When checking out the various types of martial arts, you might come across Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and wonder what type of martial art it is. You might also give some thought to whether or not it is good for self-defense and in a real fight. I wanted to know just how Brazilian Jiu Jitsu stacks up against other fighting styles and if it would serve me well in a street fight or a mugging. After all, dedicating time and attention to a martial art that can double as a self-defense mechanism is time well spent in my opinion. For those who want to know if Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a good choice of martial art for sport and self-defense; you’re about to find out!
Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu effective for self-defense and real fighting? Yes, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is good for self-defense and in a real fight. In fact, it is considered one of the best martial arts for self-defense because it includes practical training methods that help practitioners to learn how to protect themselves quickly and strategically. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu focuses on teaching practitioners how to escape and survive as well as how to make an attacker submit and give up.
Of course, there’s no such thing as learn an art that magically makes you a force to be reckoned with. You have to learn the art with the intention of using it to protect yourself, so there needs to be real life application and practice involved. When learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you are not guaranteed to be able to overcome an opponent that is bigger than you, but if you apply yourself and dedicate yourself to regular training, you stand a good chance. Because of the way Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is taught, practitioners are confident that the moves they use are definitely effective because they are taught and practiced with real resisting opponents.
What Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
What exactly is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Watching a few YouTube videos is a great way to get a better understanding of what type of art this is. If you take a look at what this particular martial art is, you will understand why it is so effective in a real fight or when self-defense is needed. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a self-defense martial art as well as a combat sport. The entire premise of the sport and art is based on ground fighting, grappling, and submission holds. All of these are ideal to know, if you find yourself being attacked on the street or someone breaks into your home (or any other self-defense scenario for that matter). When a practitioner learns the martial art, a lot of focus is placed on developing a skill for controlling the attacker by gaining a dominant position. A variety of techniques are taught to get the attacker to submit. These include joint locks and choke holds that force the attacker to give up. With Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills, even someone who is small can protect him or herself in a fight or attack.
How Effective Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu In A Real Fight? [Real Kidnapper Beaten!]
Of course, you want to know you are learning an effective martial art. As is the case with most martial arts, you really need to know how to apply the techniques that you learn to a real life situation. If you only ever learn in theory how to use Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and only ever practice sparring with a non-aggressive opponent, you may find that your skills will be rather lacking when confronted with a real fight. It is important to learn the art with self-defense in mind and to ensure that your practice with an opponent who wants to win just as much as you. When you do this, you will find that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is highly effective in a real fight or self-defense scenario.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Moves & Techniques For Self-Defense
The moves and techniques taught are what make a martial art effective in a real fight for or not. As a beginner, you will learn various basic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu moves and techniques that will work really well in a real fight or for self-defense. Some of these techniques are listed below:
Gripping Techniques.
Gripping is a very important part of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Without a good grip, you can’t really expect to get ahead in the art – don’t worry though – this is something that comes as you progress. Your overall effectiveness will depend on whether or not you know how to properly grip an opponent on the ground. Most advanced students of this particular martial arts have developed an iron grip, but as a beginner, you won’t have this. You will need to develop a strong grip over time. In your beginner classes you will be taught how to grip firmly so that an opponent cannot escape it – there are different kinds of grips you will learn. You will also be taught where to grip an attacker for the best possible effect. To get sufficient leverage on an opponent, you need to aim for grabbing the elbows, sleeves, lapel, and wrists.
Shrimping & Bridging Techniques.
Shrimping and bridging is vitally important when using Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for self-defense. Basically, shrimping and bridging brings all the moves and techniques of the martial art together. These techniques help practitioners to weave two or more basic movements together so that your fighting style is fluid.
Passing the Guard Moves.
If you can’t get past the guard someone is putting up, you’re going to be the one that has to give up in a fight. When an opponent has their guard up, it can be hard to get past it. Passing the guard is one of the more complex things you will learn in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is highly effective in a confrontational situation. During your beginner lessons, you will start to learn how to get past an opponent’s guard by using a standing guard pass. By standing up, you can force your attacker to open up his guard. This is followed up by pinning your attacker’s legs with your shin, while sliding yourself into a position of control. This is considered an advanced and effective technique, but won’t be the only technique you learn to get passed a person’s guard.
