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?
它最初是一项小众运动，如今已风靡南京。柔术这一武术已成为许多人的消遣，从四岁的孩子到成年人。是什么促使这项运动显着兴起？为什么在这里？为什么是现在？
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).
《南京人》采访了来自加拿大的南京巴西柔术学院老板纪尧姆·勒克莱尔（GL）。他注意到人们的兴趣和学校数量都显着增加。 “近年来，巴西柔术的受欢迎程度和练习者数量确实有所增加。例如，当我刚到中国时，全国每年只有一两次比赛。现在几乎每个月都有比赛，而且经常每月不止一次”，他告诉我（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.
近身格斗武术是一项源自日本和巴西血统的独特运动，可用于自卫或进攻。虽然对某些人来说，它可能只是另一种武术，但对另一些人来说，它是一种生活方式，通过教授接受、尊重、创造等基本原则，帮助人们成长为一个人，以及其他可以通过身体表现培养并延续到生活其他方面的基本要素。格斗时，参与者在身体和精神上都受到挑战，因为它融合了体力和策略。
LC: “What makes jiu jitsu so different? Is it even different?”
LC：“是什么让柔术如此不同？甚至不同吗？”
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”.
GL：“虽然你可能会说这几乎是同一件事；‘他们都只是在垫子上打滚的人’，但有些人可能会有不同的想法。[就像]篮球和网球都是‘球类运动’一样，柔术也不同于其他武术”。
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.
柔术的独特之处在于对这项运动的相互尊重、它吸引不同背景的人的能力以及他们对这项运动的共同自豪感。 “我们对我们的技术技能、教学方法以及我们每天努力建立的社区感到自豪”，勒克莱尔告诉《南京人》。
LC: “Why do think people are interested in jiujitsu, especially recently?”
LC：“为什么人们对柔术感兴趣，尤其是最近？”
GL: “With MMA becoming more mainstream in China, and China having its very first UFC champion, more and more people are hearing about BJJ. I don’t think the reason people are interested is changing, just more people are 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.“
GL：“随着MMA在中国变得更加主流，并且中国有了第一个UFC冠军，越来越多的人听说了巴西柔术。我不认为人们感兴趣的原因正在改变，只是更多的人意识到了这一点。人们来这里锻炼身体并学习自卫技能。虽然MMA可能已经种下了种子，但可能有潜在的原因，比如在新冠疫情封锁后想要尝试一种新的有趣的方式来锻炼和与真实的人社交。”
LC: “Why did you get into jiu jitsu?”
LC：“你为什么选择柔术？”
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：“我有幸在五岁的时候就开始接受武术训练，我父亲小时候一直想训练，但买不起，所以当我长大了可以参加的时候，我们就一起上课。我涉猎了许多不同的武术，跆拳道、跆拳道、卡波耶拉等等，最后找到了柔术的道路。有些朋友，尽管他们体力比我弱，但也练了柔术。柔术，一落地就很容易占上风，我得亲自学学他们的巫术。”
LC: “Why did you start a gym, and why do you think other people started?”
LC：“你为什么开办健身房，你认为其他人为什么开办健身房？”
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.”
GL：“有趣的故事。开办健身房从来都不是我的计划。我的教练离开后，我接手了课程。这更多的是一种责任的转移，我有义务继续传播艺术。在这里完成大学学业后，我和妻子决定将我们的热情变成我们的事业。很快，我们租的房间太小了，我们搬进了我们的第一个独立地点。至于为什么其他人开始，我认为原因可能会有所不同，但对于巴西柔术健身房的成功，有一件事是肯定的，主人/教练必须对这项运动充满热情。”
LC: “What are the dangers/risks?”
LC：“有什么危险/风险？”
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!”
GL：“一般来说，商业活动总是存在风险，特别是当我们谈论巴西柔术时，它是非常新的，在这个国家仍然非常小众。要让人们进来需要做很多工作。另一个是受伤，就像任何其他接触性运动一样。有些人因为必须在地面上与其他人摔跤而感到害怕，永远无法克服他们的恐惧。然而，对于那些决定来尝试的人来说，一旦他们感到害怕，他们的恐惧就会消失得无影无踪。而且，柔术是最安全的格斗运动，因为我们不会拳打脚踢，你的脸不会被击中！”
Step out of your comfort zone, get a workout in and leave with some physical witchcraft!
走出你的舒适区，锻炼身体，然后带着一些身体魔法离开！
Nanjing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Acadamy (南京巴西柔术) now has two branches in Nanjing:
南京巴西柔术学院目前在南京设有两家分院：
- 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
