Is BJJ Bad for Your Body?

BJJ or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most popular martial arts in the world. There have been concerns and discussions on whether this practice can negatively cause several types of injuries. Research and experience show that by maintaining a healthy diet and smart training, one can overcome and prevent injuries and truly enjoy BJJ as a way of life.

BJJ or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is extremely popular nowadays among the martial arts. This practice’s fundamental idea is the belief that one can win combat even without being more potent than the opponent. Other martial arts have been strict and demanding, whereas, for many, BJJ has wider acceptance and growing fame due to its less strenuous and more tactical approach towards full-contact combat.

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What is BJJ?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not any conventional sport, rather a martial art. A self-defense combat sport is a better-fit definition for BJJ. It focuses on various techniques and skills for taking down opponents by grappling or using leverage and weight distribution.

The concept and ideals behind BJJ are perhaps what skyrocketed its popularity in recent years. The techniques are developed using the motto that even a person weaker by strength and stamina can defend themselves successfully against a stronger opponent. Over recent years, BJJ’s acceptability has been ranked highest and it emerged as a more significant phenomenon. Today, BJJ is considered not just a combat sport but a way of life.

Why is BJJ So Popular?

When Hélio Gracie started to develop BJJ in 1920, he sketched his work on traditional Kodokan Judo by famous Japanese judoka Mitsuyo Maeda. So, a lot of techniques and skills from BJJ converge with traditional judo techniques. The reason behind its uniqueness is its deviation in including full-contact fighting and grappling. Gracie has worked relentlessly in perfecting and establishing it.

Recent Fall from Grace

Even with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu being promoted heavily and popularized by celebrities, recently there has been a conversation about this martial art’s lesser-known side. Several cases of injuries in current years have been recorded and the long reputation of BJJ being a harmless martial art is being questioned.

BJJ is not about strikes or direct hits. The main idea is to push the opponent towards submission. The techniques involve several locks such as compression locks, chokes, full and back mounts, etc. The extensive use of knees and joints can result in a significant number of orthopedic injuries. These are injuries in joints, tendons, muscles, and if too severe – bones. Most of the injuries can occur in elbow joints and knees. Studies suggest that shoulder and hand injuries are also common.

Common Injuries Caused by BJJ

Knee Tears

Knee tears of different kinds are shared among the BJJ community of practitioners. Anterior Cruciate Ligament or commonly known as ACL injuries is prevalent among all other knee injuries. ACL can be easily torn with heavy practices or sudden blows to the knee. Non-severe tears might cause swelling and a loss of full motion. A severe case of an ACL injury may even require tissue graft surgery. It may take months or even years to recover from such injuries.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is reported to be one of the highest prone injuries when practicing BJJ. The tendons become inflamed and cause excruciating pain and stiffness. Since BJJ involves grappling with the elbows, tendonitis can occur. Overtraining can lead to extensive injuries like this.

Spraining

Spraining injures are also reported in statistics as being one of the most frequent injuries. Both MCL and LCL sprains occur during practicing BJJ.

Neck and Spinal Injuries

Regular practices of BJJ can cause a severe effect on the neck muscles. The stability of the neck always depends significantly on the muscular ligaments and cervical disks. The spine can also be affected, which may extend to nerve damage. Numbness to arms and legs is also a sign of nerve damage.

Spinal locks and spinal cord injury are extremely dangerous, but they do happen due to extreme cases of BJJ practice or tournaments. These cause spinal sprain and in some cases- paralysis.

Arm and Elbow Injuries

Most injuries due to BJJ somehow involve the elbow and arms, as these are the most used parts for the techniques. These can, for example, occur with armbars. Armbar injuries indicate hyperextension of arms and elbows. Pinched nerves are also seen in the elbow.

Ribs and Back Injuries

Bruised and broken injuries occur in BJJ at times. It may be caused by takedowns; leg locks are taken to limits. Damage may cause difficulty to breathe and even deformities. This type of injury does permanent damage from which it gets difficult to recover fully.

Lower back injuries are the most painful and hated one, according to Rener Gracie himself. Fighters often injure their pelvic area causing displacement of the spinal disc. The lower back pain is almost an epidemic in the BJJ community; many people suffer from it. If it persists for more than three months, the condition becomes chronic.

