Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Mitsuyo Maeda, one of the Kodokan's top groundwork experts trained by Tomita Tsunejirō, the first student of judo's founder Kano Jigoro, was sent overseas to demonstrate and spread his art to the world. He left Japan in 1904 and visited several countries giving "jiu-do" demonstrations and accepting challenges from wrestlers, boxers, savate fighters, and various other martial artists, and arrived in Brazil on 14 November 1914.[6]

Gastão Gracie was a business partner of the American Circus in Belém. In 1916, Italian Argentine circus Queirolo Brothers staged shows there and presented Maeda.[7][8]

In 1917 Gastão's eldest son Carlos Gracie[9] watched a demonstration of ‘Kano Jiu-Jitsu’ (Judo's common name at the time) by Maeda at the Da Paz Theatre and decided he wanted to learn. Maeda accepted him as a pupil at his school overseen by Jacintho Ferro.[1] Gracie's account of the events is that his younger sibling Hélio Gracie gradually developed Gracie jiu-jitsu as a softer, pragmatic adaptation that focused more on the ground fighting and leverages aspect of Jiu-Jitsu/Judo (ne-waza) rather than the throws, as he was unable to perform many Judo throws, due to his size, that required direct opposition to an opponent's strength.[10] That account has subsequently been refuted as these concepts were already inherent to Judo,[11] commonly being demonstrated by the 164 cm (5 ft 5in) Maeda and Tsunejirō, the smallest of Kano Shihan's Shitennō.[4]

Although the Gracie family is typically recognized as the main family to first promote Brazilian jiu-jitsu as it is known today, there was also another prominent lineage derived from Maeda via another Brazilian disciple, Luiz França.[12] This discipline was taught to Italian legend of the sport Marco Donello who later on passed his extensive knowledge to Mark McDonnell (his Australian nephew). This lineage had been represented particularly by Oswaldo Fadda. Fadda and his students were famous for defeating the Gracies in a gym battle and the influential use of footlocks,[13] and the lineage still survives through Fadda's links in teams such as Nova União and Grappling Fight Team (GFTeam).[14]

The name "jiu-jitsu" derives from an older romanization of its original spelling in the West; the modern Hepburn romanization of 柔術 is "jūjutsu".

When Maeda left Japan, judo was still often referred to as "Kano jiu-jitsu",[15] or, even more generically, simply as jiu-jitsu.[16][17] Higashi, the co-author of The Complete Kano Jiu-Jitsu (Judo)[15] wrote in the foreword:

Some confusion has arisen over the employment of the term 'jiudo'. To make the matter clear I will state that jiudo is the term selected by Professor Kano as describing his system more accurately than jiu-jitsu does. Professor Kano is one of the leading educators of Japan, and it is natural that he should cast about for the technical word that would most accurately describe his system. But the Japanese people generally still cling to the more popular nomenclature and call it jiu-jitsu.[15]

Young Hélio Gracie in 1952.

Outside Japan, however, this distinction was noted even less. Thus, when Maeda and Satake arrived in Brazil in 1914, every newspaper announced their art as being "jiu-jitsu", despite both men being Kodokan judoka.

It was not until 1925 that the Japanese government itself officially mandated that the correct name for the martial art taught in the Japanese public schools should be "judo" rather than "jujutsu".[18] In Brazil, the art is still called "jiu-jitsu". When the Gracies went to the United States and spread jiu-jitsu, they used the terms "Gracie jiu-jitsu" and non-Gracies using the term "Brazilian jiu-jitsu" to differentiate from the already present styles using similar-sounding names. In a 1994 interview with Yoshinori Nishi, Hélio Gracie said that he did not even know the word Judo itself until the sport came in the 1950s to Brazil, because he heard that Mitsuyo Maeda called his style "jiu-jitsu".

