'Tap Out Island' Jiu-Jitsu Contest Demands Total Submission
Tap Out Island, the first event of Taiwan's first submission-only grappling league, drew fighters from around the country to a small venue in Taipei this weekend.
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00:00 (crowd cheering)
00:02 Remember being seven years old,
00:04 and your older brother would put you in a headlock
00:06 while shouting, "Say uncle, say uncle."
00:08 It's like that, only people volunteer for it.
00:11 Fighters gathered in Taipei this weekend
00:13 for a new martial arts event
00:14 they hope will bring more attention to their sport.
00:17 (speaking in foreign language)
00:21 Basically, you win by submission.
00:33 To do that, you have to put your opponent in a position
00:36 where they're forced to give up
00:37 or else be seriously injured.
00:39 This is called a submission or a sub,
00:41 and is achieved by a choke to the neck,
00:44 a joint lock to the arms or legs,
00:47 or a torsion attack on the legs or ankles.
00:50 It allows for techniques that are considered too dangerous
00:52 and even a little unsporting in other events.
00:56 The first event of Taiwan's first ever
00:58 submission-only grappling league.
01:00 Although the event is small,
01:02 some big boys are here to test their mettle.
01:04 It's called Tap Out Island,
01:06 and although it looks and in fact can be dangerous,
01:09 the fighters here have weighed up the risks.
01:11 There's always a chance of injury,
01:13 but we have rules in place.
01:14 If I tap, he stops, no slams,
01:17 so the odds of actual injury are quite low,
01:20 but it's always part of it.
01:22 This format strips away the judges,
01:24 the puzzling rule sets, and the complexity
01:27 that are a feature of many traditional
01:29 martial arts competitions in Taiwan.
01:31 Event organizers say it's easier to understand
01:34 and is breathing a bit of life into a martial arts scene
01:37 that's become too focused on small details.
01:40 Feel like no-gi sub only is more combat-based,
01:43 and that's where I came from.
01:44 And so I want to bring this scene,
01:46 which is relatively unknown here in Taiwan,
01:48 because even some of the coaches and the referees here
01:50 be like, "Wait, wait, no points and no advantages?"
01:53 I want to make jujitsu more of a spectator sport.
01:55 So I'm trying to promote the scene here
01:57 to make jujitsu more entertaining for everybody.
02:00 And while many in the small audience
02:01 are here for a bit of action,
02:03 the competitors will tell you it's more about the community.
02:06 It's like all the sports families here.
02:10 We have so many people from different academy,
02:14 but we are all family, yeah, jujitsu family.
02:19 Taiwan's jujitsu and grappling community
02:23 threw their backs into this event,
02:24 and it passed without injury or incident.
02:27 And whether participants won or lost for individual bout,
02:30 the big winner on the day was the sport itself
02:33 and its growing prospects in Taiwan.
02:35 Devin Tsai and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.
02:39 (chatter)
02:42 - Yeah.