Finger and Foot Injuries

Most of the BJJ techniques use hands and arms for grappling and foot to hold the balance. So, injuries in hands and foot are prevalent and just as dangerous. Growth of the hands’ muscles can cause the hands to get more prominent than the original size, also known as Grappler Hands. Finger joints are weaker links, resulting in broken fingers.

Skin Health Problems

Skin abrasions are one of the side effects of all martial art practices. Dirty mats can cause skin problems among the fighters. Diseases such as ringwork, heroes, and staph infections are common. The ears are also affected due to BJJ. Most practitioners do not use headgears. Cauliflower ears are seen among many famous BJJ fighters.

Why and When Injuries Happen?

Exciting data from research studies show how most injuries occur during the training periods. Overworking oneself and going beyond the limit has caused many to suffer from the mentioned injuries. The degree varies regarding frequency and severity, but one of the researched reasons is the negligence of overall health while practicing Jiu-Jitsu.

How to Train Smarter, Not Harder

Training is mandatory to improve, but it must not be done at the expense of one’s health. There are several ways of training differently with a perfect balance of strenuous activity and maintaining general health.

Proper and Healthy Diet to Restore Strength

Often ignored by many practitioners of BJJ; food can be the perfect prevention as well as recovery tool. Like any other sports and workouts, BJJ requires you to burn a lot of calories. So, no doubt that proper portioning and ensuring all nutrients are being included in the diet is important. Only focusing on protein intake to build muscles and ignoring greens and water is a disastrous thing to do.

Strength and Resistive Training

To retain flexible motion of the joints and muscle strength, it’s essential to do regular strength and resistive training. Exercises such as squats and deadlifts can help. Yoga is also an excellent option for BJJ enthusiasts as it helps with muscle relaxation and pain endurance.

Take Recovery Breaks

Pushing too hard during training leads to more injuries than the tournaments. It’s essential to train smartly, not excessively. Taking due breaks is necessary after long practices and games. Recovery time is needed to heal from the strains and sprains of a demanding sport like BJJ.

Know When to Tap

For competitive combat sports like this, it’s hard to give up and quit during the sparring rounds. However, a smart fighter would need to know when that time comes and tap to stop. Because injuries often happen at the point of no return. It’s essential to accept defeat and tap before accidents happen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wns78rDPbYM&ab_channel=YogaforBJJ

Final Verdict

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a lifestyle, not just a competitive grappling game. Like any martial arts, BJJ is a way of life and personal development. So, even though adrenaline rush and strive to excel exists and that drive is necessary, the real fulfillment comes with sticking to this art’s fundamental teachings.

To put it shortly and firmly, BJJ can become harmful if one trains too hard and does not maintain other aspects of managing good health. Excelling in such cases requires a delicate balance of dedication and understanding when it’s crossing the limit. By being aware and diligent, it’s possible to adhere to BJJ for life and benefit from it.

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Is BJJ Effective in a Street Fight? Find out everything you need to know.

BJJ has some unique techniques which can prove to be effective. These can potentially be deadly but don’t have to. It has its limitations though which can prevent it from being effective in all street fights. However, putting together other techniques along with BJJ will be most effective for street fights.

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a very popular form of martial arts. In fact, it is one of the best martial arts in the world. It’s very effective when it comes to self-defense. It has a rich history where the effectiveness of jiu-jitsu in self-defense and MMA combats were proven and reaffirmed. However, is it effective for street fights? The answer would be yes to some extent. 

BJJ can be effective in street fights; there are some techniques that you can take advantage of. Though in some scenarios, BJJ won’t do you any good, which can be slightly problematic. In this article, we will further discuss the effectiveness of BJJ in a street fight from different perspectives. 

BJJ is a versatile combat sport that utilizes grappling, pressure points, submission holds, and chokes to defend against an opponent and put him to the ground. It allows a physically weak person to defend himself against a bigger and stronger opponent. So, regardless of strength and size, any person can learn BJJ. 

The effectiveness of BJJ in a street fight is mostly dependent on the opponent you are facing and the scenario. Let’s talk about particular scenarios where you will find BJJ useful and effective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZenj6WFkHA&t=309s&ab_channel=GracieBreakdown

Bigger and Untrained Opponents 

BJJ works like magic when it comes to untrained opponents. Untrained opponents are not aware of any sort of fighting techniques. They don’t know when to strike, hence can’t take one down. If they are triggered, they are likely to go all offensive which you can capitalize and use their strength against them. You can either takedown or apply submission holds. In this case, takedowns will be the most effective. 

If the opponent is big or bulky, they might think that they have an upper hand because they are stronger. So, they will try to strike first which will allow you to use BJJ techniques. Even if the bigger opponent manages to take you down, it’s not the end. You can easily apply a submission to the attacker even if he is on the top. Techniques like triangle choke, kimura, and omoplata will be most effective in this situation. If you successfully manage to pull off a submission, your opponent will surrender in no time.

Increased Chance Against Strikers 

If your opponent starts to throw solid punches and fast kicks, there’s nothing to be worried about. You can perform almost any type of takedowns on them. You just need to be careful about the timing. If you can manage to pull off the perfect timing, your opponent will be down on the ground in no time. However, if your opponent still tries to fight after they are put to the ground, you can always try submissions and weaken them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iadMJS1xWKM&ab_channel=KnightJiu-Jitsu

Effective BJJ Street Fighting Techniques 

BJJ has several techniques including striking and submission holds. If you want to learn BJJ, you will be needing to learn some of the essential techniques. The most effective techniques used in street fights are described below.

Double Leg Takedown

Double leg takedown is not necessarily a BJJ technique, but it’s essential for every BJJ student to learn during their training. Double leg takedown is very effective for street fights. The impact it causes is sufficient to put opponents of any size to the ground. Unlike a judo takedown, a Gi is not required. 

The Mount

After you have taken down your opponent, you can walk away. However, in a street fight, the opponent is less likely to stay down. They will try to fight again. In that case, you want to gain control over your opponent by being on top, because it gives you the best control and dominance over your opponent. If you maintain a higher mount, you will gain more control over your opponent and keep your knees with the armpit of your opponent. Use one arm to hold your opponent’s head or chest to the ground and use another arm to maintain balance with the ground. 

Getting Out of the Mount 

This is a very basic technique of BJJ. In case your opponent mounts, the first and the only thing you need to do is get out of the mount. By using this technique, you can easily get out of amount regardless of how big and heavy your opponent is. 

Rear Naked Choke

This is a very powerful submission move of BJJ. If you have taken down your opponent, you have the option to perform a submission technique to make your opponent surrender or put him to sleep. Using this technique, you just need to ensure that the choke is sufficient to make your opponent tap out. 

 

Limitations of BJJ in a Street Fight 

Though BJJ can be effective in street fights, there are several limitations for which BJJ may prove to be less effective.

Unlike a wrestling or boxing game, street fights have no rules and regulations. There are no time limitations and no one to stop. Moreover, there’s no guarantee that you will face a single opponent. You can be attacked by multiple opponents at once. 

In the case of more than one opponent, striking methods like kicking and punching are the most effective. However, jiu-jitsu practitioners lack the ability to throw a proper punch or kick because of lack of practice and Jiu-Jitsu not promoting it. 

However, a lot of martial arts enthusiasts also cross-train and learn other fighting styles. If you want to complement your BJJ self-defense techniques, even though most street fights end on the ground where you get the upper hand, why not look into adding some Muay Thai or other striking based styles?

Conclusion

To sum up, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can be both effective and ineffective for street fights. It’s not recommended to rely solely on BJJ in street fights. It’s better to know other techniques as well as BJJ to encounter a street fight successfully.

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Can Jiu-Jitsu cause Brain Damage? Learn about the risks

Jiu-Jitsu can cause brain damage to some extent. Many aspects of it are overlooked. The main reason for potential damage is chokes and head injuries. We are going to educate on some of the potential risks involved, however do know that BJJ is one of the safest martial arts out there and serious brain injuries are almost unknown of due to safety best practices.

Jiu-Jitsu is one of the best and most popular combat sports to ever exist. It’s a form of martial arts that uses techniques like grappling, torsions, submission holds, pressure points, and chokes to put the opponent to the ground and dominate them there. 

When it comes it fighting, there’s always the risk of getting injured or injuring someone else in the process. In most cases, injury occurs to the person on the receiving end. 

Now the question regarding Jiu-Jitsu is whether it can cause brain damage or not? The answer is yes to some extent. Jiu-Jitsu is not an offensive technique; it capitalizes on the anatomy of a human body and uses techniques to exploit those.

By using Jiu-Jitsu, any weak and smaller person can put someone bigger and stronger to the ground. These techniques involve choking and takedowns as well which can cause brain injury. 

When you sign up for any type of sport or learn any type of combat techniques, you should consider the possibility of any type of unwanted injuries. However, brain damage is no joke and that’s the last thing you want to happen to yourself or to anyone you care about.

It’s always good to know about the probable risks before committing to anything. So, let’s dig into the matter by knowing how exactly Jiu-Jitsu causes brain injury, and whether you should be concerned about it or not.

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Chokes Can Cause Brain Injury 

We know that Jiu-Jitsu involves different submission techniques and chokes. Jiu-Jitsu has the greatest number of chokes compared to other martial arts. Different submission techniques are applied to make the opponent tap out and a match stops when one of the opponents tap outs and surrenders. An MMA fighter receives and applies these submissions and chokes very often in the course of matches and practice sessions. All of these short periods of chokes can potentially cause neurological injuries leading to brain damage. 

According to a study, 2kg of force is enough to choke the jugular veins causing cerebral edema. 5kg of force to the carotid arteries can potentially cause hypoxic brain injury and choking the airways requires a higher amount of force of 15kg, which can cause death. By using neck chokes by applying pressure in certain areas, the blood flow of carotid and vertebral arteries can be totally stopped which is sufficient enough to cause death.

Long term athletes are on the receiving end of various types of chokes. Though these chokes last for a very short time, it can cause severe brain damage in the long run. Long-term repeated chokes can result in different hypoxic events to the brain leading to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HI-BI). Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HI-BI) patients are likely to face different types of neurological problems. 

Often being subjected to minor chokes can be a reason for frequent Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), even Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in the worst-case scenario. Many experienced Jiu-Jitsu practitioners and experts were diagnosed with CTE and the main reason behind it was frequent chokes.

Blows Resulting in Concussion and Brain Trauma 

Head injuries can occur in BJJ. It’s more common for MMA fighters and they are often subjected to a concussion. A concussion is an impact between the brain slamming with the skull due to external blows resulting in a knockout. Its indirect damage to the brain is classified as a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). 

The general rule is the opposite side of the brain receives trauma after being subjected to a strike. So, if someone strikes the front portion of your head or forehead, the backside of your brain will hit the skull and get trauma. These can also happen in BJJ if the head is slammed to the ground or accidentally gets hit by an arm or leg.

Our skull exists for the sole reason of protecting our brain from external injuries as the brain is extremely sensitive. Though in most cases, a concussion is nothing to be worried about. A person can fully recover by taking sufficient rest. But it’s a matter of concern if it happens frequently. Frequent TBI can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. 

In most cases, concussion or head trauma is not taken seriously. Moreover, getting knocked out or fainting isn’t necessary or a requirement for concussion. Some people like to push themselves and keep practicing or even fighting after receiving several blows to the head which can increase potentially more serious and permanent damage.

Conclusion

Jiu-Jitsu can potentially cause brain damage but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t start Jiu-Jitsu or stop it.

Any type of fighting sport has many risk factors and it’s good to know about the potential risks involved.

Now you know the potential risks of Jiu-Jitsu, you can minimize the risk by taking head blows and chokes seriously. Take proper rest and a break if necessary if you are subjected to any head blows. Moreover, most of the chokes occur in practice sessions. Put your ego in the backseat and tap sooner rather than later. Also, make sure that your practice opponent puts less pressure as possible while choking.

BJJ is a fantastic sport and injuries rarely occur despite being a full-body contact sport. Make sure that the gym where you train takes all the precautions and educates its members of training best practices. This makes sure that BJJ continues to be the fulfilling and life-long community sport which it is so well known for by its community.

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How Often Should I Train Jiu-Jitsu? (Solved!)

BJJ or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a great form of martial arts and one of the best ways to relieve yourself of stress. However, like every other thing in this world, BJJ requires some sort of schedule and continuity, otherwise the training will seem to be no short of a burden. 

When beginner trainees join the group sessions, they think that they’ll train every day, and they’ll improve to a godlike level in a matter of months or a year at max. The reality is often disappointing, and sadly we can’t say otherwise in this case as well.

The amazing thing about BJJ training is that it’s enjoyable. The more we train as beginners, the more confident we get. At some point, our ego comes into play, and we feel the urge of reaching a certain level. 

This is the reason why most people end up overtraining themselves, which results in diminishing returns. The key here is finding the sweet spot. “how often should I train Jiu-jitsu then?” You might ask. I wish I could tell you a simple answer. 

