It’s a truly bizarre take on grappling martial arts, but ‘Car Jitsu’ is starting to gain some traction in Russia and there are even highlights available from the first few tournaments being held under the ruleset. It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like, with two competitors engaging in a grappling match inside a vehicle with closed doors. The ruleset was created by Russian MMA fighter Vik Mikheev, who also happens to hold black belts in both Judo and BJJ. His goal was to create something that would allow him to see how the application and expression of Jiu-Jitsu would change if it was performed in a confined and unconventional space:
“In 2020, I came up with the idea of doing competitive grappling in vehicles. Since October of 2020, I and my friends run small tournaments of Car Jitsu to study the aspects of jiu-jitsu application in such a confined space.“
It’s a relatively recent development in the sport and one that is a testament to the ingenuity of the grappling community. While this might be the most unusual ruleset you’ll ever see, the idea of creating new conditions to compete under isn’t entirely new. Grappling matches have been held in wide-open matted areas, traditional boxing rings, and Submission Underground holds them in the types of cages traditionally reserved for MMA fights.
It isn’t just the area that changes how the sport is played either, as there are an almost unfathomable number of different rulesets in play around the globe. Certain rulesets drive athletes to focus more on the standing phase as they reward takedowns more heavily while others allow for more varied leg entanglements and attacks on the lower body. Some promotions even change the rules of the game entirely and turn grappling into a team event instead of an individual one. Out of all of those rulesets and match conditions, Car Jitsu has to be the most innovative of all and the highlights from the first three events really do speak for themselves.
The below video shows the highlights of the first three Car Jitsu tournaments and further footage from their events can be found on the official YouTube channel of Vik Mikheev, click here to subscribe and watch:
