You Can't Rename the KIMURA!!!!!!

Oh wow! This is like the ultimate sin in the world of grappling. Shoshin Ryu Jiu Jitsu, a branch of Japanese Danzan Ryu Jujitsu which is made up of a bunch of wannabe-Bruce Lee's, is changing the name of the famous Kimura Shoulder Lock that Kimura tapped out Helio Gracie with, to “UDE GARAMI” which they argue is the original Japanese name for a technique that is similar to the Kimura Shoulder Lock in their art.

Kimura was a Judo fighter back when Helio Gracie was going around fighting all the other Martial Arts to prove that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was the best style. Gracie had almost 400 fights with no losses, and then he fought Kimura who ripped Helio’s shoulder out! That lock became known as THE Kimura. To this day, the Kimura has been used in high level competitions such as the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Championships, The Jiu Jitsu Mundials, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

But a few CJJ (Classic Jiu Jitsu) places want to pretend they’re Samurai’s and hence you have a bunch of pasty white guys trying to speak Japanese and reminding me of all the Animae nerds in high school who used to speak Japanenglish so they could be like their hero, Inuyasha (Cartoon Network Adult Swim, don’t ask how I know that), going around saying “Mahalo” to each other even though its Hawaiian. What’s next? A secret handshake?

What I don’t understand is what is so blasphemous about taking a Japanese art and teaching it in English as long as it’s in an English-speaking country? This is why bilingual education in America doesn’t work, it only delays the learning process because the students CAN’T EVEN UNDERSTAND YOU! It's not like the brazilians keep their Potruguese names for their arts. I’ve seen cool things at wrestling matches like a guy being coached in Spanish so that his opponent won’t understand, but Japanese is not my second language.

In fact, at high level grappling gyms, a lot of the instructors don’t even name the moves! They show you it, show it on you, tap you out with it a couple times, then say “okay go tap someone with it.”

I can understand honoring the old masters by keeping to the traditions, that is why many Muay Thai fighters go to Hindu Shrines regardless of their religion before their fights. Many Judo Schools, even renown one who send fighters to the Pan American Games, bow to a picture of Kano before workouts. But you know what else, Kano and Master Okazaki also passed like literally a hundred years ago. I seriously doubt they would come back from their eternal naps and make you do pushups for dishonoring their art by deviating from their ways a little. Oh the wrath of the Ancestors be upon us for trying to be just a little bit modern!

I’m not saying it’s completely wrong to name techniques in their language of origin. We have techniques like “DROP SEOI NAGE” and “OMA PLATA.” But if everyone was calling the “OMA PLATA” a “SITTING UP SHOULDER LOCK,” we’d be best advised to call it that too so that we’d be learning the same art that all the other grapplers are learning so that we know what they’re doing when their coach yells it to them from the sideline. You’re either a Grappling art, an MMA art, or a Stunt Double’s art…or you’re a Mcdojo. If all the Grappling, MMA, and Stunt Double’s arts are calling it the “KIMURA,” we should call it the Kimura too so that we’re not labeled a Mcdojo by all the young grapplers that are starting to come in and roll with us. What kind of a future does a martial arts gym hold that is not changing with the times? Didn't the UFC teach us that unless you evolve, you lose?

But apparently if you don’t care what other people think about you, you can technically take every existing move, and invent your own funny names for them and still tap people out. I mean so far me and my friends have invented a ton of crazy moves that may or may not work outside of our own grappling circles or the UFC videogames, I guess Eddie Bravo made his name doing the exact same crazy stuff we're doing. Personally though I would at least have a little more self-respect than to name one of my moves the "Papper Castle," but then again if you tap some guy out with it, you can make fun of him by saying that he got tapped with "Insert Lame Name Here."

Okay fine, point made, other people’s opinions aren’t so important. Call the move whatever you want, but if you’re changing the name of the Kimura I’m changing the name of the Rear-Naked Choke to "Mata Leon" like Renzo Gracie calls it!

Update: OH GOD THIS IS NOT FAIR. Google sucks, in fact that is my next blog. Blame Google.

"Kimura" "The Kimura" "Kimura Shoulder Lock" "Kimura BJJ"


................................... "Ude Garami"

DOH!!