BJJ vs. Taekwondo: Who wins? [2022]

January 8, 2022January 3, 2022 by Timmy

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs Taekwondo: The Ultimate Comparison

You have watched the UFC, you enjoyed different kinds of martial art competitions in your local area, but how much do you know about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Taekwondo? There are a lot of differences and little known facts that exist between them and in this article, you are about to find out about those.

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, often called BJJ, is a type of grappling and ground fighting based martial art. Most of the techniques that are taught here are practiced and learned for the ground.

Even though most of the combat is employed on the ground, there are still differences between Karate, Kung-Fu and Taekwondo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu styles. If you are already somewhat more familiar with these fighting types, you will know already that Jiu-Jitsu is considered as grappling while the other martial arts are considered as striking.

Let’s break it down into this way, if you watch karate, you will notice that karate is based on more hand-based punching and strikes. Taekwondo however, is one level up, mixing the same strikes with combinations of kicking. Taekwondo moves are mixed with spectacular combinations of kicks and jumps that can carry away the focus of any viewers around.

Let’s take a deeper look into the differences between these two sports.

History of BJJ

From the time Royce Gracie won the primary, second, and fourth Ultimate Fighting Championships in the first half of the 90s, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become a leading fighting style on the planet. Today it is a staple fighting style that blends in to the combat techniques of fighters from different traditions. However, you want to know how everything started? To understand the roots of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, we should initially take a glimpse at Judo.

Kodokan Judo, usually referred to just as Judo, was founded by Jigoro Kano in 1882. A significant part of Judo was the accentuation on “randori” or non-helpful free competing. Antiquated training for Jiu Jitsu was depended on or was known as “customized structure” or pre-orchestrated groupings of attack and defense moves.

Judo increased public acclaim in 1886 when the Tokyo police held a competition. In 15 matches including Kodokan Judo practitioners against contenders from other exemplary Jujutsu styles, the judo practitioners won 13 matches and tied 2.

For quite a long time Judo dominated Japanese combat sports with numerous Jujutsu schools losing ground to Judo schools. Be that as it may, in 1891 Mataemon Tanabe, the hand-to-hand teacher of the Tokyo police office and a Jujutsu expert of the Fusen-Ryu school, got renowned for crushing an individual official and third-degree Judo specialist in a test battle. Tanabe constrained his rival to the ground and utilized his mentors’ ground fighting strategies to dominate his adversary.

Fusen-Ryu contenders, for example, were prepared for ground fighting procedures, a zone where Judo was inadequate to cope up with. Judo methods were on the whole made out of standup tosses.

In the following matches, Judo practitioners were vanquished when taken to the ground by Fusen-Ryu contenders. Being dazzled and seeing the requirement for ground fighting strategies in Judo, Jigoro Kano welcomed Tanabe to educate at his Judo school.

Mitsuyo Maeda was a Judo master who was educated by Kano himself before being sent throughout the whole world to spread Judo. Maeda battled in a large number of fights with rivals across North America, South America, and Europe. He spearheaded Judo in the United Kingdom and Brazil where he in the long run settled.

In Brazil, he prepared Carlos Gracie and different individuals from the Gracie family. Due to Maeda’s preparation of the Gracies, who continued to develop Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a noticeable fighting style, Maeda is alluded to by some as the Father of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

At the point when Maeda got comfortable in Brazil and founded his Jujutsu Institute, one of his understudies was Carlos Gracie. Following quite a while of preparing, Carlos began his school and started preparing his family and others. This began the Gracie administration that has been at the cutting edge of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for right around the century. While Maeda might be alluded to by some as the Father of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the Gracies are its author.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu kept its focus on what some call “genuine fighting.” Not to state that different styles aren’t genuine fighting, yet Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has an extremely reasonable, sensible road for fighting applications. Furthermore, since Royce Gracie arranged wins during the 1990s, it has been a backbone in Mixed Martial Arts.

History of Taekwondo

Taekwondo is known as the Korean striking military workmanship for its insane turning and head kicks. While as of late created, it has immediately ascended in notoriety and has become an effectively conspicuous Olympic game, just as being used by MMA contenders, for example, Edson Barboza, Anderson Silva, and Anthony Pettis.

Taekwondo is relatively new to the extent where martial arts are concerned, being created in the 1940s and ’50s and crafted by a few military specialists. The originators of Taekwondo took components of Karate and the Chinese Martial Arts and joined them with the Korean combat techniques of Taekkyeon (which centers on unique footwork and striking), Subak (another powerful military craftsmanship that Taekkyeon was created from), and Gwonbeop (a Korean rendition of one of the Chinese hand to hand fighting traditions).

In 1945, after the Japanese Imperial control of Korea finished new fight schools started to open in Seoul, known as Kwans. At these schools, Korean military craftsmen encouraged different methods they had learned in Japan during the occupation.

The early Taekwondo instructed in the Kwans in the ’40s and ’50s are frequently assembled under the umbrella term of ‘Conventional Taekwondo’, regardless of the way that they were all extraordinary styles of combat. The South Korean Military embraced Taekwondo as their unarmed battle discipline around this time.

It was in 1952, following a military exhibition, that the South Korean President Syngman Rhee proposed that the various styles ought to be consolidated, and in 1955 the Kwan pioneers started to cooperate to bring together the styles of Korean hand to hand fighting.

At first, the style was known as Tae Soo Do, from the Korean Tae for ‘step’ or ‘stomp on’, Su signifying ‘Hand’ and Do signifying ‘Way’ or ‘Control’. The Su was in the long run supplanted with Kwon, at the recommendation of the Korean Army General Choi Hong Hi, which signifies ‘Clench hand’.

The principal Taekwondo league was established in 1959, the Korea Taekwondo Association. In 1966 General Choi established the International Taekwon-Do Federation (Choi is to some degree disputably marked as the ‘Father of Taekwondo’ by certain associations, while others consider him to be an immaterial or even shocking figure).

The two leagues looked to build up a typical, bound together style of Taekwondo. This was confounded by the Cold War legislative issues of the ’60s and ’70s, the South Korean Government needed to restrict the impact of the North Koreans on the game, while General Choi and the ITF looked for help from any place they could get it.

In 1973 the South Koreans pulled back their help from the ITF, which migrated to its central command for Toronto, and in the mid-2000’s part into three associations which all work under a similar name.

Likewise in 1973, the South Korean Government established the Kukkiwon as the new public foundation for Taekwondo, and the World Taekwondo Federation was made with the particular reason for advancing Taekwondo as a worldwide game. The WTF utilizes the Kukkiwon style of Taekwondo, which frequently gets alluded to as the WTF-Style (or either Sport-Style or Olympic-Style) Taekwondo, even though it is a style characterized by the Kukkiwon instead of the WTF.

Since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Taekwondo has been one of just two Asian combat sports (the other being Judo) which are included in the Olympic Games after it was exhibited in the 1988 Seoul Games. In 2010 Taekwondo was acknowledged as a Commonwealth Games sport.

Rule differences between BJJ and Taekwondo

There are differences between BJJ and Taekwondo and we are here to show you the key difference between them. First of all, BJJ is open ended fighting where taekwondo is more like a traditional fighting technique. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you can win a match by applying different types of techniques while fighting. The more you show, the more points you will earn.

On the other hand in Taekwondo, you have to land your attack on a certain zone of the body.

For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,

2 scores are granted for a takedown
2 scores are granted for clearing (an inversion from one has returned to on head of the adversary)
3 scores are granted for passing the adversary’s guard
2 scores are granted for getting a knee mount position
4 scores are granted for total mount control
4 scores are granted for reverse control
etc

For Taekwondo,

Taekwondo matches ought to be challenged by contenders of similar sex and in a similar characterized weight classification.
The opposition region is a tangled mat that estimates 8 meters squared.
Taekwondo matches are more than 3×2 rounds with a break between the game rounds.
Every contender endeavors to knockout their adversary or score focuses via landing blows on their rival’s middle or head. Kicks are permitted to both to the middle and head, while punches are just permitted to the body. Underneath the midriff isn’t an allowed target.
If a contender and their mentor imagine that a point has been missed or that a mix-up has been made, they can make a dissent. A video replay is then taken a look at by the judges and a choice is made.