The art is sometimes referred to as Gracie jiu-jitsu (GJJ), a name trademarked by Rorion Gracie, but after a legal dispute with his cousin Carley Gracie, his trademark to the name was voided.[19] Other members of the Gracie family often call their style by personalized names, such as Ceaser Gracie Jiu-Jitsu or Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and similarly, the Machado family call their style Machado Jiu-Jitsu (MJJ). While each style and its instructors have their own unique aspects, they are all basic variations of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. There are currently four major BJJ branches in Brazil: Gracie Humaita, Gracie Barra, Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and Alliance Jiu Jitsu. Each branch traces its roots back to Mitsuyo Maeda.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu share some techniques with the original Kodokan Judo, especially certain styles practiced before Judo became part of the Olympics such as Kosen Judo,[20][21] and still practiced to a lesser extent,[22] as well as with the earlier ryu school of Jujutsu. Some practitioners have suggested that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu should just be called "Jiu-Jitsu".[23]

Certain changes were made to the rules of sport judo after judo was introduced to Brazil. Some of these rule changes sought to enhance it as a spectator sport, and others aimed to improve safety. Several of these rule changes de-emphasized the groundwork aspects of judo, and others have reduced the range of joint locks application. Brazilian jiu-jitsu did not follow these changes to judo rules, and this divergence gave BJJ a distinct identity as a ground focused grappling art, this difference was later consolidated with the creation of a new set of rules that guide BJJ practice today.[24]

Even though BJJ permits the same techniques as judo, especially when taking the combat to the ground, they are not scored in the same way. In Judo, throwing techniques are scored higher and can give a direct victory if executed correctly, the emphasis of the fight is to sweep or throw the opponent to the ground to win. In BJJ, ground fighting positions such as the rear mount receive higher scores and the focus of the fight is to establish a dominant position against the adversary on the ground and submit them using chokeholds or joint locks.

BJJ also allows heelhooks and knee-reaping which are prohibited in Judo, and any takedowns used in wrestling, sambo, or other grappling arts, including direct attempts to take down by touching the legs or dragging the opponent to the ground.[25] Spinal locks and cervical locks are not allowed in gi jiu-jitsu,[24] amateur MMA,[26] multiple forms of no-gi jiu-jitsu,[24] Judo,[27] and other martial arts,[28] due to potential to cause serious bodily injury. BJJ also has become more "sports-oriented" in recent years, prohibiting techniques such as slams.[29] Another divergence of BJJ from Judo and Jujutsu is that the first allows no-gi practice and competition, with its own subset of rules. Use of holds and takedowns from wrestling and other grappling styles is common in no-gi BJJ, and strikes may also be used when the competition rules permit, such as the open palm strike in CJJ (Combat jiu-jitsu).[30]

In 1972, Carlos Gracie moved to the United States to teach jiu-jitsu, and in 1978 was followed by Rorion Gracie, who co-founded the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 1993.[31][32] Jiu-jitsu came to international prominence in martial arts circles when Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Royce Gracie won the first, second and fourth Ultimate Fighting Championships, which at the time were single elimination martial arts tournaments. Royce fought successfully against several larger opponents proficient in other fighting styles, including boxing, shoot-fighting, muay thai, karate, wrestling, and taekwondo. BJJ has since become an elementary aspect of MMA, revealing the importance of ground fighting in a fight. Sport BJJ tournaments continue to grow in popularity and have given rise to no-gi submission grappling tournaments, such as the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship and NAGA, the North American Grappling Association. Sport BJJ has also become a popular method of fitness around the world in recent years.[33][34]

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is mainly differentiated from other martial arts by its greater emphasis on ground fighting. BJJ places less emphasis on standing techniques, such as striking and throws, although takedowns score points and the rules allows for a diverse range of techniques such as single, double leg takedowns, or foot sweeps. Some BJJ practitioners also cross train with wrestling, judo, and sambo.

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor demonstrates how to tackle an opponent.