You’ll find a lot of answers such as, “Two days a week is enough!” But the thing is, there are different schedules for attaining different results. Here, we’ll talk about that in detail.

 

Different Training Frequencies for BJJ Training and the Expected Result

“How often should I train Jiu-Jitsu?” if that’s the question you’re asking yourself, you’re taking the wrong approach. The correct approach would be asking yourself what your aim is. If you’re a beginner and you want to attain a certain level that’s close to your current skill set, there’s one frequency, and if you’re an intermediate who wants to hold onto the skills he has, you must follow a different training method. 

Let’s find out the answer to “how often should I train Jiu-Jitsu?” below:

 

1 Day a Week

Training a day a week will make your improvement process very slow, and for most people, it may result in diminishing returns. However, if you’re on a tight schedule and have a lot of things going on around, you should consider spending at least a day, rather than not training at all. 

If you’re training once a week, don’t even think of doing better than the people who train more than you. This is irrational thinking, and it may lead to frustration. 

Plus, training once a week doesn’t provide enough opportunities for remembering everything you learn. So, you should try to review what you learn once in a while.

2 Days a Week

If you’re a complete beginner, training twice a week might be the most viable schedule for you. Training twice provides the opportunities you need to remember and learn the skills you want to master, and it will not burn you out. 

However, the learning curve will still be very steep. You’ll take a lot of time to learn and master old tricks, so you won’t have much of a time for learning anything new. 

Still, if you’re only starting, you can start with two days, as you get used to training more than that.

3 Days a Week

Most people consider training thrice a week to be the perfect schedule. If you train three days a week, you can not only learn new techniques, but you can master and improvise the ones you already know, and you can do so with lesser stress.

If you start training three times a week instead of two, you’ll start noticing a lot of differences. For starters, you’ll see that your muscle memory is coming into play. Before you even notice it, your body will move to the appropriate positions, perform the perfect rolls, and the technique that’s perfect for that time. 

However, if you train three times a week, you’ll notice that you’re burning out. In such a case, you won’t be able to focus on other physical activities that much, and you may feel exhausted if you do so.

4 Days a Week

Are you looking forward to competing? If the answer is yes, you can opt for training 4 days a week. Even if you don’t want to compete, and if BJJ is your only hobby and only focus, you may consider training 4 days a week. 

However, if you have little to no athletic background, you shouldn’t’ train 4 days a week. If you do so, it will exert a huge level of stress on you, and you won’t be able to cope up with it. It not only will exhaust you, but it may lead to physical injuries as well.

If you’ve trained BJJ for 2-3 days a week for at least a year, and if you’re confident that you can take the stress, you can practice 4 times a week. However, you may have to minimize any other physical activities, or not perform them at all, as the training will wear you out.

5 or More Days a Week

If you train 5 or more days a week, it may result in diminishing results for you. If you’re a beginner, it will completely wear you out and will injure you, and even if you’re an expert, you should think twice before committing to sessions of 5 days or more.

Rushing into this will not help at all it may end up harming you permanently. So, we advise you not to train for 5 days or more than that a week.

Recognizing Overtraining and Avoiding it

If you overtrain, you might suffer from a weaker immune system. For example, a few of the practicioners have reported that they suffered from general conditions such as a sore throat, weak legs, or a running nose when they overtrained, for no other reason. 

If you see any of the following symptoms without any apparent reason, you might be overtraining: 

• Performance drop
• Headache
• Irritability
• Pain in the joints 
• Muscle ache
• Fatigue
• Common cold

If you see any of these symptoms, you are probably overtraining, and you should take steps to fix your schedule. The first thing you should do is to stop training at least for a week. You have to rest until you feel you’ve recovered. 

Plus, if you feel that you’ve overtrained, chances are high that you’ve drained yourself and you might suffer from dehydration. To avoid this you should take a lot of water. Plus, we highly recommend you maintain a balanced diet, which will provide the necessary nutrients. 

If you take the aforementioned steps, you’ll be able to overcome overtraining without any fuss. Overtraining results in nothing but diminishing returns, but there isn’t any definite limit. Different people have different limits, and you should find out how much you can push yourself. 

Another thing is that your limit increases with your training. If you can train for four days a week at maximum, doesn’t mean that it’ll be the same after a few years of training.

The Longer You Train, The Better You Get

If you want to get better at it, you need to keep at it for a long time. It does matter how frequently you train, but what matters more is how consistently you’re doing it. If you take breaks now and then, you might not improve that much. 

If you see that you can’t keep up a consistent pace of training by training 4 days a week, and you have to take occasional breaks, you should reduce the frequency. Rather, if you train consistently for two months by training 2 days a week, you’ll improve much more. 

That’s why we urge you to find the sweet spot for yourself. Once you do that, work hard on that, and you’ll certainly improve.

Can’t Get Better No Matter How Hard You Try?

There are times when we all feel like hitting a concrete wall, that no matter how hard we try, we can’t seem to push through it. And trust me, it’s equally true for every kind of sport and art, not only BJJ. 

In such cases, consistency and patience is the only way to push through. If you hit such a wall, keep working at it even if you aren’t improving, change the approach of your training, and slowly you’ll be able to grasp it. 

A lot of practicioners get frustrated when they hit such a wall but think in such a way. Everyone faces it, and it’s only natural to do so. Instead, keep on trying for developing yourself. 

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, by now you’ve understood that there’s no direct answer to the question “how often should I train Jiu-jitsu?” It all depends on how much you want to improve, which level you want to reach, and what your plan is about BJJ. 

We wish you all the luck, and we hope that you’ll be able to find out the perfect schedule for yourself. Enjoy the journey! Ossssss.

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How Long Does it Take to Get Cauliflower Ear from BJJ?

In addition to skin infection, nothing can affect you more than a cauliflower ear. Although not everyone will get it and even if some of them do, the period of formation will be different. 

Before we tell you how long it takes to get a cauliflower ear from BJJ, you must know the causes behind it. This will help you understand the process better.

And if the below worries you, maybe it’s time to also start wearing ear guards during training, especially the rolls. We also have a review on the best ear guards for BJJ.

Table of Contents

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fumQ-L_oB3Q

Roots of the Issue

In BJJ, the ear is one of the most common places that endures rough contacts and strikes. Your opponent will grab you, pull on you, and consequently will smash your ears up here and there. 

So, when the ear is struck, it suffers a trauma. And this causes a separation of ear perichondrium that covers the auricular cartilage. After the split-up, the new space gets filled with blood prompting it to harden and eventually causing the thickened pattern to form. 

Basically, blood in the ears has no escape, unlike normal bruises where clotted fluid can leak out. As a result, such clots swell, harden, and lead to deformity. 

Since the deformation looks like the head of cauliflower, we call the condition cauliflower ear. Besides, it has a medical term that we call auricular hematoma. 

Grappling Causes

Any kind of grappling can result in ear trauma. The most common ones include BJJ, Judo, and Sambo. All of these involve the use of locks, pins, and holds that cause trauma to the ear. Besides common moves like shoulder pressure, triangles, guillotines, headlocks, and cross faces can also be the cause of trauma.

Duration of Cauliflower Ears

Different people have experienced the condition within a different span of time. Some have got it within a few weeks while some got it within 3 to 6 months of frequent ear strikes in BJJ. So, it mostly depends on your body genetics and frequency & force level of strikes.

On average, it may take around 7 to 10 days after blood develops in the separated area to make the ear get hardened. If you remove the fluid before the time or while in a liquid condition, then you can easily prevent cauliflower formation. One of the common treatments is draining which certainly should be done by a physician. 

But once it’s hard, the removal becomes tougher, so it will require you to go through surgical treatment for the job. 

Consequences if untreated

Hardened Cauliflower Ear can lead to other severe conditions. Deformation and pain are the most common ones. The ache will be there while you roll and even while you don’t. Such pain can result in staying awake all night. 

Besides, the cauliflower ear can also cause loss of hearing. You won’t be able to use headphones because of both pain and listening inability. 

Final Thoughts

We know that the formation story of the cauliflower ear is not very appealing. But before the matter becomes serious, you should know both the cause and duration of its occurrence. This will help you take the necessary precautions on time so that you don’t suffer other severe damages. 

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How to Keep the Stripes on a BJJ Belt from Falling Off

Let’s learn about how to keep those stripes on the belt and also look into how many kinds of belts are there in BJJ and what those stripes are for.

We’ll show you the top ways to keep your stripes on your belt, whether they fell off already, or are about to fall off.

Even if someone tells you that you shouldn’t care, for us each stripe represents a part of a journey and progress, with the beads of sweat and perseverance over time. They become a part of our Jiu Jitsu identity and hard work on the mats. What most people don’t get about the stripes on the belt is, it is not about the material; it is about what they represent.