Belt System and Progression Differences

For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

BJJ Belts

The belt progression framework in BJJ is like Judo, yet there are fewer belts. In BJJ, the belts are categorized as advancement from white to blue, at that point purple, brown, and then lastly black.

How to reach black belt

The two martial arts require long periods of preparation to arrive at a black belt. Different people’s advancement differs depending on preparation time, age, physicality, etc. A contender preparing a couple of hours consistently will advance quicker than a specialist preparing a couple of times each week. But in general, it may take those admonitions or a normal individual to

5-10 years to arrive at a Judo black belt
8-12 years to arrive at a BJJ black belt

Along these lines, every martial art branch requires a lot of duty and commitment to get into a black belt.

For Taekwondo

Numerous Taekwondo starters are frequently befuddled about Taekwondo belts. Some think there is just a single general taekwondo belt framework, however in actuality there are many.

This contrast between belt frameworks is because of the assortment of taekwondo associations, and your school is receiving its belt framework relying upon its connection with a particular association.

White Belt (tenth Geup): White has the importance of vacancy; it shows the humbleness and absence of information on an apprentice.

Yellow stripe (ninth Geup): A center stage between an absolute apprentice and a yellow belt.

Yellow Belt (eighth Geup): The analogy of yellow is the seed planted.

Green stripe (seventh Geup): Middle stage among yellow and green

Green Belt (sixth Geup): The seed presently is beginning to grow a plant and the specialist is developing gradually

Blue stripe (fifth Geup): Middle stage between the green belt and the blue belt.

Blue Belt (fourth Geup): Signifies the sky as the plant is seeking to go high towards the sky unbounded

Red Stripe (third Geup): Middle Phase between the blue belt and red belt

Red Belt (second Geup): Red is an indication of blood, this is an admonition to the understudy that they are acquiring a deadly weapon, poising ought to be extremely present.

Black Stripe (first Geup): Middle stage between the red belt and black belt

Black belt: The understudying person is then awarded the black belt once they pass the first Geup.

Training Differences

Gi and Nogi for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

At the point when you begin Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu you’ll notice that there are two distinct sorts of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; one is called Gi and the other Nogi. Gi preparation is conventional BJJ, prepared in the Gi (otherwise known as Kimono).

Nogi is in another way, such training, as the name suggests, is BJJ without the Gi, prepared in shorts, and a basic difference between Gi and Nogi is the capacity to grasp your rival’s Gi while doing the more conventional variety of BJJ training. You can utilize your holds on your rival’s Gi collar, sleeves, and pants or on the other hand belt, to unbalance them and in hope to throw them.

This seemingly permits a more prominent assortment of throws as control of your adversary and to take them down. What’s more, lower body takedowns, for example, twofold and single legs can be harder to accomplish as your rival can keep you from dropping to get a handle on the legs with grasps of his/her own.

Taekwondo

In Taekwondo training, you need your body to be strong, yet not massive. There’s a contrast between being strong and building enormous muscles. At the point when individuals consider quality preparation they generally consider pump iron inside the body in the training center which isn’t extraordinary for hand to hand fighting. Your training isn’t tied with expanding your muscle size; however, you may need to take a shot at speed to create power.

Aerobic Exercises: Many of the activities are vigorous. If you like hopping rope, running set up, bouncing jacks, and going around the dojang doing air punches then Taekwondo exercises will be easier for you.

Stretching: Stretching is vital to quality preparation, because as individuals get more grounded their muscles and become more firm for Taekwondo training.

Push-ups and Sit-ups: If you go through varieties of leg siphons, side-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups, transformed sit-ups, back-ups. Leg lifts, planking regularly, then think that Taekwondo classes are already half done.

Wrist and Ankle Weights: Your body weight is an extraordinary type of opposition when working out, however, you will likewise join light wrist and lower leg loads for Taekwondo.

Clothing and Equipment (differences/similarities)

Jiu-Jitsu

Judo outfits and Jiujitsu outfits are to some degree comparable. In case you’re calmly preparing in BJJ, for instance, an training center may permit you to use your judo gi. The size of the judo gi may place you off guard in competing, however, because it takes into consideration more accommodation based assaults utilizing your uniform against you.

While the Judo gi top is customarily long and has wide sleeves, the jiu-jitsu gi’s coat is by and large fits more tightly to the body, with a more limited skirt, and more limited, smaller sleeves. Jiu-jitsu gi’s come in various tones, loads, and weaves. Some can even be brightened with patches and weaving.

While these potential outcomes permit jiu-jitsu contenders to customize their gis, a few rec centers will have rules about what tones and fixes are permitted in class. BJJ and jiu-jitsu competitions additionally accompany their guidelines about sleeve and gasp estimations to guarantee reasonableness.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo gets advancement from karate’s impact, Taekwondo dresses are developed from the karate gi in long times. Today, the top TKD gi, otherwise called a dobok, has moved away from the fold overcoat supported by numerous other combative techniques to grasp a more shirt-like slipover coat. It permits martial fighter specialists to execute their strikes without the worry that their coat could come open whenever.

Slipover judo uniforms come in various styles, loads, and tones. Like the hand to hand fighting outfits examined over, the correct decisions on these issues will rely upon the martial dress. There is one principle that is exceptional to Taekwondo, however: black dress collars are explicitly for black belts and should just be worn by individuals who accomplished that position in the order.

BJJ vs. Taekwondo: Pros and Cons

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Pros

Demonstrated to be powerful: BJJ has demonstrated its adequacy consistently, all things considered, and MMA circumstances.

Self-defense: The central conviction of BJJ is to control and overpower a stronger untrained opponent utilizing a variety of chokes and joint locks.

Community: BJJ has a magnificent community that is steadfast companions to each other.

Wellbeing: BJJ is an incredible way to get fit and get strong.

Mental Benefits: BJJ can help you overcome anxiety and strengthen your mental resilience

Extraordinary for Kids: BJJ is an extraordinary sport for kids, and can assist kids with building discipline.

Loads of competitions: There are numerous associations continually running BJJ competitions around the globe, so there are a lot of opportunities to compete every year.

Taekwondo Pros

Self-defense: Some would contend that Taekwondo is a decent type of self-defense. The distinction between BJJ and Taekwondo is that it is striking based.

Wellbeing: Like BJJ, a few styles of Taekwondo can be a decent exercise to get fit and healthy.

Extraordinary for Kids: Taekwondo is likewise incredible to keep kids dynamic and in an invigorating atmosphere and activity outside of school.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Cons

No striking: BJJ does exclude striking, which implies it’s seemingly not a total fighting framework. This is why many people don’t consider it a perfect sport.

Taekwondo Cons

Fewer schools: Taekwondo is an incredible art, however throughout the last 20-30 years this art has been discolored by schools called “mcdojos.” These schools care more about their own benefits than showing the self-defense techniques which Taekwondo was established upon.

No ground work: Our biggest concern is that Taekwondo does not involve any ground fighting techniques

Which is better to learn for self-defense?

According to our assessment, for self-defense, it is better to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as it prepares you better for street fights which most likely will end up on the ground. More so, because of its strength on the ground, you will also be taught to takedown attackers to reduce any impact from punches or kicks.

On the other hand, Taekwondo contains a lot of formal rules and regulations, and also one needs to be fast enough to fight for self-defense which is a bit tough for any to do on the ground. This is why for any kind of self-defense; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the best pick for anyone and any age.

BJJ vs. Taekwondo for Kids

You must keep one thing in mind that Taekwondo is hard training compared to any martial arts. Jiu-jitsu has fewer rules and regulations but to be a Taekwondo fighter, one has to have a lot of natural abilities.

For instance, if you have seen the videos of Taekwondo training, then you would see that in the very beginning, the trainer has to practice for leg stretching which is a tough task to accomplish. Many kids fail to start the training and finish it due to this. On the other hand, BJJ training is quite informal. It contains fewer rules and regulations. It’s depending on the kids who enjoy the training and who don’t. BJJ is less strict with natural abilities and physiology.

BJJ vs. Taekwondo for Fitness

In both BJJ and Taekwondo, you need to stay fit. But in the case of Taekwondo, you need to stay fit more as you need to have speed, and also your legs need to be move faster. BJJ fitness is usually gained in the gym but for Taekwondo, you need to stay fit by doing some extra exercises.

Conclusion

Both of these martial arts are a great choice, there is no need to be biased that this one is better over another. Both are legal and legitimate so you can always pick any of them if you ever feel to become a martial artist.

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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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Jiu-Jitsu For Older Guys – Tips for Older Practitioners [2022]

January 8, 2022January 2, 2022 by Timmy

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys (Tips for Older Practitioners)

Jiu-Jitsu is not at all just a young-man’s game! Even when you are about to hit 70 or 80, you are still not too old to dip your toes into BJJ. Moreover, instead of just teaching you martial arts techniques; Jiu-Jitsu also benefits you in countless other ways during your senior years (or even if you are just 30+ and consider that “old”) while ensuring your overall physical and mental well-being.

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What is Jiu-Jitsu?

First things first, let’s talk about what Jiu-Jitsu actually is. Originating in Brazil, it is deemed to be one of the most powerful forms of martial arts. While Jiu-Jitsu is centuries old, it still remains true to its original concepts and techniques.

The most interesting part of this art is that it allows a participant to turn the weight of his opponent into a weapon against him. It typically involves two participants, where one applies ground fighting techniques – chokeholds and joint-locks to bring his opponent on the ground.

Upon going to the ground, he will lock his opponent on the ground to disable the benefits of his strength and weight. Jiu-jitsu first came into public around the 1920s. Carlos Gracie was the person who first introduced it in Brazil and later along with his family, he progressively modified it to bring its present form.

Does Jiu-Jitsu Have Anything to Do With Age?

Unfortunately, not everyone got to know about Jiu-Jitsu at the peak of their younger years. Also, its benefits were not widely known by many. However, because of the blessings of the internet, now we know that Jiu-Jitsu has so much to offer.

Aside from being just a combat sport, it educates you to become self-competent to tackle every means of iffy situations. Its benefits do not end here, as it also improves your physical and mental health, boosts your confidence and working spirit, and what not!

Due to all these benefits, people of all ages now aspire to train themselves in Jiu-Jitsu. But as age gradually decreases the strength and endurance, older citizens often worry whether or not they will be able to ace the art of Jiu-Jitsu.

If you too happen to be a bit older and found out about Jiu-Jitsu only recently; this is to let you know that Jiu-Jitsu is a sport where everyone can partake in regardless of their gender and age. So, if you are planning on going at it, scroll down to learn why!

Benefits of Jiu-Jitsu for Old Practitioners

Undoubtedly, aging gradually makes us weaker in strength and sicker in health. So, to keep yourself fit and sound during your senior age, the importance of regular exercise is beyond mention. Thanks to Jiu-Jitsu, as it will change your life for the better and will make you feel stronger than ever! However, Jiu-Jitsu not only takes care of that but also benefits you in more ways than you can imagine. Here are a few of its benefits for your consideration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6q8jlw5YlY&ab_channel=Chewjitsu

1. Keeps Your Body Healthy

If you want to do something fun for good health whilst discovering how far your athletic skills can take you, Jiu-Jitsu is for you! For its cardiovascular advantages, it is one of the most recommended martial arts for seniors. It keeps high-level cardio in check, all the while strengthening the muscles and bone joints. A regular session of Jiu-Jitsu can also help you to get into shape. By keeping the body fit you can prevent chronic illnesses like arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure which mostly come with the age.

2. Takes Care of Your Mental Health

It’s no secret that a healthy and active body and good mental health are tied with the same knot. For older people, their brain doesn’t perform as well as it did in their formative years. The regular practice of Jiu-Jitsu can significantly help you deal with this condition. Just like other muscles in our body, our brain muscles need to be exercised too. Jiu-Jitsu allows you to let off your steam and boosts your cognitive ability for the better. It works like a charm by wiping off stress and putting you in a better mood.

3. It Reverses the Effects of Aging

As we get older, our bodies go through major changes both inside and outside. Perhaps, it mostly happens because of the great deal of inactivity during that time. Thereby, the reduction of collagen production also results in signs of aging. Jiu-Jitsu helps to rejuvenate collagen and strengthens ligaments, joints, and connective tissues. That’s how you can slow down aging and improve the posture of your body.

4. Helps Make New Friendship

After retirement, it often becomes difficult to make new friends. BJJ is a community of people who share the same interests and challenge each other to push the limits. It may come as a surprise to you to know how Jiu-Jitsu training can provide you with opportunities to socialize and build new friendships.

Things to Keep in Mind

Keeping all the positives aspects aside, we have to accept the fact that for old practitioners starting Jiu-Jitsu certainly comes with a number of potential risks. So, before stepping into the world of BJJ, below is a list of things you should keep in mind.

1. Make Sure You Don’t Have Serious Ailments

If you suffer from intense muscle or joint pain every now and then or have a previous history of dealing with arthritis and cramps, then rolling for Jiu-Jitsu would not be a smart move for you. Even though it is raved to be the gentlest and risk-free art form compared to all the other martial arts out there, it can still worsen your health. So, it is better to do some health checkups before getting yourself enrolled in this journey.

2. Have a Goal

Just the fact that you are starting out late should not stop you from your goals. List down the things you want to achieve from Jiu-Jitsu and come up with a plan to bring those into reality. The small goal that you have set for yourself will push you through the hard times and motivate you to keep going. Otherwise, it will be hard for you to continue at times.

3. Do Not Compare

In your 60’s or 70’s, you cannot expect you to have the same physical strength you had in your 20’s. If you compare yourself to a young guy who has all the time and energy, you will only end up demotivating yourself. Hence, do not compare yourself to your fellow mates as it only brings disappointments. Rather, set your bar low and have faith in yourself.

4. Eat a Healthy Diet

If you want to ace the art of Jiu-Jitsu, eating clean is a must. Now that you are old, you cannot eat unhealthy foods and get away with it. The consequences will not wait and is meant to give you a hard time. So, it is better that you set up your diet plan that will boost your nutrition and optimize your energy levels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGj94Bij1OM&ab_channel=Chewjitsu

This article covers all the tips and tricks that can help an oldie to sail through the game of Jiu-Jitsu. As you have done reading this, we genuinely hope all your doubts regarding whether Jiu-Jitsu would be great for older guys or not have evanesced now. So, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and kick off your Jiu-Jitsu training journey soon keeping all the tips and tricks in mind!

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First BJJ Tournament: Top 6 Things You Need to Know [2022]

January 8, 2022January 2, 2022 by Timmy

First BJJ Tournament: Things you need to know before your first competition

Are you planning to join your first BJJ tournament, but don’t know what to expect? Don’t let uncertainty keep you from a successful and fun-packed (important!) BJJ tournament.

In the next sections, we will discuss the top things you need to for your first BJJ tournament.

So, let’s talk about it.

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How long are Jiu-Jitsu matches?

In a Jiu-Jitsu match, the players can win by submitting their opponents in a limited time, or by winning by points.

The time limit of a Jiu-Jitsu match depends on the belt level of the players, a typical match between white belts is 5 minutes long, and it can be up to 8 minutes long for more experienced belts. For black belts, the match is 10 minutes long.

Now, these are the rules used in IBJJF compliant tournaments, however, submission-only tournaments are also becoming common, which have time limits of up to 20 minutes for a single match.

Here is a complete breakdown of round lengths for different belts

White Belt: 5 minutes
Blue Belt: 6 minutes
Purple Belt: 7 minutes
Brown Belt: 8 minutes
Black Belt: 10 minutes

In other tournaments, Like the ADCC, the round lengths can be different. The qualifying rounds are 10 minutes long, whereas the finals are 20 minutes long. If there is a draw, overtime for qualifying matches in 5 minutes, and 10 minute overtime rounds are done for finals. There is only one overtime round in qualifying rounds, and two overtime rounds in the finals.

How Do You Get Points in Jiu-Jitsu?

The Scoring system in Jiu-Jitsu Matches can be confusing sometimes, so let me break it down for you. In Jiu-Jitsu, there is a common saying, which goes like “Position before Submission”. Therefore, in Jiu-Jitsu, you can get points for advancing positions.

Here is a breakdown of the scoring system

Taking an opponent to the ground: 2 points (not applicable if your opponent pulls guard)
Sweeps: 2 points
Passing your opponent’s guard, or getting to side control : 3 points
Full mount, or back mount with both hooks in 4 points

How many rounds are there in a BJJ tournament?

The number of rounds you may have to fight for in a Jiu-Jitsu match depends on how well you perform. If you keep winning you’ll have to play more matches. Typically, you may have to play 3-5 matches in one tournament, depending on the size of the bracket.

If you also compete in the open weight category, you could have to play more matches in a tournament. Therefore, when you are preparing for a BJJ tournament, you should be comfortable with at least 6 to 7 matches.

In the case of some submission-only tournaments, there can even be more than one round in a fight. If no one can submit their opponent in the 20-minute match, sometimes, there can be some overtime.

When should I start competing in BJJ?

Competition is a very important part of training Jiu-jitsu, and it is as safe as any other sport. I believe that everyone training jiu-jitsu should start competing as white belts because it can be very good for their progress.

The simple thing is that there will always be an excuse as to why it’s not the right time to compete, no matter how long you’ve been training. Of course, you can always delay competition until you become better, however, if you don’t compete early, it can be very difficult to start and get over the jitters once you advance to a higher belt.

So, in general, I believe that if you are training regularly, you should start competing after 4-5 months of training. A regular athlete can get two stripes on their white belt at this time. Moreover, a white belt will compete against other white belts, and at that level, competition isn’t as challenging as it would be later.

Competing early has a lot of benefits, first of all, it gives players a chance to grapple with new people, rather than their teammates, whose style they are used to. This can help them develop a more versatile style. Furthermore, Competition develops confidence and gives athletes a reality check about their skill. So, don’t wait too long before you start competing.

What should I do before my first BJJ competition?

The first and foremost thing you should do is not overthink the outcome of the tournament. More often than not, overthinking can lead to being overly nervous and then not being able to pursue your game plan.

Second, develop a basic game plan and drill the most important techniques. The game plan should involve drilling a couple of basic defensive techniques to escape from bad positions such as full mount or side guard. Also make sure to get more practice on improving or getting to basic positions, which can be giving you points. A focus on points should be more important than going for submissions for your first tournament.

Third, know the rules. This goes without since a tournament is a rule and points-based, unlike your end-of-training sparring sessions. There are also many BJJ beginner books out there that can help you understand the sport better and be better mentally prepared.

Fourth, get enough sleep and focus on a good diet. Having enough sleep will make sure that your concentration is at peak and eating clean and healthy food in the weeks before, will allow your body not only to make weight but also to at top performance levels.

Last but not least, have fun! This is your first BJJ tournament and you should absolutely prioritize fun. Don’t get carried away by your ego telling you to have to prove yourself. Be open to learning about the ins and outs of a tournament experience first and just simply enjoy being there and competing as well as meeting people who share this same newfound passion for Jiu-Jitsu.

If you’re thinking of getting a new Gi for your competition, check out our review of the best BJJ Competition Gi.

How often should you compete in BJJ?

As we have established before, competing in Jiu-Jitsu tournaments is very important. I believe that if you train regularly, about 4-6 days a week, you should try to compete for at least 4 times per year. You should try to compete in a tournament every 2-3 months to stay active and keep your skills sharp.

Staying in over-exertive competition also keeps you motivated to train better, and strive for better physical fitness.

Still, too much of anything can be bad, it is important that you pay attention to your body, and don’t over-exert it. In the case of any injuries, whether they happen during a causal role in the gym, or competition, it is important to take some recovery time off.

So, you should try to compete as often as your body and mind allow you while staying healthy.

Final Thoughts

Jiu-Jitsu is an amazing sport, and it is gaining more and more popularity every day, all over the world. Some people believe that it may even become an Olympic sport in the near future. Either way, the future of the sport is undeniable.

Moreover, training and competing in Jiu-Jitsu has an incredible impact on your personality. Jiu-Jitsu has changed many lives and it makes people more confident, happy, and healthy while teaching you how to defend yourself as well.

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BJJ vs. Muay Thai for Fitness [2022]

January 8, 2022January 1, 2022 by Timmy

BJJ vs Muay Thai for Fitness: The Ultimate Comparison [2021]

Are you looking for a new and more fun way of getting fit? Maybe you are bored of just lifting weights in the gym or spending hours on the treadmill? Well, martial arts is definitely a good way of keeping or getting fit while also learning new skills and exploring our bodies in whole new ways.

Muay Thai and BJJ are both popular forms of martial arts. They both have different physical and mental benefits. If you want to know more about which one is better for fitness, then this article is a must-read for you.

We’ll discuss the short history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ and Muay Thai, the basic differences between them, and which one is more suitable for fitness. So, without further ado, let’s dig into the discussion.

Jump to Section

Introduction

Martial arts are very popular all over the world due to multiple reasons. While there are different forms of martial arts, each requires a different set of skills and knowledge which also influences how they are being practiced.

However, one common thing amongst most of them is they can massively improve your fitness. They all train and develop us in a way that helps us to become better physically and mentally. Have you ever watched the UFC or boxing? Just look at how athletic and fit those guys and gals are.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai are two of the most popular martial arts. They are very different in styles and you will get to know more about these two art forms in this article. Also, you will understand the significance of the two in terms of physical fitness.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – Overview

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu also is known as BJJ originated from Judo. It has gone through several transformations and finally came to its present form as BJJ. It was developed and shaped to the modern style of fighting that it is today by the Gracie family of Brazil. From then on, this martial art has gotten attention from fighters worldwide. It uses the power of grappling against an opponent and teaches them how to use their physical weight against them.

Also read our comparison of BJJ vs Judo.

Muay Thai – Overview

Muay Thai is a martial art that incorporates kicks and strikes. It can be a very brutal sport and makes use of elbows, kicks, and knees (it’s also referred to as the “Art of the 8 Limbs”). Muay Thai is considered a sport globally and intense competitions are arranged for this. However, many people train to achieve physical and mental fitness.

BJJ vs. Muay Thai for fitness

It is very difficult to compare the two as they both require intense physical training but are practiced differently. Both of these martial art forms help to achieve physical fitness. It depends on your preference as to which one you want to train.

BJJ Fitness Benefits

BJJ helps achieving physical fitness because of the insane number of calories you burn while training. Sparring for an hour can burn you up to 1000 calories. You need to be always alert and prepared for making your next move. It teaches you how to bring the fights that end up on the ground to your favor. The hours of training make you more physically fit and active. A lot of the moves in BJJ require you to use your entire body against a resisting opponent.

Besides, making you physically fit, it also helps to develop you mentally. By learning BJJ you will also learn how to win against an opponent which is much stronger and larger than you physically. That is why BJJ is very popular among women across the globe as a self-defense technique.

But how do you do that? Well, it all depends on the strategy. Like any other sport, BJJ teaches you moves to defeat an opponent by using leverage and their own body weight against them. Because of this, you also improve your mental fitness. It gives you clarity of thought to understand situations better. It is also a great stress buster. That is why it is very good for the overall fitness of an individual.

1. Weight Loss

BJJ requires a lot of drilling and practice to master. The constant rolling and grappling is an inevitable part of the training. Because of the hardcore training that goes on behind the scenes, BJJ helps to lose a lot of weight.

People often think that one can only practice BJJ if they fall under a certain weight limit. But this is not true. Even if you are overweight, you can lose a significant amount of weight and become more active and fit due to the training.

2. Increased Awareness

BJJ requires a great deal of strategy, execution, and focus. While rolling and grappling, you need to focus on your opponent as well. To win a fight, one needs to read the move of the opponent beforehand. All of this is a part of the training for BJJ. So, it helps to improve spatial awareness and focus.

3. Improved Overall Health

BJJ not only improves your physical look but helps in the overall development of health. Through BJJ training, blood cholesterol levels fall, endorphin production increases, and the balance between insulin and sugar levels is maintained. That is why it has a positive impact on the overall health and well-being of the body.

Muay Thai Fitness Benefits

Muay Thai will give you the chance to have a full-body workout. That is why it is very good for increasing fitness. Professional Muay Thai trainers claim that Muay Thai helps in achieving overall fitness for the body. It involves intense cardio which is very good for the heart. It also helps to lose a lot of weight.

Due to the constant movement, one loses a lot of calories while training for a fight. It is said that an average person weighing 155 pounds can lose around 690 calories within a 1-hour session. That is why it is a very efficient way of losing weight.

The best thing about Muay Thai is that it does not focus on one part of a body. Rather it affects the entire body. It also helps to tone the muscle and strengthens the core.

1. Increased Leg Strength

Muay Thai is based on kicking. That is why it requires a lot of footwork. This helps to increase the strength of your legs. It improves the overall endurance of the leg muscles and increases agility. It also increases the agility of the feet. The continuous footwork helps to tone the calve muscles.

2. Increased Core Strength

The core muscles comprise of all the muscles in your trunk. It is the center of all the strength of your body. Core strength helps a lot in striking as well as kicking and overall body movements. It helps to improve the confidence of an individual as well. This is one of the most significant benefits of Muay Thai training.

3. Increased Hip Mobility

Muay Thai training helps to improve hip mobility through continuous kicking and movement of the knees. It does take a lot of practice to increase hip mobility, but the benefits are long term. Hip mobility helps to get rid of the pain caused due to different moves that one must pull off while training.

4. Stress Relief

Like any other sport, Muay Thai also acts as a great stress reliever. It is a fast-paced sport that requires constant attention and focus. That is why the mind cannot wander about in negative thoughts while practicing. If you are having a bad day or suffering from some kind of anxiety, a Muay Thai session can help to uplift your mood.

Conclusion

To sum it all up, it is difficult to tell which one is better in terms of achieving fitness between Muay Thai and BJJ. They both offer different benefits to one’s body. Therefore, the choice ultimately lies with yourself. Whether it’s BJJ or Muay Thai, if it does not worsen any pre-existing physical condition or create new problems within your body then you can choose whichever you want.

So, if you are not comfortable with kicking and striking, then Muay Thai may not be for you. Similarly, if you do not like grappling then maybe BJJ is not for you. Either way, when it comes to improving your fitness in a fun way, you won’t be wrong with either. Or maybe you just do both and develop an all-around athletic ability and get the the ultimate self-defense benefits of both.

Why not check out our other articles on BJJ and see whether it’s something you’d like.

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BJJ vs Luta Livre — Which One Is Better? [2022]

January 8, 2022January 1, 2022 by Timmy

BJJ vs Luta Livre — Which One Is Better? [Solved]

Whether you are into grappling or not, you have likely heard about the BJJ vs Luta Livre rivalry. This is among the biggest rivalries, not just in the grappling world, but in the history of martial arts. From street fighting to wild gym wars, BJJ vs Luta Livre rivalry had it all.

On paper, these two arts share much in common, and might even look the same to the average person. But, BJJ is a grappling style that has its origins in Judo and puts a lot of focus on ground fighting. The goal is to take the fight to the ground and submit the opponent using chokes and joint locks.

Luta Livre is a grappling art that is also known as “Brazilian Submission wrestling”. As its name suggests, it has its origins in catch wrestling, which makes it different from BJJ. But on the other side, it also puts a lot of emphasis on ground fighting and includes some elements of striking.

Keep reading this article to find out more about how BJJ and Luta Livre differ from one another. And, we will explore the history of their rivalry, and try to find out which one is better for MMA or self-defense.

Jump to Section

What are the main differences?

Although both of these styles focus on grappling, BJJ and Luta Livre differ a lot from one another. This is notably true when it comes to techniques, emphasis, and many other aspects. Here is all you need to know:

History and derivation

BJJ is a fighting style founded by the famous Gracie family in Brazil. It all started when the famous Judoka, Mitsuyo Maeda came to Brazil to teach Judo around 1917. After around 5 years of training, his students, Carlos and Helio Gracie used Judo as a base to form their own style. Their new system differed from Judo a lot since they moved its emphasis on ground fighting. The name “jiu-jitsu” derives from the words Ju (gentle) and Jutsu (art), so in translation, it means “a gentle art”.

Luta Livre, on the other side, shares the same time and place of origins. Its founder was Euclydes Hatem who at the time was a famous catch wrestler. He created a fighting system that was a mix of catch wrestling, Judo, and striking put into one style of fighting. He named it “Luta Livre” which translates to “free fighting”.

Techniques and emphasis

BJJ is a fighting style that covers both standup grappling and ground fighting. Since most fights begin on the feet, the initial goal is to use Judo moves to take the fight to the ground. The emphasis of the art is on ground fighting where the goal is to finish the fight using chokes and joint locks. The art is all about leverage and technic, rather than using sheer force. It doesn’t include any striking at all.

Luta Livre is similar to BJJ, but, its emphasis is on catch wrestling techniques. When it comes to ground fighting, it focuses more on leg locks, which were not allowed in BJJ in the past. And, it includes the basics of striking, notably from Muay Thai, and ground and pound as a way to finish the opponent.

Styles and uniforms

In the past, there was only one style of BJJ in which all students needed to wear a uniform called “Gi”. A gi uniform consists of a heavy cotton jacket, pants, and a rank belt around the waist. It is very similar to the one in Judo or even karate. In the beginning, this type of uniform was very expensive. It was a status symbol to some extent because poor people couldn’t afford one at the time.

But over the years, and notably the birth of MMA fighting, we would see the rise of the No-Gi style. Nowadays, there are plenty of No-Gi schools around the world.

Luta Livre, on the other side, was much different right from the start because it was all about No-Gi training. In some way, people saw it as a fighting style for the poor people, the same ones who couldn’t afford a Gi uniform to train BJJ. Over the years, the two main styles over Luta Livre have emerged, and both of them teach No-Gi techniques:

Luta Esportiva Livre — this form focuses just on catch wrestling and submissions.

Luta Livre Vale Tudo — this form includes both grappling and striking. It was created for early MMA matches in Brazil and famous “Vale Tudo” tournaments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uVmf6NXyFY&ab_channel=MMAOnPointMMAOnPoint

Which one is better for Self-Defense?

BJJ is a much better option than Luta Livre when it comes to self-defense. This mainly due to a fact that BJJ has evolved much more over time. Nowadays, its grappling techniques are far more versatile and practical for self-defense.

And we don’t have to talk much about how BJJ is more popular in just about every part of the world. Even if you are a fan of Luta Livre and want to learn self-defense, you will still have to go with BJJ. Luta Livre is not that popular outside of South America, and you might have a hard time finding a gym. On the other side, it seems like every town has at least one BJJ gym.

BJJ is better when it comes to techniques as well. Don’t get us wrong here, Luta Livre teaches you great self-defense skills also. But, Jiu-Jitsu has a small edge in our view because it focuses more on leverage and technique. This is the reason why it is the only style that teaches you how to deal with a bigger and stronger opponent. We can all agree this is crucial when it comes to street fighting where there are no rules or weight classes.

Luta Livre, on the other side, is also very practical for self-defense. Like in BJJ, you will learn all about how to take the fight to the ground, and subdue or submit the opponent. It is even more versatile than to some extent as it teaches you how to throw or block strikes. But this aspect on its own is not enough for us to say that is better than BJJ for self-defense.

BJJ and Luta Livre Rivalry and Street Fights

As said earlier, BJJ and Luta Livre emerged in the same place, and at around the same time. In some way, these two arts were on a collision course right from the start. It was just a matter of time before fighters from both styles started battling each other, not just in the ring, but on the streets as well. Athletes from both sides were calling out and battling each other for many, many decades.

The rivalry between these two styles started in the 1930s and it would last up until the mid-90s. They fought each other on the streets, in the gyms, and in Vale Tudo events. Vale Tudo resembles modern MMA fighting, and its events were very popular due to the BJJ vs Luta Livre rivalry.

When it comes to the results, it’s fair to say that Luta Livre fighters have won more matches during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. But, the tables would start to turn around from the 1980s when the best and most intense fights between these two arts took place. The rivalry would last up until the mid-90s when the rise of BJJ exploded due to its dominance in MMA, while Luta Livre failed to achieve the same status.

Here are some of the most memorable fights between BJJ and Luta Livre

BJJ vs Luta Livre Famous Fights

It’s really hard to explain how big the BJJ vs Luta Livre rivalry was back in the day. The matches between these two arts were huge and often led to wild brawls in the arenas all across Brazil. Here are some of the most memorable bouts:

George Gracie (BJJ) vs Euclydes Hatem (Luta Livre)

The fight between George and Hatem marks the beginning of the rivalry between these two arts. In 1940, George would challenge Hatem to a fight, with an intention to prove that BJJ is superior to Luta Livre. It’s worth pointing up that this was all before the hate, street fighting, and many other bad things that took place between these two styles. Both sides agreed to a fair fight, and it all ended with Hatem submitting George via wrist lock.

