Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Vs. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu - Project BJJ (2024)
If you are thinking about starting to learn Jiu-Jitsu or are just plain curious you might be thinking about what are the differences between Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I am here today to try my best to explain what makes these two Jiu-Jitsu styles different.
The main difference between the Brazilian and Gracie variants of Jiu-Jitsu is that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is mainly taught as a combat sport first and self-defense technique second. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is taught primarily as a self-defense technique that can be used in real-world fighting scenarios.
While the goal of use can be pinpointed as the main difference between the two disciplines of Jiu-Jitsu, that does not, however, explain all that is different between them. This article will discuss the fundamental differences between the two and try to explain “Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Vs Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu”- what makes them different?
What Is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a form of martial art that focuses on ground fighting, submission holds, grappling, and energy-efficient fighting techniques. It was developed in Brazil when a group of people learned Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and decided to modify it for themselves.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s primary goal is to develop a fighting style where a smaller and weaker fighter could defend themselves against a larger and stronger opponent. From its earliest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been about the small guy defeating the large guy.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has developed to the point where now no similarity between it and Judo can be found. It has grown into one of the largest combat sports in the modern world. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focuses heavily on the sport aspect of it. The founding of UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) in 1993 heavily helped establish Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s place as a sports-oriented martial art.
What Is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu?
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (GJJ) evolved from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu itself. The Gracie Jiu-Jitsu style was later established as a separate discipline that focused more on the self-defense aspect rather than fighting in sporting events.
All fighting techniques in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu are developed to be able to use it for self-defense and in real-world fighting scenarios. If it’s not useful in an actual fight then it is not Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Techniques that are often not used in traditional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are practiced heavily in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu because of their effectiveness in real-world fights. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu moves the focus away from using physical attributes and focuses on universal attacks that can be done by anyone to defeat their opponent.
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Vs. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Now that we know what both Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are, we can discuss in detail the differences between these two disciplines. I will try to pinpoint the key attributes and explain their primary differences here; which stem from their origin, technique, and application.
Origins
While Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was born from Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was born from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu itself. Helio Gracie was very impressed by Maeda’s fighting and wanted to learn the style he was teaching to his brother but he was very frail. So, he had to adapt the technique to increase energy efficiency and reduce strain.
Slowly he became an expert at this style he was developing for himself. Although he was very fragile, he was successful in defeating opponents of other fighting disciplines much bigger and stronger than him with sheer technique alone.
His style of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu kept on being developed as a form of combat sport. The many different masters of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu would often do open challenges where fighters from other disciplines would come and try to defeat them.
The practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gained notoriety for their undefeated nature. Later on, the establishment of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) helped establish Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as more of a sport.
On the other hand, Rorion Gracie, son of Helio Gracie, established the name of “Gracie Jiu-Jitsu”. His academy and those who are affiliated with it made changes to the techniques and focused more on the self-defense part of the martial art.
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu moved away from the sport aspect of its counterpart and veered more towards the real-world applications. Self-defense and techniques that could be used in real-world fights are what the pioneers of this discipline focused on. The combat-sport aspect of it all was pushed to the side and made a secondary concern.
Technique
The core fundamentals of both disciplines, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu overlap a lot and there are indeed a lot of similarities. However, when it comes to the question of which techniques can be considered as part of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and which techniques can be considered as part of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, the differences start to become more clear.
If a technique should be incorporated within Gracie Jiu-Jitsu it needs to pass through a certain set of filters known as the “Gracie Filters”. These filters were set by the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
First of all, it needs to be energy efficient which is similar to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Next, it needs to be universally doable, any move that leverages any physical attributes such as weight, strength cannot be incorporated in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, whereas, in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu moves that use attributes are even encouraged.
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu needs to have moves that can be done by anyone. Finally, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu needs to have moves that are effective in an actual fight.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques are taught more as a sport, with defense slowly moving to a secondary concern. Techniques that cannot be used in tournaments are not allowed in this discipline. Moves like punches and strikes are not allowed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments.
On the other hand, techniques in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu are developed to use them to defend themselves and use them in a real fight.
Application
The application factor of both of these disciplines is what defines their core philosophies. For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu the sports and competitive usage of martial art is what comes first, self-defense and real-world applications come second.
Whereas in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu the self-defense and real-world applications are what comes first, the competitive usage is pushed aside.
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu focuses its training on how someone could use these techniques and win a real fight in an actual hostile situation. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is sometimes even referred to as “Street Jiu-Jitsu” because of its emphasis on effectiveness in real-world fights.
A person learning Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is learning so that they could hopefully handle a situation where they could be in a situation that would require them to defend themselves against someone attacking them.
They also prepare so that they do not fail to fend for themselves if they need to fight someone for real. Using their fighting technique for sport is not their objective.
In opposition to that, anyone learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu does so for the sport itself. Their training focuses on combating opponents in a tournament setting where they have to abide by a certain set of rules and regulations while doing battle.
Conclusion
Both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu are very nuanced sections of martial art with a rich history and a vast amount of variety.
The key differences between Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu come from their different origins, their development processes, and the use case they are each created for.GJJ focuses more on a self-defense route while BJJ focuses more on the competition route.
