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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a complex form of combat sport that has multiple techniques and strategies so it requires a combination of both physical and mental competence. While training is necessary to learn the sport, it’s also important to gain knowledge of the martial art. You’ll only be able to ace the fight if your mind and the fighting movements are at sync. Educational videos or BJJ seminars are great but a solid grasp on the concept can only be obtained by reading BJJ books. Therefore, we have curated a list of the best BJJ books for white belt beginners that will guide you through the ins and outs of the martial art.
Written by the Jiu-Jitsu master, Dan Fagegella, this book teaches beginners how to fight stronger opponents using effective techniques. To beat bigger opponents, you need accurate passes and submissions and that’s what this book masters in teaching. Dan Fagegalla weighs 135lbs. so if he has written a book about having an upper hand over bigger practitioners you know for sure that these techniques work! It’s easy to follow and fun to go through as well since it’s filled with pictures.
Therefore, if you are a smaller fighter, this book is an excellent choice. It will guide you through revolutionary techniques and effective submissions to beat bigger and stronger opponents.
This is an effective book on learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques with theories and demonstrations in the form of photographs. Ideal for beginners, this book clearly explains everything you need to know about BJJ especially if you are someone who keeps forgetting the complicated techniques of this form of combat sport. It does an excellent job of helping you remember all the classic moves and more.
The step-by-step instructions on every technique along with the close-up photographs will help you visualize what you’re capable of doing on the training sessions. So if you follow this book and continue training simultaneously, you’re bound to reach a level of expertise in no time.
If there’s one book that’s perfect for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu beginners, this is it. As the name of the book suggests, it will guide you from white belt to blue belt by teaching you multiple ideas, philosophies, and combinations in BJJ. You’ll also learn about the correct distance and posture as you fight with your opponent as well as how to tackle guard with various guard options.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a complex form of martial art so as a white belt it might be overwhelming for you. But this book does an excellent job of converting you to a blue belt through motivational strategies. So if you’re looking for a simple, yet effective book on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, this one is highly recommended.
Mastering Jujitsu is a masterpiece that every BJJ beginner should own. It’s written by Renzo Gracie, the BJJ and MMA legend, and one of his black belt students, John Danaher. John Danaher is known for building elite BJJ players such as Eddie Cummings, Garry Tonon, and Gordon Ryan. So when a book is written by Danaher and Renzo, it’s assured to be one of the best out there!
This book walks you through the tactics and fights plans that the Gracies have utilized throughout their BJJ career to beat their opponents. It’s not all texts, as there are 250 high-quality photos that portray various movements and techniques.
Mastering Jujitsu has it all – techniques, strategies, and drills, that will give you the upper hand on the combat ground. So you should get your hands on it and gain knowledge of the inner workings of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The Black Belt Blueprint is a comprehensive guide on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, written by Roger Gracie’s first black belt, Nicolas Gregoriades. Roger Gracie is a 10-time Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and the Greatest Jiu-Jitsu competitor. This book is a representation of a holistic approach to different concepts, techniques, and training methods that an avid practitioner must know.
It is concise, yet detailed at the same time which will not let you get submerged in pages and pages of theories. It provides you solutions on how to make BJJ techniques more effective. Rather than only focusing on how to reach your best version until your body breaks down, this book concentrates on guiding you through the long term journey in BJJ. Therefore, it’s a must-have book for BJJ beginners.
This book is written by Marcelo Garcia, known as the Greatest of All Time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. As a 5-time IBJJF World Champion and a 4-time ADCC Champion, he runs one of the best BJJ schools in the USA – Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Having that known, you can count on this book to gain the absolute necessary knowledge about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Here’s what you’ll find in the book – variations of multiple techniques, the process of execution, attacking, submissions, arm drags, and more, for both small and large opponents.
What gives this book a competitive advantage over the others is its details on takedowns. Through this book, you can learn how to carry on a takedown followed by the attacks that you should perform. If you have a genuine interest in BJJ, this book is ideal for you.
This book lays out 26 years of training by Paulo Guillobel who has not only trained and competed at a high level, but has also studied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and taught his learning. This book comprises of the most vital principles of BJJ in an organized way which is easy to learn.
The 21 principles of BJJ that are elaborated comprehensively in this book will help you gain in-depth knowledge about this form of martial arts. That’s the thing about theory – if you are accustomed to everything you need to know, you can implement them easily in your training sessions as well as when you are competing.
