Chael Sonnen Criticizes Jiu-Jitsu’s ‘Marketing Approach’: “Trying To Convince The World…”
In a recent podcast, Chael Sonnen offered a critique of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s traditional beliefs about technique versus strength…While addressing what he believes are the sport’s marketing strategies.
Sonnen recalled how, early in his career, he was taught to believe that technical skill and heart outweighed physical strength.Over time, however, he’s come to reject that idea:
Strength matters. Horsepower matters. How big a horse are you?
If you took possibly the world’s greatest technician in Jiu-Jitsu and you put him with a strong man, a guy that goes up and lifts a boulder over his head…
The world’s greatest Jiu-Jitsu guy is going to ultimately win – but not in the streets, not under any quantifiable measure.
With that in mind, Sonnen also took aim at the Jiu-Jitsu community’s marketing strategies – accusing them of perpetuating the narrative that technique can always overcome size and strength.
He explained that this approach, while effective for building gyms and attracting new students, may paint an unrealistic picture of what the art can achieve in real-world scenarios:
In Jiu-Jitsu, when you’re trying to build a brand and you’re signing up gyms to convince the world that anybody can do this – it’s very effective.
This marketing tactic, Sonnen argued, appeals to people looking for an inclusive and accessible martial art but may oversimplify the realities of combat.
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.
