Mark Zuckerberg wins a Ju Jitsu tournament. Because for him fighting has become essential

Six photos. Heating. Standing fight. Fight on the ground. Finally, announcement of the winner: Mark Zuckerberg. The founder of Facebook and CEO of Meta shared a series of shots on his social networks to celebrate his first victory in a Brazilian Ju-Jitsu tournament (Brazilian Ju-Jitus, or Bbj).

Gold and silver medalist in a competition held last week in Redwoon City, California. Zuckerberg, 39, was keen to share his newfound passion with his 150 million followers. The martial arts. “I played my first Brazilian Ju-Jitsu tournament. And I won some medals”, wrote the entrepreneur.

The first training sessions in the pandemic: “It’s something primordial”

The photos have become a small case. It is in terms of shares and likes one of his most successful posts. Seeing Zuckerberg, 23rd richest man in the world, barefoot on the tatami facing an opponent in a martial arts tournament aroused disbelief (some speculated it could be photos generated by artificial intelligence) mixed with admiration . He thrilled the champion of Mma Conor McGregor (“You are wonderful Mark!”), the 5 times world champion of Ju-Jitsu Bernardo Farai (“Amazing!”) and other celebrities who have shared their passion for this martial art. Over the years it has become quite popular even among famous people, especially in the United States (the actor Kanue Reeves practice its Japanese variant, as well as the singer, ex Tool, Maynard Keenan) but also in Italy (the singer Manuel Agnelli recently stated that he practices BBJ).

Zuckerberg started practicing Ju-Jitsu during the pandemic. He is part of the things that he, in a 2016 Facebook post, announced he wanted to learn. Something new every year, he’d promised himself then. In a podcast last August, Zuckeberg said martial arts practice helps him “boost his energy and be more focused at work.”

He called Ju-Jitsu a “primordial practice”. “It’s super physically and mentally demanding. While practicing martial arts you can’t think of anything else. It helps concentration, if you get distracted just for a second you’re screwed,” he explained. Love at first contact. “Today I wonder why I didn’t know him before. From the first practice section I realized that it was something that was my whole life. It is something so ancestral that it involves you entirely”.

Martial arts as a method of conflict management

Zuckerberg is one of the most influential men in the world. Seeing photos of his fights, his face drawn, his sweaty muscles tense from the effort, his expression hardened during the awards ceremony, has a certain effect. But in those images you can read meanings that go beyond the simple curiosity of a billionaire who practices a combat sport.

Every society thrives on conflicting schemes. At every level. And not necessarily violent. In companies, between centers of power, in families. Managing them is not always easy. But it’s part of everyone’s personal growth journey. The head of a complex multinational like Meta di conflict knows something about it. Martial arts, in Zuckerberg’s words as in those of any practitioner, master or student, train by comparison. Physical and psychological. To manage moments of stress. In general, to one’s personal growth. According to those who practice it, Ju-Jitsu, like any combat sport, helps to improve endurance, strength and flexibility.

The redemption of combat sports from the stigma of crime news

Zuckerberg, the nerd Zuckerberg, the man who answered US Senate questions like a robot, proved to be a good fighter. He won a tournament for rookies, fighting in the ultra light weight category, but he was able to apply “sophisticated techniques, suddenly, even when the opponent put him in difficulty”, said his master Khai Wu. “Watching him fight was epic. No match was easy, he earned everything ”. The only way to be successful is on the tatami, the carpet where the fights take place.

Of course, there is curiosity. There is the taste of those unusual images. But those shots, beyond their small news content, somehow have the merit of recalling the value of combat sports. Often born as a pedagogical tool, such as the Brazilian Ju-Jitsu founded by Carlos Grace, or the Kodokan Judo of Jigoro Kano, master and pedagogue. But often ended up in the spotlight only for crime news, such as the case of the White brothers and Willy’s murder. Sad exceptions of characters that have nothing to do with the spirit of martial arts, made megaphones of their idiocy.