Passing Of The "Old" Guard

By: Hiram "Tortuga" Navarrete

The winds of change. The passing of the torch. The changing of the guard.

These are only a few ways of saying the same thing, and that's the age old lesson of the young, hungry, lion besting the old shark.

Image By: Animal Kaiser http://ak-sg.blogspot.com/

In recent years it's become apparent that the ways have changed when it comes to competition in Brazilian jiu jitsu.  The glory days of old school jiu jitsu power houses such as Saulo Ribeiro and Fabio Gurgel are said to have come to an end, while the rise of names such as Rodolfo Vieira, and Jao Assis, have made it apparent that times are changing.  The new generation of competitors and fighters are not only skilled technically but show an amazing array of athletic ability.  What I see today are people flying all over the place, exploding into submissions but still staying precise and technical with there attack.  While the classic grappler was more focused on a steady pace, keeping controlled and finishing  We've seen many examples of youth overcoming experience and guile but what were all forgetting is that if you swim with the shark, old or not, YOU WILL GET BIT.  These men are members of the old guard for a reason, and we need to show them the respect that they have earned.  So when these legends ride off into the sunset, as they pass the torch on to you, don't be surprised if you get burned along the way.