As BJJ focuses on submissions, sparring and live drilling ("rolling") become the most essential part of the training regime. This type of training allows practitioners to practice at full speed and with full strength, resembling the effort made in a competition. Training methods include drills in which techniques are practiced against a non-resisting and resisting partners; isolation sparring (commonly referred to as positional drilling) where only a certain technique or sets of techniques are used; and full sparring where each practitioner tries to submit their opponent through technique. Physical conditioning is also an important aspect of training.

The Gracie family lineage descended from Helio Gracie focuses on practical applications of BJJ that apply primarily to self-defense.[37] They will often run development drills in which a person is surrounded by a circle of other students who will attempt to attack the defending student, who in turn must defend themselves using techniques.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gyms typically follow a set of ground rules to instill trust, respect, and cleanliness amongst students. Common practices include:

• Taking shoes off before stepping on the mat.
• Bowing before and after stepping on the mat.
• Lining up in rank order before and after class.
• Teaching or explaining techniques to lower ranked students.
• Addressing the teacher as coach or professor.
• Keeping your gi closed with a belt.
• Bowing or shaking hands before and after sparring.
• Covering any cuts with tape or gauze.
• Having good hygiene practices including brushing teeth, having a clean gi, and wearing deodorant.

An Americana armlock submission from traditional side control.

In side control, the practitioner pins his opponent to the ground from the side of their torso. The top grappler lies across the opponent with weight applied to the opponent's chest. The opponent may be further controlled by pressure on either side of the shoulders and hips from the practitioner's elbows, shoulders, and knees. A wide variety of submissions can be initiated from side control. It is also referred to as the side mount and cien kilos in Brazilian Portuguese. Additionally, the typical side mount increases opportunity for the top grappler to advance to other dominant positions. This position is often used in MMA as it allows the top fighter to strike whilst overcoming their opponents defense. There are many variants of the side control position, including kesa gatame, standard side control, reverse side control, and other positions.[38]

The knee on belly position is a modified side pin that is distinctly separated from the side control position. The knee on belly position is characterized primarily by the control of the opponent with one leg out for base and balance and the other leg positioned across the opponent's torso pinning them to the ground. This form of pin is a mobile pin rather than a static pin and is considered a more dominant position in many grappling formats. The knee on belly position is worth additional points because it provides a greater striking platform than traditional side control and is closer to achieving the more ideal mounted position.[39]

Full Mount is considered one of the most dominant grappling positions.

In the mount (or full mount) position, the practitioner sits astride the opponent's front torso or chest, controlling the opponent with his bodyweight and hips. In the strongest form of this position, the practitioner works his knees into the opponent's armpits to reduce arm movements and ability to move or counter submission attempts. Full Mount can be used to apply a variety of submissions including armlocks or chokes.

Back mount, also considered one of the most dominant positions in BJJ

When taking the back mount position (often known in Brazilian jiu-jitsu as the back grab or attacking the back), the practitioner attaches to the back of the opponent by wrapping his legs around and hooking the opponent's thighs with their heel,[24] or locking in a body triangle by crossing one shin across the waist like a belt then placing the back of the opposing knee over the instep as if finishing a triangle choke. Simultaneously, the upper body is controlled by wrapping the arms around the chest or neck of the opponent. This position is often used to apply chokeholds, as well as arm bars and triangles, and neutralizes an opponent's potential size or strength advantage.

The North South position occurs when a practitioner is lying on their back on the ground and their opponent is lying on top, with the head over the chest area and controlling the bottom practitioner's arms. As with most top controlling positions in BJJ, the top practitioner applies pressure by bringing their hips downwards towards the ground, generating what is referred to as dead weight. There are several submissions and transitions that are possible from the North South position, most commonly the North South choke, North South kimura, and others.[40]

The Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in blue is demonstrating a type of closed guard

When in the "Guard" position, the practitioner is on their back controlling an opponent with his legs. The bottom practitioner pushes and pulls with the legs or feet to unbalance and limit the movements of his opponent. This position allows practitioners a wide variety of counter-attacks from the bottom position, including submissions and sweeps.

