Quick Q&A with Mathew Tinley of the Jiu-Jitsu World League. Rigan Machado and Mathew Tinley are the cofounders of the JJWL.
BJJ Legends: What is the Jiu-Jitsu World League?
Mathew Tinley: The Jiu-Jitsu World League improves Jiu-Jitsu for all belt levels and ages, men and women, and kids too. We will “professionalize” Jiu-Jitsu because top athletes are professionals. Equally important, we will make the Jiu-Jitsu experience better for everyone. We must build the foundation of Jiu-Jitsu so it’s important to develop our sport for white, blue and purple belts.
The Jiu-Jitsu World League returns Jiu-Jitsu to its essence as a combat martial art. Our Aggressive Rules encourage moves one uses in combat and prohibit artificial tactics that don’t happen in combat. There’s no advantages or stalling in combat, and usually combat ends in submission, as our Aggressive Rules encourage.
BJJL: Any plans for the east coast? -Kenneth Brown
MT: We will be bringing both GI and No GI events to the East Coast including NY/NJ, New England, Mid Atlantic, Toronto and Florida. We also will visit Northern California, Southern California, Las Vegas, Texas and Chicago and several others.
BJJL: Is Buchecha competing?
MT: Buchecha will compete in several events and if he does well, he will qualify for year-end World Championships (every competitor must qualify with points for the World Championships, just like other global sports).
BJJL: $5000 for absolute, how much do 2nd and 3rd get? — RA
MT: The biggest prize money comes from winning the year end World Championships. World Champions at all belt levels will earn cash and other prizes. Of course everyone knows the two black belt open class winners (heavy and light) win $5000 each per tournament.
BJJL: How will the prize money be divided? 12 cities and a quarter of a
million dollars
MT: We deliver amazing rewards to all winners. Winners of every bracket in every regular tournament win over $1240 in prizes each, that’s unheard of. People say we’re crazy but we are committed to rewarding our community.
We also are committed to giving back to academies and instructors because they give so much of their energy and exceptional talent to our beloved Jiu-Jitsu. Go to http://www.jjworldleague.com/gyms/ to learn how you can benefit without any cost.
BJJL: Do the women get $5000 for two divisions in the Absolute class?
MT: Our tournaments will have women’s absolute class. We encourage all women to participate in our events. We will offer prize money for women once their registration numbers approach registrations for men. As Jiu-Jitsu is equally exciting and fulfilling for women, we are committed to improving Jiu-Jitsu for women.
BJJL: Will you offer a Referee course so people can become certified JJWL refs?
MT: One of the things competitors tell us that they are disappointed by the quality of referees at Jiu-Jitsu competitions. So we decided to totally change the selection, training and evaluation of our referees to ensure quality. Our referees are carefully selected based on their background and character. Then they undergo thorough and comprehensive training by Rigan Machado and other experienced black belts. Then, each referee will be graded on their performance. The top referees will be promoted to referee higher level matches and earn more money. The referees who do not perform to our high standards will be dismissed. The quality of referees is one of the major differences of the Jiu-Jitsu World League.
We are humbled by the overwhelming support we continue to receive from our community. We’ve received calls of support from the legends of our sport as well as current world champions. Our first event will have 1000 competitors. We have people registered from all over the world from Japan to England, from the top black belts to white belts fighting in their first tournament. This positive energy motivates us to produce the best tournament ever and to continue to innovate to bring our beloved Jiu-Jitsu on par with other global sports.
Thanks for the opportunity to answers your questions for our community.
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