New Delhi: Jiu-Jitsu, a word rarely heard in India. It is a martial arts and combat sport that is based on ground fighting and submission holds. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is known to be the "fastest-growing sport" in the United States of America (USA). Sadly, India's representation in the fastest-growing sport is dismal. Nonetheless, New Delhi's Siddharth Singh is trying to change that. We spoke with him in an exclusive interview about his life, his silver medal at the Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2021, and the way ahead for him.
Siddharth (35) completed his early education at Doon School in Dehradun. He opted for that school as that school had good exposure to boxing. "I was 12 when I shifted to Dehradun where I did boxing for 6 years. Later on, I went to UK to complete my Masters degree. It was in UK that I was introduced to Muay Thai, which is the national sport of Thailand that is more like kick-boxing," said Singh.
It was in UK that he was first introduced to Jiu-Jitsu in 2008. In his first Jiu-Jitsu bout, a 45 kg Iranian girl made the trained boxing player unconscious twice. This incident blew him away as he did not expect a slim woman to dominate him like that. Singh said, "Well, that's the beauty of Jiu-Jitsu, that even a slim-looking person can control you with techniques that are specific to this sport only."
"Jiu-Jitsu is like human chess, as it is more cerebral. It is way more psychological than it appears." When asked to explain Jiu Jisu in a simple way, he said that "It is one of the forms of Mixed Martial Arta (MMA). In boxing, you have to punch your opponent to fight. In wrestling, you have to grab and throw away your opponent on the ground. But Jiu Jitsu starts where wrestling ends, i.e. on the ground. Jiu-Jitsu is no punching, only grappling. It is the art of making your opponent submit," said Siddharth Singh.
"Jiu-Jitsu is such a unique sport that you can start as early as 6 and you can keep playing until you're dead." Well, Singh has his facts straight as Helio Gracie who is considered to be the father of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fought his last bout at the age of 93, just three days before his death.
Siddharth Singh has his own Crosstrain Fight Club (in Saket and in Noida) where he trains six days a week. He follows a strict diet when he is getting ready for tournaments, but on other days, Siddharth is a "big foodie" and trains in Jiu-Jitsu to "burn out the fat".
Although Singh has been in the sport for more than 12 years, he hasn't seen any real help or assistance from the government. "We have been doing this for 12 years independently. There's no governing body in India for Jiu-Jitsu yet." It is disappointing to see many aspirational athletes not getting ample space to perform and train even after the will to do so.
When asked to give a message to the youngsters, he said, "Try Jiu-Jitsu once, especially youngsters who haven't decided on which sport they want to end up in. It is a discipline, it impacts your personality and even your confidence. Your parents will be secure that their child will never be bullied in life ever again. Women must try Jiu-Jitsu."
Siddharth Singh is India's only brown belt and he is striving to become the first black belt in Jiu-Jitsu.