Both forms of Jiu-Jitsu are legitimate forms of fighting and useful. The one you choose comes down to which aspect of the art you want to focus on more. Both GJJ and BJJ can be used to defend yourself and be used in competition.
Hope that my efforts here to briefly and easily describe Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Vs. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu helped with the questions you had about this topic. If you were looking for the differences because you want to start learning, I hope that you are now able to make a decision that is right for you now. Thank you for reading until the end.
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The gogoplata is one of the hardest submissions to set up in BJJ, but once it's locked in, the odds of your opponent finding a way to wiggle out of it is very low. This choke is typically executed from bottom guard position – specifically the rubber guard.
The short answer – We recommend taking at least two classes a week to maintain your skills and three classes a week to gain and grow your skills. While this may not sound like a lot to the average practitioner, this is the slow and steady long game we suggest. BJJ is a lifelong marathon not a sprint.
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is taught, first and foremost as a system of self-defense, with the objective of giving the student the ability to stay safe and prevail during a real street fight confrontation, whereas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, in most cases, is taught exclusively as a recreational sport.
Although Keanu Reeves is currently a White Belt in BJJ, he is proficient in several martial arts like Judo, Karate, Krav Maga and Jiu Jitsu. He is coached by the legendary Machado brothers who are BJJ world champions and have close ties to the Gracie family.
Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) will make you not just more physically resilient, but more mentally and emotionally resilient too. At its simplest, BJJ does this because it's hard.
During your experience, you have surely seen people come and go in BJJ, but most of them give up at the start or at the blue belt rank. The majority of jiu-jitsu people do not make it past the blue belt rank, and just a limited number of them manage to reach the purple belt, all thanks to their dedication.
Earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an extremely difficult task, which requires years of hard work, discipline, and dedication. On average it takes someone anywhere from 10 to 15 years to earn a black belt in BJJ. Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule.
As noted, 3-5 times a week is ideal for most people. But an essential part of your BJJ journey is understanding that not every week, month or even year will be ideal. Life situation will impact your BJJ journey a lot.
So about 10-12 hours of BJJ time a week. Might go to a seminar on a weekend which can add +3 or so hrs of drilling time. Might also go to the summerhouse which typically cuts out one class at least. I also weight train 2-3x a week, shortish (about 60 mins) sessions during lunch hour.
Generally speaking it takes approximately 8-12 months to earn the Gracie Combatives belt, another 6-12 months for blue belt, and then 3-4 years for each belt after blue. Altogether, it will take anywhere from 8-14 years for you to reach black belt.
Belts. There are 8 belts in total for adult practitioners with an additional 4 children specific belts until they reach the age of 16. White belt – White belt is the beginning rank for all Brazilian jiu-jitsu students. White belt is the first belt within Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Earning a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu is no small task. This belt represents the final stage before black belt mastery. (There is actually one level higher than a black belt; a red/coral belt is the highest honor in BJJ and has been awarded to fewer than 100 people.)
Most notably, Ashton Kutcher of 'That 70s Show' and 'Two and a Half Men' fame, is the proud owner of a BJJ brown belt after taking up the sport 10 years ago.
As mentioned, BJJ does not teach striking. So, as a fighter, if you are trained only in BJJ and go up against a more proficient striker, you may face difficulty striking back as it lacks stand-up training for punches and kicks.
In bjj the belt progression is white, blue, purple, brown and black. Purple is the middle of the journey and it is a belt where a lot of people struggle.
A combination of power, skill, and mental acumen. Over the years, research has found (check here for reference 1, and here for reference 2) that the brain doesn't fully develop until the age of 25 and that men traditionally achieve peak muscle mass somewhere between the age of 20 and 30.
There are students out there that start training in their 40s. As long as you have the spirit and discipline there's not much to stop you. There's a saying that explains our sentiment pretty accurately and it goes,” You are not too old to train Jiu Jitsu, but you will get way older when you don't train Jiu Jitsu”.
Thankfully, that's not correct. BJJ academies around the world have practitioners who began training in their 40s, 50s and even 60s. Famed chef Anthony Bourdain, for instance, started at the age of 58. So no, broadly speaking, you're not too old to start training.
It's important to pace yourself by adopting a regular training schedule. You should make sure to set aside time to rest and sleep. BJJ is a sport where overtraining can lead to injuries.
As we have seen, it is important to take breaks from BJJ training in order to prevent injury and burnout. Rest days are also great to help relieve mental stress if utilized and enjoyed effectively! Experts recommend taking at least one rest day per week if you are doing a lot of hard training sessions or competitions.
For such grapplers, three times a week can be enough to understand grappling martial arts and to condition their bodies for BJJ training. Weightlifting sessions are not recommended for hobbyists. They can do strength and power workouts for two to three days.
The fastest way to improve your Jiu-Jitsu skills is consistency. If you are training only once a week, you may not see progress or retention of skills for a very long time. If you can find a way to train every other day, that is the sweet spot for improvement.
Training BJJ once per week is not sufficient for much, if any progress. Once per week is appropriate if life gets very hectic and you can barely get to the gym. Also, if you just want to have fun and don't care that you will not improve, then once per week is fine.
If you are a beginner or a “casual” Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, aim for two to three days a week. Training around two days a week is a good starting point when you're just starting Jiu-Jitsu. You get enough time on the mats to learn and work on your technique while not getting burned out or overtrained.
How Rare are Black Belts in BJJ? According to Rener Gracie, only 10% of new BJJ students will earn a blue belt. Of that 10 percent, only 1% will earn a black belt.
Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone. Becoming a black belt was not only the providence of young, talented competitors. It was more a matter of being consistent over the long haul and So, yes…the over 40 beginners can one day acquire the skills to wear the black belt.
In fact, only five men have possessed a red belt at the 10th-degree level. Not surprisingly, Carlos Gracie is one of the rare few who has earned this special rank. Carlos first learned the art of Kodokan Judo from Master Mitsuyo Maeda and transformed it into the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Red. Stripes. Stripes on Brazilian jiu-jitsu belts are used to indicate a student's level within a given belt rank. More stripes indicate a higher proficiency level.
Keanu, a black belt in Judo, has been intermittently training Jiu Jisu under Rigan Machado for the past decade. Keanu reports that it was the intense training for the role of John Wick that got him to engage in BJJ more frequently. Belt rank: White. Status: Intermittently training.
Kutcher started training BJJ sometime in 2013, got his blue belt in early 2014 and purple at the end of 2014. The progression was very fast but Kutcher, having grown up in Iowa, had a strong wrestling background.
Steven Frederic Seagal (/sɪˈɡɑːl/; born April 10, 1952) is an American-born actor, screenwriter, and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-law's dojo. ...
Yes, he could literally kick your lights out. An incredibly dedicated practitioner of martial arts, Joe holds black belts in both Taekwondo and Jiu-Jitsu. The former Fear Factor host is also trained in karate, wrestling, Muay Thai, and boxing.
Pop star Demi Lovato, who has long espoused the benefits of a jiu-jitsu practice for her mental health and general well being, has earned her purple belt, according to an Instagram post from Rigan Machado.
According to Walkers teacher, Ricardo Miller, Paul loved BJJ and practiced whenever he could, wherever he was in the world. One of his favourite moves was the bow-and-arrow choke, and he was also known to have a fierce guard game. Upon his untimely death, Walkers was awarded an honorary black belt in BJJ.
The speech is deferential towards black belts, having achieved such a milestone that Diesel himself admits he may never achieve. Diesel is reportedly a blue belt that has taken a break from the training given his busy, albeit highly successful acting career.
Heel Hook. A leg-based submission called a "heel hook" intends to twist the ankle either horizontally or laterally by strangling the leg and pressing on the heel. ...
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The World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship (commonly known as the Worlds or Mundials) is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament held once every year by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. It is widely considered to be the most important and prestigious jiu-jitsu tournament of the year.
To apply an armbar effectively, your arm must be in the centre of your opponent's body. If you stop this, there is little risk of the submission. If you can control the centre line, you'll be in an excellent position to avoid countless submission attacks.
Perhaps the most memorable gogoplata finish in MMA history took place at PRIDE 33 in February 2007. Nick Diaz defeated Takanori Gomi with the choke in the second round, but ultimately the result was overturned when Diaz was flagged for a positive marijuana test.
Students at the blue belt level will have a strong idea as to how to attack and have one “go to” attack in every position. Students awarded a blue belt will have a decent defense and are able to escape from every major position.
GJJ posts there belt rankings on there website and based on the difference between the number of purple belts (790) and the number of blue belts (15,624), we can calculate that only 5% of blue belts make it to purple belts.
The most common bones to fracture in BJJ are the ribs and fingers. A rib fracture can occur due to pressure applied to the chest during a submission hold, while a finger fracture can occur during a grip-breaking technique or while executing a submission hold.
In BJJ, we see this as very rare but it happens. This mainly happens due to heavy impact or once again, submissions that have gone wrong or untapped. It is seen that a lot of times people do not tap just to retain their sense of ego and ultimately end up getting their limbs/bones broken.
It might be understandable that when you feel your opponent snaking his arm around your neck for a choke, to grab whatever you can to prevent being choked. But grabbing the fingers and twisting is against bjj rules (small joint manipulation) and is very likely to cause a sprained or even broken finger.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is the fastest growing sport in the world and is widely accessible. BJJ is a full-contact martial art based on ground fighting, particularly chokeholds and armlocks. It is unlike many other ground fighting styles, particularly in the way that it teaches practitioners to fight from their backs.
Moriarty et al 17 and Petrisor et al 21 investigated BJJ-related injuries in both training and competition and found that injuries occur commonly in BJJ: The studies reported a high injury prevalence (9/10 athletes sustaining at least 1 injury) 21 and a 6-month injury incidence rate of 59.2%.
For most, getting tired in BJJ training just means you need to do more conditioning. Some choose to run, others do crazy “functional” circuits, or they just focus on rolling as hard as they can, as many times during a training session as it is possible.
Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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