The COVID-19 coronavirus. Every BJJ academy/club or other form of martial arts has been hit incredibly hard by this.
Why do we differ so much from other sports?
1. It is absolutely not possible to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu without contact. We do film solo drills for our students and parents to keep them moving! Still, you can't replicate the feeling of BJJ with such drills (nothing is as satisfying as a delightful choke).
2. In BJJ, it is common to train/rotate with ten different people in an evening, sometimes even more! We do this in BJJ here in Amersfoort to prepare ourselves for every scenario, whether for self-defense or sport-specific reasons.
3. I personally (Abdel Ziamari, founder of BJJ Amersfoort/Amersfoort BJJ) have never, in all my years in martial arts, encountered a sport like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with an emphasis on the community that comes with it. After a class, it is common for dozens of people to stay and chat about various topics. When the steam from all the hard training subsides and all the (stress/bullshit) drains away, this often leads to interesting conversations.
Covid-19 is a virus that will eventually disappear.
BJJ is a lifelong study, support your Jiu-Jitsu club so you can return to all these wonderful moments on and off the mat!
PS:
Every BJJ academy/club is different. We have already discussed internally with our own members how we will handle the financial situation.
Strength and success wished from the BJJ Amersfoort Team.
“There is no losing in jiu jitsu. You either win or you learn.”
This article was originally published in Dutch. Read the Dutch original.
