This is a documentary video not just on SUMO, Japan’s national sport, but also an insight into the lifestyle of traditional martial arts as a cut throat professional competition.

While this is NOT what we look to replicate at our jiujitsu studio, there are valuable ideas, lessons, and philosophy we can take and understand from the documentary. Needless to say, if you understand stand up grappling, wrestling, and body position, it’s a fun technical look into the art of takedowns.

While this documentary centers around the career of KYOKUSHUZAN “SHU,” it’s also includes the similar difficulties experienced by other non-Japanese wrestlers.

Some ideas discussed:

• Training for long term vs short term
• Understanding the BIG picture
• Rank and responsibility
• Mental toughness
• Size, strength, speed, and technique
• Mentorship and apprenticeship

Again, this isn’t the type of culture we want to replicate at edhbjj. However, it’s important to understand the different dynamics that exists within an ultra competitive environment of martial arts. Better understanding these dynamics allows us to better what we do at our jiujitsu school.

Eliot