts you in a very safe position.

The benefit of this 'safe' approach to live training is that techniques can be practiced full out on a daily basis allowing for a rapid accumulation of skill (and related factors such as strength and endurance).

- Point System

The points system used in BJJ rewards a fighter each time he moves into a better (more dominant) position. Escaping from a bad position however is not rewarded. The rear position and mount score the maximum of four points each.

- Techniques Differences

Traditional ju jutsu styles utilize techniques that cannot be used safely in daily or competitive training, such as strikes to the eyes and genitals or biting and hair pulling. BJJ focuses on techniques that can be practiced full out against a resisting opponent.

The techniques of BJJ also make greater use of leverage owing to the smaller size of the early members of the Gracie family when compared to other Brazilians. The techniques also rely more on the use of gross motor movement, rather than fine motor movement. Those techniques reliant on fine motor movement, such as a finger lock, have been found to be difficult to apply in a real combat situation.

BJJ and MMA

Throughout much of the twentieth century the grappling arts, including BJJ, saw a decline in popularity when compared to the more dynamic and visually appealing striking and kicking arts such as karate and kung fu. Then, in the 1990s, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition began to gain popularity in North America and Japan. Initially the idea was to match up style vs style and fighters were nowhere near as well rounded as they are nowadays. Surprisingly the striking arts performed poorly, much to the shock of the general public and the average martial artist. One style emerged as being clearly more successful than others: BJJ. Even more shocking was that its champion, a young Royce Gracie, looked like anything but the archetypal sleek, muscle-bound champion that one would expect to dominate. More often than not Royce was outweighed and outmuscled yet he was able to pull off win after win. Other Gracie family members - Renzo, Ralph and Rickson - were similarly victorious in competitions other than the early UFC.

These early matches were much closer to full out fights than is allowed today in the UFC. There were no round time limits, no weight categories, no gloves and very few prohibited techniques. In this environment the Gracies and their BJJ were as close to being unbeatable and one could get.

BJJ and the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Rorion Gracie talks about the origins of BJJ, and the formulation of the original no-holds-barred Ultimate Fighting Championship (along with commentary from Ken Shamrock) which saw the emergence of Royce Gracie as the top fighter of his day and Gracie Jiu Jitsu as the pre-eminent fighting style.

The Death of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

While watching the Strikeforce fight between Tyron Woodley and Andre Galvao my thoughts that we are witnessing the death of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu were confirmed to a great extent. Galvao, a world champion BJJ practitioner, finally came face to face with a quality Mixed Martial Artist and was comfortably beaten. Take a look at the fight below first to see the action.

Galvao didn't bring a lot to the fight it seems and was very one-dimensional, relying on a shoot to tackle his opponent and take the fight to the ground where he hoped to employ his far superior Jiu Jitsu skills to win a victory. However, it was Galvao's futile attempts to shoot that got him into trouble. The fight effectively ended at around the 2:40 mark when Galvao shoots, fails and is seriously hurt in the process of launching his own - for the most part, undefended - attack

The thing is that almost twenty years ago, when what is now known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship first started, Galvao would have most likely come away as the world champion. Afterall, he isn't trying to do anything that Royce Gracie wasn't doing successfully back in 1993 to dominate fighters who were for the most part much bigger, heavier and stronger than he was. Royce won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship against Gerard Gordeau by following the same pattern that Galvao attempted against Tyron Woodley. Gordeau didn't know what was coming and didn't know how to defend himself; Woodley knew what was coming and was easily able to defend himself.

Both Royce and Galvao are using the same game plan to enable them to use their Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills: shoot in low, take the fight to the ground and secure the win. Royce was able to shoot, take Gordeau to the ground and win without suffering any damage. Gordeau was clearly out of his depth and simply didn't know enough to be able to even attempt to counter Royce.

Seventeen years later and the same game plan using the same style results in a comfortable win for Tyron Woodley.

The difference is that while Royce was incredibly successful, Galvao ended up getting beaten precisely because he was putting himself in such a vulnerable, exposed position as he went for the shoot against a fighter who knows how the BJJ crowd do things and has trained to counter such take down attempts.

Twenty odd years is a long time. Almost a full generation. And in that time the opponents of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners have become wise as to how to counter the shoots to their legs (by 'sprawling') and what was once a match winning tactic has now lost it's value of surprise and has become a simple technique / strategy to counter.

As the difference in results in the matches fought by Royce and Galvao prove, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by itself is inadequate to gain victory.

The issue is far more complex than that though in my opinion and I think a fighter nowadays needs to evaluate just how useful time spent learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu actually is.

First of all I want to say that I am not dissing BJJ. I find it challenging and fascinating as an art in its own right (I train in BJJ, both Gi and Non Gi) and I don't think the art stands or falls according to whether or not it is useful to today's Mixed Martial Artist. What I do feel though is that the reputation it has built for itself as being relevant to MMA has been due more to the lack of awareness opponent's of the style have had in the past than the overall effectiveness of BJJ.

Around the time Galvao was losing to Woodley we also saw BJ Penn lose twice to Frank Edgar. Penn is a well-known BJJ expert and, like Galvao, another former world champion. Edgar is a purple belt in BJJ and there is no indication that he is anything more than an average purple belt at that. Yet in both fights it was clear that Edgar didn't need to be anything more than a purple belt. He didn't really use his own BJJ skills in either fight; rather he just needed to know enough to make sure he could avoid fighting on Penn's terms. Seen from Penn's point of view, it is clear that BJJ by itself wasn't enough to win either fight.

At UFC 119 Matt Serra, a contemporary of BJ Penn on the BJJ circuit and another world class practitioner, didn't even really try to use Jiu Jitsu and instead just banged with Chris Lytle. He may have had an ulterior motive here: to take the 'Fight of the Night' award that he talked about in interviews. But he lost the fight, never looked convincing and was out of gas for much of the second half of the fight.

So in response to the question: Are we seeing the death of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? I would have to say that yes, we are. BJJ remains relevant as a martial art to study more because of a few standard, but very effective techniques it employs and because, for as long as other people are doing it, you need to know enough to counter what they have. But with world champions in MMA nowadays having limited experience or ability with BJJ just how long BJJ remains relevant to the MMA fighter is highly questionable.

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