Rickson Gracie (BJJ) vs Hugo Duarte (Luta Livre)

This is, perhaps, the most famous BJJ vs Luta Livre fight. It all happened when the BJJ legend, Rickson Gracie, attacked and beat Luta Livre master, Hugo Duarte at “Pepe Beach” in 1988. It was a spark that triggered a war between these two arts.

Duarte was so mad that he gathered a group of around 60–70 people, and he went on to invade the Gracie Academy. According to some sources, some of the members carried knives and even loaded guns. It was the wise Helio Gracie, who was 80 years old at the time, who would calm down the situation and suggest that the rematch should take outside the gym in the parking lot. The fight didn’t last long as Rickson went on to secure the full mount and force Duarte to give up once again.

Renzo Gracie (BJJ) vs Eugenio Tadeu (Luta Livre)

This was, by far, the most infamous fight that took place in 1997 at “Pentagon Combat” in Brazil. The hype around this event was massive and the entire arena was full of fired-up supporters from both sides. While Renzo and Tadeu were fighting inside the cage, the crowd started invading the cage, pushing the fence and climbing over it.

At one point, one of the spectators kicked Renzo Gracie in the face which triggered a huge riot. People from both sides started fighting each other, and many people got hurt. The riot was so big that the government decided to ban all MMA events for the next 10 years.

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

Which one is better for MMA and why?

BJJ is much more popular than Luta Livre when it comes to MMA fighting, and it has been like that since day one. Still, this doesn’t mean that Luta Livre is bad for MMA by any means, no, it’s actually very practical. But BJJ took over the sport in the early stages, and it established itself as the best fighting style. Luta Livre, in some way, never got a chance to show its full potential in cage fighting.

You see, Brazilian authorities banned MMA fighting after the infamous incident at “Pentagon Combat”. During the late 80s and early 90s, there was no MMA fighting in Brazil at all. Around this time, Gracie’s were already present in the US. In fact, Gracie’s were actually the co-founders of the initial UFC Company. And UFC, as we know, marks the beginning of MMA in the western world.

In the early days of MMA, the world saw the domination of just one man, and that man was Royce Gracie. He used his BJJ skills to win all UFC fights he took place in, beating fighters from other styles who were often much bigger than he was. This was huge because, back then, fighters were experts in just one fighting style. Every UFC bout was a pure style vs style matchup and BJJ emerged as the best.

MMA started to rise at a rapid pace, and so was BJJ. Luta Livre, on the other side, failed to achieve the same or to come up with a star like Royce was. This was the main reason why Luta Livre started to fall into oblivion and why modern MMA fans don’t know much about it. The BJJ emerged as the best grappling art not just in the US, but the entire world.

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History of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – Short Guide

June 5, 2021November 20, 2020 by Timmy

The History of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: From Its Roots to Today

History is not everyone’s cup of tea. Nevertheless, knowing history is important. Especially when it is about a versatile combat sport such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which has a complex as well as rich history.

Read on if you like to know more about the history of BJJ from its humble beginnings to the global phenomenon it is today.

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Introduction

The word Jiu-Jitsu is derived from the Japanese language. “Ju” means gentle and “Jitsu” means art. So, the direct translation of Jiu-Jitsu is the – gentle art. If the translation is strictly interpreted, Jiu-Jitsu is a non-violent martial art.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a combat sport that involves grappling, torsions, submission holds, and pressure points to dominate and pin the opponent to the ground. It requires knowledge of human anatomy. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu allows a small and weak person to defend himself against a stronger person because it focuses on techniques rather than physical strength.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most popular forms of martial arts in the world right now and it is growing. It is a popular combat sport all around the world and an effective self-defense mechanism as well.

As it is a form of martial arts that is of Japanese origin, it has a rich history that left its trail from several centuries back. We will discuss elaborately the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu starting from the very root which is Japanese origin.

Jiu-Jitsu as the Last Resort of Defense

The roots of Jiu-Jitsu cannot be accurately traced back to its very origin because many similar combat techniques were seen from China to India. The origin of Jiu-Jitsu was developed by the warrior caste in feudal Japan who was also known as “Samurais”.

Samurais used to engage in intense sword fights on a battleground by foot or sitting on horseback. At one point, it was very likely for the fighters or the samurais to lose their “katanas” also known as samurai swords, and get disarmed by their opponents. Physical strikes were not effective at all because samurais were dressed with heavy armor. So, they needed a method of self-defense that required no weapon and took advantage of the human anatomy leading to takedowns which led to the development of Jiu-Jitsu.

The concept of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu was to achieve maximum effectiveness with bare minimum effort. This later on created different subdivisions of different versions of Jiu-Jitsu. The different versions of Jiu-Jitsu focused on different aspects but the core concept was always the same.

The Early Development of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu

In the 1800s, a major political and economic change in Japan occurred which was led by emperor Meji. A national conscript army was introduced and the warrior class also known as the samurais were severely nerfed. The decline of feudalism led to a decline in martial arts, which were on the verge of extinction but then rescued in the late 1880’s, thanks to Jigoro Kano.

The early development of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu was led by Jigoro Kano, who studied traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. In 1882, he opened a martial arts training school which was known as “Kodokan”. Jigoro Kano conducted expansive research on the traditional combat techniques that he learned from Tenshin Shin’yo Ryu and the Kito Ryu. He refined and combined these techniques which led to him giving birth to “Kokodan Judo”. Kokodan Judo consisted of the most effective techniques of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu which he taught his students in his martial arts training school.

One of the most highlighted innovations of Kokodan Judo was the implementation of “Randori”, which was a non-cooperative live sparring practice. Randori emphasizes throws, joint locks, chokes, and many other techniques. Randori helps the practitioner to build up reflexes and use techniques against fully armed opponents. This style of Jigoro Kano was put through a test in a big martial arts tournament that was hosted by the Tokyo Police back in 1886. Fighters of Kokodan fought against various opponents who used different styles of Jujutsu and they didn’t lose a single match. They won 13 matches and drew 2 matches out of 15 matches. This proved Kano’s hybrid technique to be the most efficient amongst all the techniques.

The Odyssey of Mitsuyo Maeda

Mitsuyo Mayeda is the son of a sumo wrestler who was born in Funazawa Village which was situated in Hirosaki City on 18 November 1878. He joined Kokodan in 1894 and began training. He was very determined and hardworking. Soon he became the top student of Kodokan. He mastered every single technique but he was especially known for his expertise in ground fighting.

Mitsuyo Maeda decided to travel the world for the quest of showing the effectiveness and spreading the techniques he learned from Kano’s Kodokan. After his success in a Judo tournament where he remained undefeated, Kano sent him to the U.S.A in 1904.

Throughout Maeda’s career, he fought more than hundreds of matches in the U.S.A, Mexico, Cuba, Great Britain, Continental Europe, and many more. He took part in different types of mixed matches where different fighting techniques were used and still managed to stay undefeated his whole career. Everyone started to know about his success and became more and more interested in the fighting techniques he used.

Another reason for Maeda’s internationally recognized success was the diplomatic relationship between U.S.A and Japan. Even President Theodore Roosevelt was impressed and took lessons from Yoshiaki Yamashita who was another apprentice of Kano. This diplomatic relationship paved his way to spread Jiu-Jitsu throughout America and its surroundings.

Finally, Maeda set sail towards Brazil in 1914. He decided to settle down in Brazil and opened a Jiu-Jitsu academy there. One day a capoeira artist named Pé de Bola challenged Maeda. Pé de Bola was 6’3” weighing almost 220 pounds; he was significantly bigger and physically stronger than Maeda. Maeda accepted the challenge and even allowed his opponent to use a knife. Maeda took him down barehanded and managed to drop a fair amount of jaws.

Maeda launched the first tournament of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil for the sake of promoting it. This tournament was held in the form of a festival that dragged a lot of attention towards Jiu-Jitsu.

Maeda used to challenge famous fighters and even Boxers of Brazil and was successful every time. A boy named Carlos Gracie was fascinated by the success of Maeda and got interested in learning his techniques. Maeda was friends with Gastão Gracie who was a local businessman and Carlos Gracie happened to be the son of Gastão Gracie’s. Hence, Maeda, later on, accepted him as an apprentice in his Jiu-Jitsu academy.

