Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Origin and History

Country of Origin: Brazil

Founded: 1920s

Founders: Carlos Gracie, Helio Gracie

Historical Development

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) evolved from Japanese Judo and Jiu-Jitsu through the teachings of Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese judoka who immigrated to Brazil in 1914. Maeda taught Carlos Gracie, who along with his younger brother Helio, adapted the techniques to create a new martial art emphasizing ground fighting and submissions.

Helio Gracie, being smaller and frailer than his brothers, refined the techniques to rely on leverage and timing rather than strength and athleticism. This innovation made BJJ accessible to practitioners of all sizes and became the art's defining characteristic.

The Gracie Challenge

To prove BJJ's effectiveness, the Gracie family issued open challenges to fighters of all styles. These Vale Tudo (anything goes) matches demonstrated that a smaller, skilled grappler could defeat larger opponents using technique and strategy. This tradition continued with Royce Gracie's dominance in early UFC events.

What Makes BJJ Unique

• Ground Fighting Focus: 90% of techniques performed on the ground
• Leverage Over Strength: Smaller practitioners can defeat larger opponents
• Live Rolling: Full-resistance sparring as primary training method
• Submission-Based: Winning through joint locks and chokes
• Chess-Like Strategy: Positional hierarchy and tactical thinking
• Continuous Evolution: Constantly developing new techniques

Fundamental Positions

Top Positions (Dominant)

• Mount: Sitting on opponent's chest, highest control position
• Back Mount: Behind opponent with hooks in, best submission position
• Side Control: Perpendicular across opponent's chest
• Knee on Belly: Knee pressing on opponent's torso
• North-South: Head-to-head position over opponent
• Turtle Top: Opponent on hands and knees, attacker on top

Guard Positions (Bottom)

• Closed Guard: Legs wrapped around opponent's waist
• Open Guard: Legs not locked, controlling with feet and hands
• Half Guard: One leg trapped between yours
• Butterfly Guard: Feet on opponent's hips, hooks inside
• Spider Guard: Controlling opponent's sleeves with feet
• De La Riva Guard: One leg hooking opponent's leg
• X-Guard: Legs forming X under opponent
• Single Leg X: One leg controlled with both legs

Submission Techniques

Chokes (Strangulations)

• Rear Naked Choke: From back mount, arm around neck
• Triangle Choke: Legs forming triangle around neck and arm
• Guillotine Choke: Front headlock choke
• Arm Triangle: Using arm and shoulder to compress neck
• Bow and Arrow Choke: Lapel choke from back
• Ezekiel Choke: Sleeve-assisted choke from mount
• Baseball Choke: Cross-collar choke from top
• Loop Choke: Using opponent's collar against them

Arm Locks

• Armbar (Juji Gatame): Hyperextending elbow joint
• Kimura: Figure-four shoulder lock
• Americana: Reverse keylock on shoulder
• Omoplata: Shoulder lock using legs
• Straight Armbar: Various positions attacking elbow

Leg Locks

• Straight Ankle Lock: Hyperextending ankle
• Heel Hook: Twisting heel to attack knee (advanced)
• Toe Hold: Twisting foot to attack ankle
• Knee Bar: Hyperextending knee joint
• Calf Slicer: Compression lock on calf muscle

Sweeps and Reversals

• Scissor Sweep: From closed guard, using legs to off-balance
• Flower Sweep: Trapping arm and leg to reverse
• Hip Bump Sweep: Using hip movement to sweep
• Butterfly Sweep: Using hooks to elevate and sweep
• X-Guard Sweep: Elevating opponent from X-guard

Escapes

• Mount Escape (Upa): Bridge and roll to escape mount
• Elbow Escape (Shrimp): Hip movement to create space
• Back Escape: Hand fighting and hip movement
• Side Control Escape: Creating frames and space
• Turtle Escape: Recovering guard from turtle

Takedowns

• Double Leg Takedown: Shooting for both legs
• Single Leg Takedown: Attacking one leg
• Body Lock Takedown: Clinching and throwing
• Ankle Pick: Grabbing ankle while off-balancing
• Sacrifice Throws: Pulling guard variations
• Judo Throws: Adapted from judo techniques

Training Methods

Drilling

Repetitive practice of techniques with cooperative partner. Develops muscle memory and smooth execution.

Positional Sparring

Starting from specific positions to work on particular scenarios. Examples: mount escapes, guard passing, back attacks.

Rolling (Sparring)

Free grappling with full resistance. The cornerstone of BJJ training, allowing practitioners to test techniques against resisting opponents.

Flow Rolling

Light, technical rolling focusing on movement and transitions rather than winning.

Belt Ranking System

Adult Belts

• White Belt: Beginner, learning fundamentals
• Blue Belt: Intermediate, solid defensive skills (2-3 years)
• Purple Belt: Advanced, developing personal game (4-5 years)
• Brown Belt: Expert, refining techniques (6-8 years)
• Black Belt: Master level (10+ years typically)
• Coral Belt: 7th-8th degree (red and black)
• Red Belt: 9th-10th degree (grandmaster)

Children's Belts

White, Grey, Yellow, Orange, Green (with stripes)

Competition

Gi Competition

Wearing traditional kimono (gi), allowing grip-based techniques. Most traditional form of BJJ competition.

No-Gi Competition

Wearing rash guards and shorts, emphasizing wrestling-style control and leg locks.

Scoring System

• Takedown: 2 points
• Sweep: 2 points
• Knee on Belly: 2 points
• Guard Pass: 3 points
• Mount: 4 points
• Back Mount: 4 points
• Submission: Immediate victory

Advantages

Awarded for near-submissions or dominant positions not held long enough for points.

Major BJJ Organizations

• IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation): Largest organization, hosts World Championships
• ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club): Premier no-gi grappling event
• UAEJJF: UAE-based organization with international events
• Polaris: UK-based professional grappling
• Fight to Win: Professional submission-only events

Influence on MMA

BJJ revolutionized mixed martial arts:

• Royce Gracie's UFC 1-4 victories proved effectiveness
• Ground fighting became essential skill for all MMA fighters
• Submission grappling now fundamental to MMA training
• Many UFC champions have BJJ black belts

Legendary BJJ Practitioners

• Helio Gracie: Co-founder, refined techniques for smaller practitioners
• Rickson Gracie: Considered greatest Gracie fighter, undefeated record
• Royce Gracie: UFC pioneer, proved BJJ effectiveness
• Marcelo Garcia: 5x ADCC champion, technical genius
• Roger Gracie: 10x world champion, most decorated competitor
• Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida: 13x world champion
• Gordon Ryan: Modern no-gi phenom, ADCC champion

Philosophy and Principles

• Position Before Submission: Establish control before attacking
• Leverage Over Strength: Technique defeats athleticism
• Efficiency of Movement: Minimum effort, maximum effect
• Continuous Learning: Always a student, even as black belt
• Respect and Humility: Tap early, tap often, protect training partners

Training at Dragons MMA

At Dragons MMA, we teach authentic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu emphasizing both gi and no-gi techniques. Our curriculum covers fundamental positions, submissions, escapes, and live rolling, preparing students for self-defense, competition, or MMA. We maintain the Gracie tradition of technique over strength, making BJJ accessible to all body types and fitness levels.