Brazilian Jiu Jitsu takes Nanjing by Storm

ByLillian Chen

Starting as a minority sport, it has now taken Nanjing by storm. The martial art that is jiu jitsu has become a pastime for many, ranging from 4-year olds to

even the matured. What prompted this noticeable rise in

the sport? Why here? Why now?

The Nanjinger sat down with Nanjing BJJ Academy owner,

Guillaume Leclerc (GL), who hails from Canada. He’s

noticed that there has been a marked rise in both interest

and the number of schools. "There absolutely has been a

rise in both the popularity and the number of practitioners of Brazilian jiu jitsu in recent years. For example, when I first arrived in China, there were only one or two competitions per year in the whole country. Now there are competitions nearly each month, and often

more than once a month”, he told me (LC).

A unique sport of Japanese and Brazilian descent, the

close combat martial art can be used for self-defence or

offence. While it may just be another martial art to some,

for others it’s a way of life, helping people to grow as a

person by teaching basic principles such as acceptance,

respect, creation and other underlying elements that can

be cultivated through physical manifestations and carried

over into other aspects of life. When grappling, participants

challenged both physically and mentally as it fuses

physical strength and strategy.

LC: “What makes jiu jitsu so different? Is it even different?” GL:“While you may say it’s all pretty much the same thing;

'they're all just people rolling around on a mat’, some may think otherwise. [Just as] basketball and tennis are all ‘ball

sports’, jiu jitsu also differs from the other martial arts”.

What sets jiu jitsu apart is the mutual respect for the sport,

its ability to attract people of different backgrounds and the shared pride that they take in the sport. “We find pride

in our technical skill, teaching methodology and in the community that we work to build up every single day”,

Leclerc told The Nanjinger.

LC: “Why do think people are interested in jiujitsu, especially recently?” GL:“With MMA becoming more mainstream in China, and

China having its very first UFC champion, more and more aware of it. People come to get a workout and learn self-

defence skills. And although MMA might have planted the

seed, there could be underlying reasons such as wanting to try a new fun way to exercise and socialise with real people after the COVID lockdowns.”

LC: “Why did you get into jiu jitsu?” GL: “I was blessed to put into martial arts training at the

young age of 5, my father had always wanted to train but couldn’t afford it when he was a kid, so we did classes

together as soon as I was old enough to join. I dabbled in

many different martial arts, taekwondo, kickboxing, capoeira, to name a few, and finally found my way to jiu jitsu. Some friends, even though they were physically weaker than I, did jiu jitsu, and they would easily find the

upper hand as soon as it got to the ground. I had to learn

their witchcraft for myself.”

GL:"Funny story. It was never my plan to start a gym. I took over classes when my instructor left. It was more a transfer of responsibility, my duty to keep spreading the art. After finishing university here, my wife and I decided to turn our

passion into our career. Very soon, the room we were renting got too small and we moved into our first stand-

alone location. As for why other people get started, I think reasons may vary, but for a BJJ gym to be successful, one

thing is sure, the owner/instructor must be extremely

passionate about the sport.”

LC: “Why did you start a gym, and why do you think other people started?”

LC:“What are the dangers/risks?” GL: “When it comes to business in general, there are

always risks involved, especially when we’re talking

about BJJ which is very new and still very niche in this country. It’s a lot of work to get people to come through

the door. Another is injury, like any other contact sport. Some people are intimidated by the idea of having to

wrestle with others on the ground and can never get past

their fear. However, for those who decide to come try, their fears vanish into thin air as soon as they feel our welcoming atmosphere. Moreover, jiu jitsu is the safest of

combat sports, as we don’t do any punching or kicking. You won’t be getting hit in the face!”

Owner of Nanjing BJJ Academy, Guillaume Leclerc (bottom right), teaches a class with Coach, Wang Mingjia

Nanjing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Acadamy (南京巴西柔术) now has two branches in Nanjing:

19F, Imperial Garden, 333 Taiping Nan Lu 大平南路333号御景园19楼 #102, Jinling Construction Engineering Mansion, 15 Bailongjiang Dong Jie 建业区白龙江东街16号金陵建工大厦102室