So let’s keep ’em on for as long as possible!

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About the Stripes

To move on to the higher degree color, a practitioner commonly needs to earn 4 stripes on his/her current Belt until the Black belt. However, sometimes one can also be promoted to the next belt without actually having to get all 4 stripes first. 

How these stripes will be given depends upon the instructor of the gym. Usually, each stripe is given based on skill, consistency level, attitude, and time spent on the existent belt.

Now, let’s talk about how a practitioner can keep his/her hard-earned stripes from falling off the Belt.

Keeping the Stripes on the Belt

Whether through a rigorous training session or the washing process, the stripes could fall off, unless some precautions are taken. Here are the methods of keeping them on the belt.

Sewing

The first one is good old-fashioned sewing. You do not need to have legendary skills in the art of sewing. Decent sewing will do.

You can do double stitches to be sure. Sewing will make sure the stripes stay on even after the washing the belt regularly. This option is the most difficult though, unless you are a sewing expert.

 

Superglue

We have all heard the phrase, stuck like super glue. Now super glue will come in handy in this situation.

Superglue is best for belt stripes which are about to fall off.

First, apply some superglue on the inner sticky side of the striping tape. Then wrap it slowly around your belt. After wrapping, softly press all over the stripe. Give it some time to stick and maybe blow a bit to help it dry.

Then, voila! It will work like a charm to keep the stripe(s) from falling off.

Check out this super glue from Amazon which we used for our belt stripes.

 

BJJ Tape

This may seem like an unusual way. BJJ finger tape is different from standard tape and usually used around your fingers.

However, BJJ finger tape is your best choice if your stripes already fell off, and if you are want to use those stripes for practice.

To make a stripe, wrap it around the belt twice. You need to be cautious that no air has entered while wrapping the belt. Cut the end of the tape on the seam of the belt. That should do the trick.

 

Ironing

You have to be cautious while following this method. But it is one of the easiest methods. 

Take a hot iron and press them all over the stripe tapes. And, after giving it some time, these should stick to the belt for a long time.

 

Learn more: BJJ Belt Grading System

There are Five Primary belts for adults in BJJ. Each color represents the practitioner’s development through time. Let’s get right into those colors.

White Belt

The white belt indicates the beginning of the journey in the path of BJJ. This means those who joined will get this belt despite having no experience or skill in this form of martial art.

Blue Belt

This color is the second milestone in the journey. The Practitioner must be a minimum of 16 years old to achieve this belt. This is the belt earned by proving one’s worth on the mat and give some set of techniques a whirl about to see what works best for the practitioner.

This color often requires the longest time before reaching the Black belt level, unless you are BJ Penn who reached it in just 3 years!

Purple Belt 

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Purple belt means the practitioner is at the intermediate level. This belt indicates that the practitioner has a commendable understanding of the art.

At this level, the practitioner is expected to have several techniques to go to and use them as per their game plan.

Brown Belt

This is the belt that shows the practitioner has achieved a higher level of insight into the techniques of the art. At this level, the practitioner is expected to add his/her insight into his/her stock techniques and use them accordingly in the game plan.

Black Belt

This is the Belt that indicates the practitioner has achieved the prominence in tactical, technical, and mental insights of the art.

This is the highest order in the primary color of belts. From here on, some other colors of belts indicate the ‘Masters’ and the ‘Grandmasters’.

After the Black belt, there is a Red and Black(coral) belt and those who have made a mighty impression on the world of BJJ and they are called the ‘Masters’. When the black belt practitioner moves up to a seventh degree, they are awarded this belt. 

When the practitioner gains the eighth level, they are given the Red and White Belt.

The Red Belt is the highest order in the BJJ and only reserved for those who have achieved the zenith of the art. They are called ‘The Grandmaster’.

 

Final Words

The BJJ Belts need to be cleaned frequently as the sweats and dirt may pose a hygiene problem. With the methods mentioned above, you can easily keep the stripes from falling off, even with all the washing and training. Happy rolling!

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ABOUT US

Jiu-Jitsu Street is a community of fun loving and hard rolling BJJ enthusiasts. Born out of our passion for the gentle art, we have decided to create this blog and help you on your journey. Let’s grow and learn together on this never-ending journey. Oss!

Other Articles

LEGAL INFORMATION

Jiu-Jitsu Street is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to our Affiliate Partner companies.