WHAT IS BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU?

THE ART OF GRAPPLING

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, commonly known as BJJ, is a grappling martial art that focuses on controlling an opponent through position, leverage and technique.

Unlike martial arts that primarily focus on striking, BJJ is centred around grappling and ground fighting.

The aim is to control the opponent, improve your position and ultimately create an opportunity to finish the exchange with a submission.

THE PRINCIPLES OF BJJ

At its heart, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is about solving problems.

Rather than simply trying to overpower an opponent, practitioners learn to use their body intelligently.

LEVERAGE

Using the structure of your body to create mechanical advantage over your opponent.

POSITION

Learning where you need to be in relation to your opponent in order to control them effectively.

CONTROL

Maintaining a position while preventing your opponent from escaping or improving theirs.

TIMING

Understanding when to move, attack, defend or change position.

TECHNIQUE

Using efficient movement and mechanics rather than relying purely on strength.

These principles are what allow BJJ to work against a resisting opponent.

THE BJJ JOURNEY

A BJJ match is not simply a collection of individual techniques.

It is a constant battle for position.

One practitioner may attempt to establish control while the other tries to escape, reverse the position or create an opportunity to attack.

This creates a continuous cycle:

ESCAPE → POSITION → CONTROL → ATTACK

The opponent is constantly trying to do the same thing to you.

This is what makes BJJ such a deep and technical martial art.

POSITIONS

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has a number of fundamental positions.

Some of the most important include:

GUARD

A family of positions where a practitioner uses their legs to control an opponent from underneath.

There are many different types of guard, each with its own strategies and techniques.

MOUNT

A dominant position where one practitioner is positioned on top of the opponent's torso.

SIDE CONTROL

A position where the practitioner on top controls the opponent from beside their body.

BACK CONTROL

A highly dominant position where one practitioner controls the opponent from behind.

KNEE-ON-BELLY

A transitional position where the practitioner uses their knee to control the opponent's torso.

Understanding these positions provides the framework for learning BJJ.

ESCAPES, SWEEPS AND SUBMISSIONS

BJJ is not simply about attacking.

A large part of the art is learning how to escape when you are in a disadvantaged position.

ESCAPES

Techniques used to get out of an inferior position and return to a safer or more advantageous position.

SWEEPS

Techniques used from underneath an opponent to reverse the position and end up on top.

PASSES

Techniques used to move around or through an opponent's guard and establish a dominant position.

SUBMISSIONS

Techniques designed to force an opponent to submit.

Submissions can involve joint locks or strangulation techniques.

The objective is not to injure the opponent. The objective is to apply the technique in a controlled manner and allow them to submit.

GI AND NO-GI

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is commonly trained in two forms: Gi and No-Gi.

GI BJJ

Gi training uses the traditional BJJ uniform.

The material of the jacket and trousers can be gripped and incorporated into techniques.

This creates additional grips, controls and possibilities that are not available in No-Gi.

NO-GI BJJ

No-Gi training is performed without the traditional uniform.

Practitioners rely on grips and controls involving the body itself rather than the clothing.

Both styles share the same fundamental principles while developing different strategies and techniques.

BJJ AS A MARTIAL ART

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be studied as a martial art in its own right.

It teaches practitioners how to:

CONTROL

Manage another person's movement and establish advantageous positions.

DEFEND

Escape from positions of disadvantage and defend against attacks.

ATTACK

Create opportunities to apply submissions and finish an exchange.

ADAPT

Change your approach depending on your opponent's movement, size, strength and strategy.

This constant adaptation is one of the defining characteristics of BJJ.

BJJ AS A SPORT

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has also developed into a highly competitive sport.

Sport BJJ competitions generally involve two practitioners attempting to score points through positional advancement and control, while also looking for opportunities to submit their opponent.

Rules vary between organisations and competition formats.

Competition has played a significant role in the development of modern BJJ, with techniques and strategies continually evolving as practitioners test themselves against one another.

WHY IS BJJ SO TECHNICAL?

There are thousands of techniques and variations within Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

But learning BJJ isn't simply about memorising them.

Each technique creates a reaction.

That reaction creates another opportunity.

A successful practitioner learns to recognise these reactions and adapt accordingly.

This creates an almost endless chain of possibilities.

It is one of the reasons people can train BJJ for decades and continue discovering new things.

THE BJJ BELT SYSTEM

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu uses a belt system to recognise a practitioner's development.

For adults, the main progression is:

WHITE → BLUE → PURPLE → BROWN → BLACK

The belts represent far more than simply the number of techniques someone knows.

As practitioners progress, they are expected to develop a deeper understanding of the art and an increasing ability to apply that understanding against resistance.

WHY DO PEOPLE TRAIN BJJ?

There is no single reason people choose Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Some are fascinated by the technical side of grappling.

Some enjoy the challenge of solving physical problems.

Some are interested in competition.

Others become interested in the martial art itself and the continual process of learning.

For many practitioners, BJJ becomes a lifelong pursuit.

There is always another position to understand, another problem to solve and another level of understanding to develop.

THE BEAUTY OF BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU

BJJ is sometimes described as human chess.

The comparison isn't perfect, but it captures one important aspect of the art.

You are constantly thinking several steps ahead.

Every movement creates possibilities.

Every reaction creates another problem to solve.

And the better you understand the underlying principles, the more possibilities you begin to see.

That is what makes Brazilian Jiu Jitsu so much more than simply learning how to fight.

It is the study of movement, control, problem solving and adaptation.