The three most common types of guards include the Closed Guard, Half Guard, and Open Guard.

In closed guard, the bottom grappler has his legs around the opponent's hips, with ankles closed together to control their opponent. The closed guard can be an effective position. This guard allows many setups for submissions such as joint locks and chokes, as well as sweeps. In the open guard, the legs are not hooked together and the bottom grappler uses his legs or feet to push or pull their opponent.

There are many variations of open guard with distinct names and positioning including the Butterfly Guard, De La Riva Guard, X-Guard, Rubber guard, Spider Guard, Octopus Guard, Lapel Guard, Worm Guard (made popular by Keenan Cornelius) and others. Butterfly guard is when the bottom grappler brings his legs up and feet together against the inner thighs of top opponent. The name is derived from the resulting butterfly wing shape. Butterfly guard increases both space to maneuver and the ability to counter the opponent with the shins or arches of the feet against the competitor's inner thighs. Spider guard is when the bottom grappler puts one or two of his feet on his opponents arms, this guard is effective at keeping control on the bottom and can be used to setup sweeps or submissions.

In the half guard, one of the top grappler's legs is controlled by the bottom grappler's legs, preventing the top opponent from passing side control or full mount positions. There is also a variant of half guard called "50/50 guard", which consist of each opponent usually in sitting positions with one of their legs hooking the same leg of their opponent in a mirrored fashion. This position is called 50/50 because neither opponent has a distinct advantage, where both sides have the same possibilities of sweeps and attacks.

Another variation of the half guard position is the "deep half guard", which involves the bottom grappler positioning themselves underneath their opponent, grabbing the top grappler's thigh. This gives the individual on the bottom the opportunity to sweep their opponent, and end up on a more dominant, top position. This position was popularized by American BJJ Black Belt, Jeff Glover.[41]

Wrestling (freestyle, Greco Roman, and American school Folkstyle) are having an impact on technique in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The two forms of grappling are distantly related. Wrestling focuses on the shoulder pin while BJJ is positional points and submissions. Many of the major national and international level competitors have begun to pursue wrestling for its take down skills enhancement that BJJ has left behind in its divergence from its judo roots. Wrestling take downs and control techniques are delivering excellent take down development for throwing the opponent, leg attacks such as single leg and double leg, and attacking turtle guard.

Many of the wrestling throws, for example, are particularly careful not to expose the wrestlers back. In BJJ, one of the worst positions to give up is back exposure through back mount. Being mounted on the back with chest to the mat is uniformly considered the worst position to be in for BJJ. In this position, you have very few, if any defenses while simultaneously giving up exposure to multiple attacks. Wrestling throws can provide better control versus some judo throws. John Danaher has a video discussing this very topic.

Leg take downs in BJJ are taught poorly at best in BJJ versus in wrestling are taught to a far more exacting standard. This is true whether looking at the world class level of competition such as the Olympic or World Championship level or the Division One level of collegiate wrestling in the USA or the club level competitor. Judo long ago abandoned leg take downs and very little is taught of it in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu resulting in very low levels of competency in leg take downs for most BJJ practitioners. It is common to hear a student to be advised to try some wrestling training when asked about improving this skill. This is, in part, because an effective leg take down can take many hours of training to achieve a high level of skill and reduce the chances of a counter by your opponent. While a leg take down is a major element of wrestling, it is rarely seen in BJJ.

Some practitioners of BJJ who started in wrestling have modified some BJJ positions for greater control based on wrestling background. Side control can be modified to make guard recovery exceedingly difficult and unlikely by using wrestling techniques modified for BJJ.

Attacking turtle guard using some wrestling techniques modified for BJJ use can deliver great results. Examples include using cross faces and ankle lifts to attack turtle instead of the traditional BJJ approach of lifting and putting in leg hooks in an effort to turn the opponent and take their back.

