Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling art built around fighting on the ground: you control your partner with positions and finish with submissions — chokes and joint locks — without any strikes. It developed in Brazil in the twentieth century from judo and Japanese jiu-jitsu, with the Gracie family among its best-known teachers. It is trained in pairs, in a jacket called the gi or without one (no-gi).
What it is for
Section titled “What it is for”- Technique and leverage over strength: a smaller person can learn to control a larger one.
- Strength, endurance and flexibility for the whole body, especially the core and the grip.
- Problem-solving under pressure — many call it chess on the mat.
- Realistic self-defence: you can train at full effort, because a hold stops the moment your partner taps.
- Confidence and a close team, since you train with the same people week after week.
Equipment
Section titled “Equipment”- A gi: a heavy jacket, trousers and a belt. Many academies lend one for the first class. For no-gi: a rash guard (a tight sports top) and shorts without pockets or zips.
- A mouthguard; ear guards are optional and protect the ears from injury.
- Sandals or flip-flops for off the mat — shoes never go on it.
- Hygiene matters: a clean gi every session, short nails, and no training with a skin infection.
- Mats are at the academy.
How training goes
Section titled “How training goes”- 60–90 minutes. A warm-up of movement drills — shrimping, bridging, breakfalls — then the technique of the day, shown by the coach.
- You drill it in pairs, taking turns, then practise it in positional sparring from a set position such as the guard or the mount.
- Rolling: free sparring in rounds of about five or six minutes. When a hold becomes painful or a choke tightens, you tap your partner or the mat and they let go at once.
- The core ideas are positions — guard, mount, side control, the back — and escapes, sweeps and submissions.
- Beginners usually spar lightly, or only from set positions, until they know how to tap and move safely.
- Adult belts go white, blue, purple, brown and black, with stripes on the belt in between; children have their own coloured belts. The coach decides on promotions, and each belt usually takes years.
Who it suits best
Section titled “Who it suits best”- Adults of any size and build: technique matters more than strength.
- People who want a martial art without punches and kicks.
- Children and teenagers: kids’ classes teach control and confidence without strikes.
- Anybody interested in self-defence or MMA, where ground fighting is essential. For the no-gi version, see Grappling.
- It is less suited to anybody with neck, back, knee or shoulder problems, since locks and chokes load the joints and the neck — ask a doctor, tell the coach, and tap early.