Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a grappling art. This means it is ground fighting. It is considered a marital art, but also widely regarded as a sport. It does not involve striking, like many other martial arts. Due to this, it is considered a very safe combat method, sometimes known as "the gentle art." Another thing that really makes Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or BJJ popular is that it is always changing. There is always something new to learn and discover when you are in involved in BJJ.
Differences In BJJ and Traditional Martial Arts
BJJ can be considered a martial art or a sport. Many who are involved in BJJ prefer that it is not considered a marital art. They try to create a less martial art-like appearance by abandoning the traditional martial arts language, like referring to the gym or practice area as a dojo and calling the instructor a coach or instructor and not a sensei.
BJJ does not focus on a cultural background. Instead it is focused on the actual fighting techniques of the sport. There is not as much tradition or ceremony as you would find in other martial arts. The name can throw people off because it is Japanese in origin. However, the main reason the name was kept was because of its meaning. It means gentle, which is how BJJ is often characterized since it is a grappling and not a striking art.
The Goal of BJJ Competition
The main goal of BJJ is to gain control over your opponent. This is done through a variety of different techniques and positions. You want to get complete control over your opponent so you are in charge and in the dominant position. In competition, a win is achieved when you cause your opponent to submit, also known as "tap out", or by scoring more points when time runs out.
To reach the main BJJ goal you will need to have a solid base where you are stable and have complete balance. Meanwhile, you want to take your opponent off their base and make them unbalanced. You do this through various BJJ moves. Usually you will use take downs or sweeps to accomplish this. The idea is to get them off balance so you can use a submission to gain complete control and win the match.
A submission is a move that causes enough pain your opponent that they chose to end the match before they get hurt. An arm bar is one of the most common submission holds. An arm bar can be applied several ways, but ultimately the result is the same. The opponent taps out to avoid having his arm broken. Once you have gained control you will signal with a tap. If you opponent taps out then you have won and the match is over. It is very important to observe taps in a BJJ match because the match ends when an opponent submits. Everything must end at that point with releasing your opponent.
Other Points to Know About Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu
BJJ is done wearing a strong outfit called a gi, but instructors have also moved to no-gi training, which means wearing tight fitting clothes like a rash gaurd. Sometimes no shirt at all is worn. No Gi competition is thought to help bring more realism to the sport.
Ranking is similar to other martial arts. In BJJ colored belts designate the rank of a person. Belts rank from white to black. It takes years of training to reach black belt rank, and it is generally a longer road to become a BJJ black belt than with some other martial arts. That's why BJJ practitioners often grossly out-match someone of the same belt color from another discipline, such as you will sometimes see in mixed martial arts competitions. In BJJ children can go no further than a green belt until turn 16. Many instructors use no ranking system at all, though.