We will likely continue to see wrestling deliver more technical input for BJJ as the sport of BJJ continues to grow in the USA and more wrestlers begin to train in BJJ. In the early days of BJJ coming to the USA, few practitioners had a wrestling background. Some of the early wrestlers who began to move into BJJ such Eddie Bravo have had a major impact on BJJ.

Recently, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) became a program sponsor for the University of Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling Program. Many of its stars started with wrestling before moving to the UFC and BJJ. These include Daniel Cormier, Jon Jones, Kumaru Usman, and Henry Cejduo. If Dana White and the UFC see value here based on their fighters, eventually the BJJ world will adopt and adapt more techniques with its brother sport of wrestling. <78/ref>

See also Compression lock

A less common type of submission hold is a compression lock, where the muscle of an opponent is compressed against a hard, large bone (commonly the shin or wrist), causing significant pain to the opponent. These types of locks are not usually allowed in competition due to the high risk of tearing muscle tissue. This type of lock also often hyper-extends the joint in the opposite direction, pulling it apart. Some compression locks include the Achilles lock, Biceps slicer, and Leg slicer (or Calf slicer).

A practitioner attempting an armbar submission

While many joint locks are permitted in BJJ, most competitions ban or restrict some or all joint locks that involve the knees, ankles, and spine. The reason for this is that the angles of manipulation required to cause pain are nearly the same as those that would cause serious injury. Joint locks that require a twisting motion of the knee (such as heel hooks or knee bars) are usually banned in competitions because successfully completing the move can frequently result in permanent damage, often requiring surgery. Similarly, joint manipulations of the spine are typically barred due to the inherent danger of crushing or misaligning cervical vertebrae. Leglocks are allowed in varying degrees depending on skill level, with the most prominent BJJ tournaments typically allowing only the straight ankle lock and muscle stretching submissions such as the "banana split" from white through purple belt, with the kneebar, toehold, and calf slicer submissions being permitted at brown and black belt. Heel hooks and knee-reaping are illegal in gi BJJ, since they are considered to be exceptionally dangerous techniques, but are allowed by IBJJF rules in no-gi competitions.[29][42] Most joint locks involving the wrist, elbow, shoulder or ankle are permitted as there is a great deal more flexibility in those joints and those locks are usually safe.

Joint locks include armbars, kimuras, Americanas, straight-arm lock, omoplata, marceloplata, banana split (or electric chair), twister, wrist lock, heel hook, toehold, kneebar, straight ankle lock, and others.[43]

A rear naked choke (mata-leão), as demonstrated by a MCMAP instructor

Chokes are common forms of submission. In BJJ, the chokes that are used put pressure on the carotid arteries, and may also apply pressure to the nerve baroreceptors in the neck. This kind of choke is very fast acting (if done properly) with victims typically losing consciousness in around 3–5 seconds. In contrast, an air choke (involving constriction of the windpipe) can take up to two minutes, depending on how long the person can hold their breath, and may cause serious damage to the throat.

Chokes include rear-naked choke, bow and arrow choke, triangle, Guillotine choke, sleeve choke (or Ezekiel choke), cross collar choke (or X choke), baseball choke, Clock choke, D'Arce choke, Anaconda choke, Arm triangle choke, north–south choke, crucifix choke, Gogoplata, loop choke, lapel half nelson choke, and others.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is one of the safest full contact martial arts. Its injury rate is around 9.2-38.6 per 1000 athlete exposures.[60][61] This is lower than in mixed martial arts (236-286 per 1000), boxing (210-420 per 1000), judo (25.3-130.6) and taekwondo (20.5-139.5). It is similar to wrestling, which also uses grappling instead of striking. The few injuries that may be incurred in Brazilian jiu-jitsu usually affect the joints and rarely the head. The most common injuries Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners suffer from are ACL tears, rotator cuff tears in the shoulders and spinal disc herniations, most commonly in the neck region. Many are repairable via surgery that require an extended rehab period before the athlete can return to BJJ training. Also many athletes suffer from minor injuries, such as elbow, finger, and wrist tendonitis, due to overtraining and the grappling nature of the martial art, which can be strenuous and taxing for the joints and the tendons.