Carlos Gracie’s Jiu-Jitsu Academy

Carlos Gracie was a sincere and committed student of Maeda’s Jiu-Jitsu academy. Carlos studied and mastered Maeda’s versatile Jiu-Jitsu techniques for years. He wanted to circulate his knowledge and decided to take his younger brother as his student.

One of Carlos’s brothers named Helio Gracie was having a hard time learning the techniques of Maeda because he was comparatively weak and had a feeble body. This made Carlos research more on Jiu-Jitsu and make adjustments to it so that it becomes possible for people to learn regardless of their physical structure and strength.

Out of love and compassion for Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Gracie opened his own Gracie family Jiu-Jitsu academy where he dedicated himself to the development of Jiu-Jitsu and spread it through teaching. They even promoted themselves by advertising in newspapers and challenging people. Legend says they advertised their academy with such headlines as “If you want a broken arm or rib, come to Gracie Academy.”

Carlos Gracie along with the other Gracie’s launched the famous “Gracie Challenge” where they introduced No-Hands-Barred (NHB) challenge. Any fighters could challenge the Gracie’s in an NHB match. Renowned fighters all around Brazil took the challenge. In this challenge, the Gracie’s remained dominant most of the time. This challenge introduced the Gracie family to different types of combat techniques. As a result, they found different scopes of improvement which contributed to the development process of Jiu-Jitsu even more.

With the help of Jiu-Jitsu, the people of Brazil who were physically small and weak learned to defend themselves against strong people. They could take down muscular men easily by applying Jiu-Jitsu techniques. Helio, the younger brother of Maeda became an instructor of the Gracie Academy later on. He introduced innovations and technical advancements as being physically weak and inferior among all brothers. He was a role model for all the weaker people of Brazilian society and he was a successful instructor as well.

Jiu-Jitsu as Brazil’s National Sport

The Gracie family became more and more popular because of their prevailing dominance in combat sports all over Brazil and the rivalry between other top academies. Another main reason for its popularity was also because of its versatility in self-defense.

In the 1960s, Carlson Gracie took the baton of his uncle, Helio Gracie, as the head of the academy which was an important step that led to the consolidation of Jiu-Jitsu as a sport. In 1967, the Guanabara Jiu-Jitsu Federation was founded in Rio which was authorized by Brazil National Sports Confederation.

A detailed ruleset was introduced as it got recognition as a national sport. The matches were conducted on a point basis with a time span of 5 minutes with 3 minutes of overtime for adults. One point is fixed for different moves and the fighter with the most points will be announced as the winner. There were penalties set for non-compliance of the rules as well.

Jiu-Jitsu Going International

In the late 1980s, many members of the Gracie began to migrate to the U.S. The Gracie family took part in the world-famous Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Royce Gracie was selected by the Gracie family to represent the family and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in front of the whole world. Royce had a slim body which is very unlikely of UFC participants and he was the smallest participant. However, he shocked the whole world by easily taking down his opponents one after one.

The legendary Royce Gracie impressed people with his dominant performance throughout UFC and bagged a handful amount of victories against fighters of different techniques in NHB matches. Other members of the Gracie family also dominated in many other international events. Rickson, brother of Royce was undefeated in an event in Japan.

In most cases, fighters who were only focused on offensive moves such as kicking and punching couldn’t stand against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters because their strength was ultimately used against them. The continuous success of the Gracie family made Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu famous worldwide and proven it as one of the most effective self-defense techniques.

Carlos Gracie Jr. continued and upheld his father’s legacy by hosting tournaments and advertising Jiu-Jitsu as a regulated sport. He founded the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) back in 1994 to promote it globally. In 1996, the first Jiu-Jitsu tournament was launched by International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) which got a huge response worldwide. In this event, more than 50 countries participated with participants more than 3000.

With the goal of upholding Jiu-Jitsu as an Olympic event, the Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (SJJIF) was founded in 2012. Jiu-Jitsu Global Federation (JJGF) was founded in 2014 by Rickson Gracie to put emphasis on the philosophy of Helio Gracie of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which is self-defense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqU6kgWHj_Y

Jiu-Jitsu Competitions Throughout the World

Competitions and tournaments are one of the main reasons for the growth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Competitions are arranged since the 1990s and they are governed under a central governing authority. However, there are other authorities arranging competitions with different rules and different forms of Jiu-Jitsu. Let’s learn about some of the most famous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments.

The World Jiu-Jitsu Championships (Mundial): This is considered the biggest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament which was first introduced in 1996. It has been constantly running until now after its initial introduction. It is organized by CBJJ/IBJJF.

The Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship (Pan American): This is considered as the second-best Jiu-Jitsu tournament. It’s hosted by IBJJF, which is gaining more popularity day by day.

World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship (World Pro Cup): Though this is a newer addition to Jiu-Jitsu events, this is one of the biggest tournaments in the world right now. This tournament is organized by UAE. Best participants are selected for the main event by hosting continent-based qualifiers. The prize pool is very attractive and this motivates more participants to take part in it.

Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu (Brazilian National Championship): This is the most important and prestigious national Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. This event gives Jiu-Jitsu experts all over Brazil the opportunity to display their skills and become the best.

European Open Championship: This is the biggest Jiu-Jitsu tournament for the European continent. This event is held every year in January in Lisbon, Portugal organized by CBJJ/IBJJF.

Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC): This is the biggest and most prestigious submission grappling based tournament in the world. Though it is not specifically for Jiu-Jitsu, Jiu-Jitsu has been the most dominating and successful technique in this event.

The Current Form of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

By now, we have covered most of the history concerning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Now let’s talk about the current state of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has many similarities with Japanese martial arts like judo and jujitsu. The philosophy behind judo is to use the strength of the opponent against them. It was defensive rather than offensive. However, by the recent course of time, sports were more emphasized than defense. As a result, the purpose of Jiu-Jitsu shifted from being defensive to achieving victory.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu also went through many changes. The Gracie race participated in many challenges to promote Jiu-Jitsu. They even went global. Many new aspects and rules were introduced to Jiu-Jitsu and it got divided into three categories. They are self-defense, free fighting competition, and sport grappling with and without the Gi.

Self-defense can include offensive techniques such as striking and techniques involving bare hands against armed opponents. Free fighting competitions are now popularly known as MMA and sport grappling with and without Gi are matches that are based on submission techniques without striking.

Conclusion

Overall, the core concept of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is that it is an effective method of self-defense that allows a physically weak person to defend himself against a strong person, whether that person is armed or unarmed. It took a lot of time to develop and form its present state; we are talking about centuries in development.

Self-defense is very important for the sake of survival and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is proved to be one of the most effective self-defense mechanisms in the world. So, anyone can learn it regardless of their physical strength or size. Anyone is also free to learn any form of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu depending on their purpose.

This is also a great form of combat sport which proved its superiority in many international events. There are many tournaments with attractive prize money which is a great opportunity for Jiu-Jitsu experts. It can be noticed that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is growing fast globally and has much potential in the near future.

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Jiu-Jitsu for Anxiety: How BJJ can help you

June 5, 2021November 2, 2020 by Timmy

Jiu Jitsu for Anxiety – Reasons why BJJ can help you too

Jiu-Jitsu has been hailed to be a lifesaver for people with anxiety. It builds a capacity within practitioners of coping with fear and anxiety that is troubling them and building up self-esteem. It also hones up their mental and physical strength to battle all real-life challenges ahead.

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Talking about anxiety, it is needless to mention how awful the travails are, whether you are in a diagnosed state or suffering from minor anxiety. Only anxiety sufferers can tell how difficult it is to survive a disorder that controls almost every aspect of their lives.

In addition to immersing individuals in unnecessary worrying and thoughts, this disorder anxiety does more destructive harm to the victims. It frequently leads to continuous headaches, trouble sleeping, trouble breathing, social isolation to serious depression.

In America today, 18% of adults are suffering from some extent of anxiety and this number range is found between 12-15% worldwide. So, it’s very evident that anxiety is a major issue grasping our society today. Finding a solution is a dire need now!

In that regard, many have specified that engaging themselves in physical activities like Jiu-Jitsu has actually brought a positive change to them. Even a fair percentage of them claimed that they were completely relieved of their anxiety. Agreeing with them, today we will shed light on the benefits of Jiu-Jitsu on how it can help you in healing your anxiety.