Escape Techniques.
When being attacked, you might find yourself in a predicament where you have to get out of your attacker’s grip quickly and effectively. It’s important to learn how to escape as you might be in a fight with someone who is just that much bigger and stronger than you. This is when strategy comes into play to escape them. Escapes are taught to beginners not just for competitions, but for real life situations too.
Sweep Techniques.
Learning to sweep is another extremely important move. When being attacked, an attacker might get the upper hand and be on top of you while you are on your back on the ground. You can use an effective sweep to reverse the position so that you can get a better position…say from on your back on the ground to now on top of your attacker. To effectively sweep someone you must off-balance the attacker while also playing guard. This allows you to sweep and get on top with minimal force. This type of fluid movement will open up opportunity for submissions too. You will learn to apply a sweep move from various types of guards such as half guard, closed guard, lasso guard, spider guard, and more.
How Long Does It Take To Master Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
When learning a new martial art, it’s natural to want to know how long it will take for you to become proficient in the art. Will it take long for you to learn everything required to use Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for self-defense or in a real fight? Can you become a black belt pro or a master?
Just like with anything in life, how much time and effort you put in will impact how quickly you learn. It takes around 6 months to learn the absolute basics of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. If you train at least 3 to 4 times a week without fail and put your very best into every training session, you should be able to defend yourself against a larger and stronger attacker who is unskilled within 1 to 2 years.
If you want to be able to defeat an attacker who is a skilled fighter, you need to train hard and regularly for around 3 to 5 years. If you want to be a highly skilled Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, you will need to train for at least 6 to 8 years.
Does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Have a Belt System?
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is great for self-defense and real fighting, but what sort of belt or grading system will you have to work through before you are considered proficient? For many people, a belt or grading system is what drives them to keep pushing harder and achieving more. Being able to work towards achieving each new belt grade is something to look forward to when learning a martial art.
There is indeed a belt system that is used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The system is used to show how a practitioner is progressing in his technical knowledge and practical skill within the martial art. The belts are awarded to practitioners, which are then worn with pride and respect.
It is interesting to note that the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu belt system is unique even though it is based on the Judo belt grading system. Why? This is because it has a different belt ranking system for adults and youths.
Adult Belt Rankings:
Let’s take a look at the adult belt rankings and gradings to expect. There are 8 belts used in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu system for adults, with 4 degrees within each belt color grading, except for the black belt which has 6 degrees. The degrees between each belt color are shown in stripes. The belt colors are as follows:
- White
- Blue
- Purple
- Brown
- Black
- Red / Black
- Red / White
- Red
Youth Belt Rankings:
Let’s take a look at the belt grading for young fighters. Youth belts are awarded to practitioners who are 16 years or below. They are as follows:
- White
- Gray-White
- Gray
- Gray-Black
- Yellow-White
- Yellow
- Yellow-Black
- Orange-White
- Orange
- Orange-Black
- Green-White
- Green
- Green-Black
It’s safe to say that an adult with a Red belt and a youth with a Green-Black belt will be considered highly proficient in using Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for self-defense. The harder you work and the better you get at the art, the easier it will be to defend yourself in a real fight.
How are you tested? Well that one is simpler than most martial arts. Belt promotions are typically information in that an instructor will decide when a student is ready for the next rank. That being said, some schools do provide a formal test to make the decision easier.
History | Was Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Designed For Self-Defense & Real Fighting?
The first days of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu go as far back as 1920. It was Brazilian brothers, Oswaldo, Gastao, George, and Helio Gracie, who developed the martial art. History tells us that Carlos Gracie was taught Judo while traveling in Japan in 1917 and thereafter decided to develop his own self-defense system. They called it Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Over the years, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was adapted from Carlos Gracie’s style of self-defense. The first school for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was opened in 1925 and from there, the martial art simply grew in popularity.
Last Word
When it comes to finding martial arts that are good for self-defense and real fighting, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is right up there with the best. You will find that if you register with the right school and dedicate time to training and practice that you will have the confidence and skills to protect yourself and loved ones in a confrontational situation.
