BJJ is a martial art designed to submit a bigger, stronger more athletic opponent without punching or kicking them.
How do you defeat or submit a bigger, stronger more athletic opponent?
Submission is when someone gives up (taps out) because they believe they would be choked unconscious or their joints would break.
In BJJ we always aim to find a mechanically strong position, that uses leverage instead of strength. For example, if you get behind someone, they can't use their arms or legs to fight you. So you can attack their neck with your arms and legs. That's 4 limbs vs just a neck.
How the effectiveness of BJJ was proven.
You might have heard about UFC 1. An event where top martial artists from different styles fought each other with no rules. In this brutal completion, a skinny Brazilian guy managed to beat everybody, using just Jiu-Jitsu.
No Kicking and punching?
Yes, martial arts without striking are called grappling arts. These have upsides and downsides. The downside is that you're less used to being struck, which is why we recommend crosstraining in boxing.
The benefit is, that you can always go hard in training, without being afraid to get hurt. So you get used to applying your techniques against real resistance.
Modern-day BJJ is a competitive sport.
While BJJ has its origins in self-defense and MMA, these days it's mostly a competitive sport. In our opinion, if you can apply a submission on someone that's been training for 5 years, you can apply it to an untrained opponent. We have competitions both in the gi, and in no-gi.
What is gi jiu-jitsu?
In gi jiu-jitsu, you wear a .. gi. Which are kind of like tough pajamas that you can use to more effectively grip your opponent or choke them. It kind of mimics someone wearing a sweater or leather jacket. Most gi competitions are in IBJJF or AJP. Which allows mostly the same submissions as no-gi, except for heel hooks.
It's often seen as a bit slower more controlled version of BJJ.
What's no-gi?
In no-gi or submissions grappling you don't wear a gi. Usually, you wear shorts and a rashguard instead. The main competition in the gi is ADCC. It mimics fighting someone in a t-shirt or on the beach.
No-gi is usually more explosive and has more movement and less control.
Summary of the rules of BJJ.
Basically, you try to submit your opponent by attacking a choke or a joint lock. You're not allowed to strike, bite, or scratch your opponent. You usually fight within a time limit, and if you can't finish the job in that timeframe the person who scored the most points wins.