What is Jiu Jitsu?

Before getting into our discussion, we have added this section to elucidate what Jiu-Jitsu is for those who are not familiar with it. Fundamentally, Jiu-Jitsu is a form of martial arts inspired by Judo, but in this combat sport, the emphasis is on ground fighting. It allows a participant to overpower any untrained or lesser skilled opponent with a stronger physique.

It involves two practitioners, where one employs ground fighting techniques like chokeholds and joint-locks to keep the opponent lying on the ground and to neutralize the potential strength, height, and weight advantages. Indeed, investing in Jiu-Jitsu training is absolutely worth your bucks.

This is because, despite being just a combat sport, Jiu-Jitsu really comes in handy in gaining fitness, achieving mental and physical well-being, improving self-confidence, and defending oneself where needed. Furthermore, Jiu-Jitsu has proven to be very useful in curing anxiety. And, our latter part of the article unfolds why and how it helps individuals to fight with this unfortunate disorder. Curious? Just read along to find them one by one.

1. Jiu Jitsu Relieves Mental Stress

Jiu-jitsu is considered as an exercise for your mind as it is for your body. Regular exercise brings the erstwhile balance back in your nervous system and this balance aids you to manage your mental stress.

Besides, we all know, exercise releases endorphins which induce a positive sensation into your body that leads you to kick out all the bugging negative feelings. This positive sensation also leads you to see and focus on the positive sides of everything which eventually gets you out of the shell of your anxiety.

2. Helps Forget Trauma

Mastering Jiu Jitsu makes the practitioners incredibly skilled in self-defense which parallelly makes them bold and valorous. This feeling of fearlessness helps individuals to surpass the situations that make them anxious and outcast past traumas that were haunting them incessantly.

Again, through physical combat, Jiu-Jitsu acclimatizes individuals to those situations that remind them of past traumas. Another considerable fact is that those who attend Jiu-Jitsu training classes regularly don’t seem to find time to worry unnecessarily. Consequently, they tend to forget irrational fears that only live in their heads.

3. Boosts Self Confidence

One of the most known advantages of Jiu-Jitsu is the improvement of self-confidence. When practitioners attend Jiu-Jitsu training classes, they have to carry out their practices in a group; which slowly but surely evaporates their social anxiety and the fear of judgment.

Besides that, those who have already learned Jiu-Jitsu techniques know how to defend themselves when any bully or physical assault confronts them. The assurance that you can fight back even when the opponent has got the stronger physique – utterly boosts up your self-confidence.

4. Motivates to Take Failure as a Lesson to Get Better

Jiu-Jitsu teaches individuals to fight back and repeatedly get up for it when they fall. Upon every fall, the practitioners stand up with new hope to win the battle; this encourages them to stand up from their failure in anything.

During practice, each participant gives their best effort to submit their opponent no matter how many times they fail. This exercise brings a never-give-up attitude in their characters and motivates them to take each fall as a chance to get up with more intensity.

5. Encourages to Follow a Healthy Lifestyle

As you kick off your Jiu-Jitsu training journey, without even realizing you will see you are going to bed on time to assure that you don’t feel dozy the whole day.

Again, surprisingly, you will find that you are picking healthy meals only to retain good health. Whatever your case is, Jiu-Jitsu will lead you to follow a healthy lifestyle, and undeniably, a healthy lifestyle is inseparable from a sound mind. And it’s pretty obvious that a sound mind lets you deal with your all anxiety and fear calmly.

6. Improves Focus

During Jiu-Jitsu rolling, both opponents have to remain very conscious and focused to take the game to his or her side. They cannot lose focus even for a single moment, because otherwise, they will lose the roll.

So, they shoot for their goal with sheer determination and passion from the beginning till the end. This practice of strong determination also comes in handy in other aspects of their life too. And, when a person is focused on his or her life, he or she is not likely to fall into the trap of anxiety.

7. Reinforces Stamina and Working Spirit

Practicing Jiu-Jitsu techniques regularly improves your stamina to a larger extent every single day, because your sudden increased activity induces your body to improve blood flow and oxygen consumption. This condition of your health manifestly drives away your fatigue and makes you a more active, energetic, and excited person.

This positive vibe is life-changing and definitely helps dealing with anxiety.

8. Helps Interact with Others

People with anxiety often find it hard to interact with others; whereas it’s pretty obvious that communicating and consulting with others can help you vanquish your distress. Jiu-Jitsu training provides a very friendly ambiance where anyone can easily blend with others.

Also, it let’s you to interact with others, as you know Jiu-Jitsu practice requires the involvement of two practitioners. Hence, during training, you become communicative and friendly and this quality accompanies you always – on or off the mats.

9. Turns One Into a Social Butterfly

Whether you know it or not, socializing has been proven to be helpful for both the mental and physical health of human beings. Studies show that being social interaction reduces the risk of depression and frustration alongside decreasing the possibility of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular disease.

So, the importance of being social is beyond discussion. However, for people with anxiety disorder, opening up or blending in with people is a hell of a challenge, but joining Jiu-Jitsu training makes the task easier. As you start interacting with your fellow mates, you learn to bond with them which eventually paves the way for you to become a social butterfly.

10. Makes One an Active and Lively Person

Jiu-Jitsu makes you super active and enthusiastic about the upcoming challenges. Being a part of the Jiu-Jitsu training journey, you profoundly learn that life is all about losing and standing up for conquering your goal again.

You learn that giving up is the only barrier between you and your goal, so you’ve got to be super active in all aspects of your life. This way Jiu-Jitsu further enhances your enthusiasm, perseverance, and helps you to find a way to get rid of your disorder.

Final Words

If you suffer from anxiety, then this article is sure to be of some help to you. This art form not only makes you physically fit but also makes you mentally strong to overcome all your fears and anxiety.

Yet, what sets Jiu-Jitsu apart from the other physical exercises is that it’s quite easy to get started and offers you a lifelong hobby and being part of a passionate community. We hope this article helps you shed some light on the benefits of Jiu-Jitsu for Anxiety.

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Is BJJ Bad for Your Body?

June 5, 2021November 1, 2020 by Timmy

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?

June 5, 2021November 1, 2020 by Timmy

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?

June 5, 2021November 1, 2020 by Timmy

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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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs Taekwondo: The Ultimate Comparison

History of BJJ

History of Taekwondo

Rule differences between BJJ and Taekwondo

Belt System and Progression Differences

For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

BJJ Belts

For Taekwondo

Training Differences

Gi and Nogi for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Taekwondo

Clothing and Equipment (differences/similarities)

Jiu-Jitsu

Taekwondo

BJJ vs. Taekwondo: Pros and Cons

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Pros

Taekwondo Pros

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Cons

Taekwondo Cons

Which is better to learn for self-defense?

BJJ vs. Taekwondo for Kids

BJJ vs. Taekwondo for Fitness

Conclusion

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys (Tips for Older Practitioners)

What is Jiu-Jitsu?

Does Jiu-Jitsu Have Anything to Do With Age?

Benefits of Jiu-Jitsu for Old Practitioners

1. Keeps Your Body Healthy

2. Takes Care of Your Mental Health

3. It Reverses the Effects of Aging

4. Helps Make New Friendship

Things to Keep in Mind

1. Make Sure You Don’t Have Serious Ailments

2. Have a Goal

3. Do Not Compare

4. Eat a Healthy Diet

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First BJJ Tournament: Things you need to know before your first competition

How long are Jiu-Jitsu matches?

How Do You Get Points in Jiu-Jitsu?

How many rounds are there in a BJJ tournament?

When should I start competing in BJJ?

What should I do before my first BJJ competition?

How often should you compete in BJJ?

Final Thoughts

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BJJ vs Muay Thai for Fitness: The Ultimate Comparison [2021]

Introduction

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – Overview

Muay Thai – Overview

BJJ vs. Muay Thai for fitness

BJJ Fitness Benefits

1. Weight Loss

2. Increased Awareness

3. Improved Overall Health

Muay Thai Fitness Benefits

1. Increased Leg Strength

2. Increased Core Strength

3. Increased Hip Mobility

4. Stress Relief

Conclusion

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BJJ vs Luta Livre — Which One Is Better? [Solved]

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