This book shows the invisible details that every BJJ practitioner should be aware of. So, if you’re looking for a detailed book that includes everything you need to know about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, this is your guy.
Written by Helio Gracie, who is known as one of the originators of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, this book is one of the classics. The name of the book does justice to the content. It truly is a master book as it’s filled with the most powerful and effective techniques of BJJ. It’s an easy-to-follow book where Gracie guides you through the different aspects of BJJ.
The Master Text is a colorful book of 1300 pages filled with must-known techniques, philosophies, and diets. Even though it was written in the earlier days of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it’s a work of art!
The Gracies are one of the most dominant families in martial arts so you can be sure that a book by Helio Gracie himself is, without a doubt, is one of the best books on BJJ for beginners as well as for someone who’s a fan of the combat sport.
Jiu-Jitsu University is written by the renowned 6-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion, Saulo Ribeiro. The fifth-degree black belt champion is known for his extraordinary techniques and mastery of BJJ. In this book, Ribeiro shares more than 200 techniques on how to perfect grappling. He also states the common errors along with the exact solutions on how to get rid of them.
Jiu-Jitsu University covers all the gaps that your trainer or professor has missed out, as well as brush up on concepts if you’ve forgotten them. As a beginner in BJJ, defense is as important as attack and this book emphasizes a lot on survival as well. This will help you gain confidence in the combat ground. The book is broken down into chapters such as “The Guard”, “Escapes”, “Submissions”, and more, which provides extensive knowledge on the selected topic.
By gaining a thorough understanding of all the concepts shared in this book, it will help you to carve your path all the way from white belt to black belt. So if you want to learn about this combat sport through theories and illustrations, get this book right away.
Written by one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champions of all time, Andre Galvao, Drill to Win is his message to all the upcoming BJJ fighters all over the world. Galvao has held his reputation by winning multiple IBJJ championships as well as a few ADCC championships. His techniques are so thorough that they were always effortless. That’s exactly what Drill to Win encompasses. The book is rich in solid advice from Galvao and the co-author Kevin Howell. It’s a step by step guide on how to become an excellent grappler.
Throughout the book, you’ll come across various methods through which you can learn the perfect representation of the title of the book itself. A lot of BJJ players or beginners have a hard time perfecting the drilling techniques, which is essential to defeating your opponent. This book is ideal in helping you perfect it along with gaining knowledge on how to improve in your BJJ training sessions. What’s great about this book is, while it gives you a vast knowledge of the fighting itself, it also provides you tips on diet and strength which is highly important in any combat sport.
This book has a plethora of BJJ topics such as multiple techniques, attacks, positions, and combinations that are crucial to lead your way towards being an excellent practitioner. Therefore, if you are a beginner and you want to learn about BJJ comprehensively from the champion himself, you must get this book.
BJJ books will provide you an in-depth knowledge that just training at the gym would not. Of course, this isn’t a replacement for the actual training session but they will be quite beneficial for you in the long run. By reading BJJ books, you’ll learn about the concepts and techniques which you can implement in your training sessions or fights.
BJJ books are perfect for beginners because by reading them you’ll gain an understanding of the theories and strategies of performance before you step into the mat fully equipped. As you might be thinking, this knowledge can also be obtained through videos online. However, watching videos does not always hold the maximum attention especially when you’re trying to learn something new. In that case, reading useful and effective information is the way to go.
So, if you are a white belt at BJJ, you must simultaneously get personal lessons through BJJ books and see for yourself how they benefit you in implementing multiple techniques.
Are you looking for more articles, we have a lot more BJJ Beginner articles here, whether you are looking for the Best BJJ Gi for Beginners, how often you should train BJJ, everything you need to know about your First BJJ Competition, and even the best Takedowns for BJJ Beginners.
To learn a sport, comprehensive knowledge will give you a competitive advantage over your opponents. The books that have been featured in this article will supplement your BJJ training and help you gain knowledge of this combat sport.
These books are readily available in the market. So whether you are a beginner at the sport or not you must get a hold of at least one of these and increase your understanding of BJJ.
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I'm Timmy and I'm the chief-editor and co-founder of Jiu-Jitsu Street. You'll usually find me on the mats and also cross-training Muay Thai. Besides martial arts I'm also into functional fitness and all things health. Jiu-Jitsu Street was created to provide useful information for BJJ beginners and seasoned practitioners alike to help you on your journey and love for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Oss!
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!
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