Elon Musk does it, Mark Zuckerberg does it, and I do it. Everybody’s doing Jiu-Jitsu.
It’s the sport de rigueur of Hollywood and the rest of the world has been catching on.
I recently worked with Janez Vermeiren, a popular Top Billing presenter. As TV personalities, our presentation style could not be more different. I was a barefoot, unscripted, unbotoxed traveller on Going Nowhere Slowly, he impeccably coiffed, dressed and aestheticized. Yet, we discovered we have one thing in common – we both started doing Jiu-Jitsu as adults. He is in his early forties. I started Jiu-Jitsu when I was 52. I have been doing it for five years. I am a purple belt, he is white. In the middle of winter, on a pavement in Joburg, he lifted his jersey to show me a popped rib, an injury sustained while absorbing an accidental knee to his chest while ‘rolling’ (the Jiu-Jitsu equivalent of ‘sparring’). I said he must be careful; it looked like he was getting another wife, like Adam in the Bible. I displayed a limp in my left leg, due to multiple rough rolls and leg locks. Then we laughed and understood each other and our place in the universe.
That is the appeal of martial arts – the primality of combat, combined with the civility of consent and the protection of boundaries is an intoxicating mix. When you step onto the mat in Jiu-Jitsu, it requires the whole person to show up. Your body and your mind have to be actively engaged at all times, or you could lose both. It is a game of chess you play with your body.
Translated, Jiu-Jitsu means ‘gentle art’ but the aim is to deprive the other person of the ability to breathe till they pass out or you manipulate the other person’s joints to the point of breaking – unless they tap out. There is an elegance to surrender in Jiu-Jitsu, a nobility even. You merely tap your hands twice to indicate that you are stuck and the training partner will immediately freeze. This is not possible with any type of striking or kicking sports, as you cannot halt karate or boxing mid-air, for instance. Tap, nap or snap – those are your options. It is the tap-out system that makes Jiu-Jitsu popular for all ages, as injuries tend to occur less often and are less severe than in other combat arts. That comfort with losing is also its greatest life lesson.
Zuckerberg and Musk have now challenged each other to a cage fight, with Jiu-Jitsu being mentioned as a key skill set. If the fight goes ahead, it will be the biggest bout in history. Rumoured to bring in over $1 billion. It will eclipse anything Ali ever did and make Connor McGregor look like an amateur in his profession. Gimmick or not, it is a sign of changing times. Our generals of war are no longer the alpha males in society, our captains of industry are. Musk and Zuckerberg are the most powerful people who have ever lived and their rivalry has now promised to become physical. It is a virtual reality game between a modern Caesar and Napoleon. Duels between royalty are out, but social media spectacle is in. This skirmish will have more expert analysis and written records than Waterloo. Make no mistake, the war between the egos of the two tech giants is real, even though much of it might be performative, as has been the most publicised military conflict of the last 40 years. It is not cool for narcissism and power lust to meet directly on great battlefields anymore. Heck, we can’t even offend each other on social media without censure. That is probably one of the reasons sports like Jiu-Jitsu are becoming popular; it is a socially acceptable way to express the natural violent, aggressive or competitive elements of human nature and not be judged for it. The mat is a mirror and soon Musk and Zuckerberg will look into it while the rest of us watch and place our bets. Whatever happens between these two, it is a significant event for both of them, because it speaks directly to their style of masculinity.
Zuckerberg has a blue belt after training for a year. It is a quick progression in the sport, achieved with extreme dedication and professional support. He’s doing it by the book, though. He entered a competition under the cover of a disguise (Covid mask and hoodie) and won gold. Musk has had limited exposure to Jiu-Jitsu but has a history of karate, Judo and Taekwondo as a kid. Musk is taller, 15kg heavier and out of shape, while Zuckerberg moves like an athlete and is 13 years younger. I am similar to Musk in my style of engagement. I too am a clown, don’t mind a level of brutality and make fun of my bulky shape. Musk jokingly refers to his signature move as ‘the walrus,’ where he uses his weight as an advantage and lies on top of you. I call mine ‘the buffalo’: you simply stampede and overwhelm the other person. I would place my money on Musk if it is an octagon event with looser rules and he has a few months to prepare. If it is a pure Jiu-Jitsu match, Zuckerberg should win. I doubt that Musk would allow it to be pure. He’s a street fighter by nature, while Zuckerberg is eager to be seen as the nice guy. He wants to start a Twitter rival company where he enlists Oprah and the Dalai Lama, for God’s sake. He appears to take his role as a societal gatekeeper seriously and makes decisions responsibly. You can see it in the way he rolls. In a recent filmed session with Lex Fridman, a popular podcast host and Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Zuckerberg looked hesitant to me. He is technically skilled but has yet to unlock a killer instinct. Musk, on the other hand, is a Mongol horde, waiting to dominate with force. He builds stuff. He values his achievement by pushing boundaries. His endpoint is different to Zuckerberg’s. Fridman recently rolled with Musk as well and was impressed with his strength, standup and ground fighting skills. One could see the strain on Musk’s face and how he pinned Fridman with intent. He does not mind hurting people. It shows in the way he rolls.
Where I am aligned with Zuckerberg is that he describes his JJ journey as ‘transformative and humbling.’ The greatest gift it has given him, he says, is that it teaches you how to ‘get your ass kicked’ and still push through. I can confirm it has done the same for me. I am engaged in something very difficult, and I still show up. I am terrible at it, but I find joy in it. That’s how life works, isn’t it?
Why don’t you and your family give Jiu-Jitsu a try? Everyone else is doing it!