Besides the normal strains and pulls associated with most martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners (along with Wrestlers, Judoka, and other grapplers ) are exposed to regular skin abrasions and potential unsanitary mat conditions. They are thus at higher risk for developing skin disease.[62] Several commonly contracted skin diseases include ringworm, impetigo, herpes gladiatorum, and staph infection.[63] Proper hygiene practices, including regular cleaning of classroom mats, showering immediately after class with soap, disinfecting and covering any open wounds, thorough cleaning of any gi/rashguard/headgear used before the next class, not sharing used towels/uniforms, and using a barrier cream greatly reduces the chance of contracting a disease.

Dominick Cruz's cauliflower ears

Due to the use of the head to maintain position and attack in jiu-jitsu, the ears can easily be damaged and begin to swell. Without immediate medical treatment, the cartilage in a swollen ear will separate from the perichondrium that supplies its nutrients and will become permanently swollen/deformed (cauliflower ear). Wrestling headgear is sometimes used for the prevention of this condition. Treatment includes draining the hematoma or surgery.[64]

The practice of taking performance-enhancing drugs, including anabolic steroids, is believed to be relatively commonplace among competitors in jiu-jitsu tournaments and has sparked letters and public statements by some of jiu-jitsu's top competitors, including Comprido and Caio Terra.[65] In response, the IBJJF began testing for performance-enhancing drugs at IBJJF sponsored events, starting with the 2013 Pan American Championship.[66] However, most other tournaments tend to lack PED testing.

A spinal lock is a multiple joint lock applied to the spinal column, which is performed by forcing the spine beyond its normal ranges of motion. This is typically done by bending or twisting the head or upper body into abnormal positions. Commonly, spinal locks might strain the spinal musculature or result in a mild spinal sprain, while a forcefully and/or suddenly applied spinal lock may cause severe ligament damage or damage to the vertebrae, and possibly result in serious spinal cord injury, strokes, or death. Spinal locks and cervical locks are forbidden in gi jiu-jitsu,[24] amateur MMA,[26] multiple forms of no-gi jiu-jitsu,[24] Judo,[27] and other martial arts[28] due to its illegal nature and express purpose to cause serious, irrevocable bodily injury, paralysis, and death.[67][68] The forceful application of chokes such as the Rear Naked Choke and subsequent cranking of the neck whilst being choked can potentially lead to arterial dissection, which could lead to stroke.[69] Due care should be exercised when applying these chokes in sparring situations.

Elbow injuries commonly occur from arm bars, Kimuras, and takedowns with a fall on outstretched hand (FOOSH). These injuries include LCL sprain [of elbow], MCL sprain [of elbow], anterior sprain of distal biceps tendon, elbow dislocation, and posterior tenderness at olecranon.[60]

Knee injuries occur from passing guard, takedowns, sweeps, direct pressure, and various stress with flexed knee. These injuries include LCL sprain [of knee], MCL sprain [of knee], and lateral meniscus tear.[60]

Foot and ankle injuries occur from pushing forward, takedowns, and footlocks. These injuries include ankle ATFL sprain, turf toe, and hyper flexion sprain of great toe.[60]

Finger injuries occur from getting caught in the gi, applying arm bars, and blocking opponents. These injuries include sprains, dislocations, and fractures.[60]

Shoulder injuries occur from Kimuras, takedowns with a fall on outstretched hand (FOOSH), and pushing opponents. These injuries include acromioclavicular separation, anterior dislocation, and anterior subluxation (partial dislocation).[60]

Neck injuries can occur from triangle chokes and resisting them. These injuries include cervical strains.[60]

Depending on the severity, many injuries require evaluation by a professional, usually a primary care provider, sports medicine physician, orthopedic surgeon, or physical therapist. Other injuries may be treated with a home exercise program.

International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation world champions include the following: