Great Britain Jujitsu is a new national federation looking to open the world of sports jujitsu like never before.
On June 11th 2022, the ‘GBJ’ will be hosting their first competition. It will be held at the Judo Centre of Excellence in Wolverhampton University, Walsall.
It’ll be the first time that the newly formed federation will be putting on a grappling and Sports Jujitsu competition under the JJIF ruleset.
It will be open to anyone over the age of 6 years of age upwards.
Who Is the JJIF?
The JJIF is the Ju-jitsu International Federation. It’s recognised worldwide by the likes of the GAISF, The World Games, Peace and Sport, FISU and the JJAU. They were founded in 1998 after the expansion of the European Ju-jitsu Federation (EJJF). The JJIF is currently lobbying very hard to get Sports Jujitsu into the Olympics. If they are successful in this, then the GBJ will be the first federation in British history to be in charge of the Olympic squad.
The Rules of the JJIF for Grappling and Sports Jujitsu
The grappling seems to be fairly similar to the IBJJF rules, although some subtle changes need to be considered. The scoring system is slightly different to what most would be used to. It appears that a submission attempt or passing guard attempt, or sweep attempt all result in an advantage. 3 Points for passing guard, 2 for side control and 4 points for mount or back mount. One of the main differences is that ‘Bum-scooting’ isn’t allowed. There must be a grip of some sort before pulling/jumping guard or throwing. Penalties also seem to be applied for what is called ‘Passivity’, in other words, avoiding engaging.
The Sports Jujitsu aspect of the competition is geared up for striking, throwing and then submission. If a competitor doesn’t engage in all three elements, then it could be deemed passivity (avoidance to compete), and penalties can be applied. From what we understand, the rules for Sports Jujitsu seem to be geared up for the ‘working class person’, People who want a bit more than grappling and a bit more than stand up, but… also have work Monday!
For full Rules and regs click here.
We wish the GBJ the best of luck in putting this competition together. It is certainly a little different to what we are used to and what we have seen.
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Featured image credits to Great Britain Jujitsu
