Fabio Gurgel, one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s most prominent figures, offered a surprisingly cautious perspective on introducing jiu-jitsu into public schools during an appearance on the Inteligência Limitada podcast. While acknowledging the martial art’s numerous benefits, Gurgel expressed serious reservations about state-funded implementation.
When asked about putting jiu-jitsu in schools, Gurgel stated:
“I don’t see much benefit. I don’t think it has the impact that people think it does.”
His concern centers on implementation quality and financial sustainability:
“If we leave this to the state, the state will do what Abu Dhabi does. They put jiu-jitsu in all the schools, hire teachers any which way, get the guys to teach however they want, and the benefits don’t exist, they’re nonexistent.”
Gurgel emphasized that quality jiu-jitsu instruction requires proper compensation:
“There’s something that makes the jiu-jitsu work, if it means I can live well by doing jiu-jitsu. If I can’t make a good living doing this, if it’s not a commercial, marketable thing that makes me feel good, I’m not going to do it, right?”
The financial argument forms the core of his opposition:
“The state doesn’t produce anything, right? We, the taxpayers, are the ones who finance the state.”
He worries about displacing the private market:
“You’re going to hand the jiu-jitsu over to state control, you’re going to take the judgment out of the hands of those who truly practice jiu-jitsu with love, who actually deliver value.”
Regarding priorities, Gurgel was blunt:
“In the real world, schools don’t have money for school lunches. Are you going to spend money on the jiu-jitsu teacher at school?”
He continued:
“The state is unable to provide its population with even the minimum, the basics… There are things that the state should take care of much earlier, right, before offering rights to children.”
Instead of state programs, Gurgel advocates targeted private initiatives. He described Alliance‘s institute:
“The alliance has an institute, right, that has 50 boys that we take care of so that they become professional athletes and become teachers and eventually manage to make a living through jiu-jitsu.”
He emphasized their approach:
“It’s totally targeted, you know? I know that out of those 50, if I’m wrong, I’ll put 20 in a very good living condition through jiu-jitsu.”
Gurgel’s position challenges the “cosmic justice” ideal of universal access, favoring practical, sustainable solutions over ambitious state-funded programs that might compromise both quality and the existing jiu-jitsu economy.
