When I started Jiu Jitsu, it was the mid 2000s. No one knew what it was. If you told someone you did Jiu Jitsu, they'd usually say "Oh, like Karate and stuff" or, if they thought of themselves as funny, they'd make a fake Bruce Lee noise and wave their hands around. "Waaaaaawwww!"

Hilarious.

Now, the dogs on the street know. They watch the UFC, or they've seen celebs like Tom Hardy do it. It's made it's way into popular culture. This is incredible for people like me. We get to teach more people than ever before. But in truth, it's also a little annoying sometimes. Like when you have a favourite band, and then they become popular, a small part of you wanted to keep it all for yourself.

But that's a selfish view. I'm mostly delighted!

But back in the early part of the century, Jiu Jitsu was mainly done by a dedicated few, and had a very deep connection to MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). In Ireland around '05, it was difficult to find someone who didn't also train for MMA, or Vale Tudo as we still called it.

This connection was helpful in one way. It kept Jiu Jitsu rooted in reality. Of course there were still plenty of moves that wouldn't work "in the street" or in the MMA cage, but you had the reality check of MMA in your next session, and you knew where you stood once punches were being thrown.

In another way, it wasn't helpful. Thousands of people who may have otherwise benefitted from training in Jiu Jitsu were scared away by the image of burly blokes ground and pounding, elbowing, and kneeing each other. The reality was different. Everyone was fairly friendly. Like a lot of small communities as they start out, there were a lot of evangelists who wanted to spread the word and would have welcomed anyone into the fold. But you needed to get past the door first, and a lot of people didn't get that far thanks to the outside image.

Once Jiu Jitsu began to develop it's own unique identity, things changed, and changed quickly. The sport, particularly when trained in the Gi, looks so much more welcoming. People with low confidence feel much better about walking in to a more "martial artsy" environment with black belts and white belts than they do into the hardcore looking MMA gym. And people who have body image issues welcome the chance to put on a Gi and look like everyone else. It's a great leveller, as well as a great training tool.

I do miss the old days sometimes. It felt like we were part of a martial arts revolution, and we were. Jiu Jitsu and MMA changed martial arts forever. We took away the mystery and mysticism, and the movement regenerated interest in incredible martial arts like Judo and Wrestling.

We also inspired a new generation, whose skill levels surpass ours. But people like me still need to remind them to keep one eye on reality. It's not all about fancy moves and winning tournaments. We need to stay true to our roots too.

This Jiu Jitsu craze will end, like all crazes. But we'll still be here beating the drum. We were before, and we will after.

See you on the mat,

Barry