The Heart Of Grappling: Exploring The Brazilian Style Of Jiu-Jitsu

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Along with its rich cultural heritage, Brazil is one of the most respected countries in grappling and is widely regarded as a powerhouse. Creating its own identity, Brazil’s distinctive approach to fighting has shaped what fans expect whenever a fighter represents the country on the global stage. Nimble and explosive on their feet and mobile on the ground, Brazilian grapplers find ways to excel in all areas. In this article, we explore the Brazilian style of Jiu-Jitsu.

Jiu-Jitsu In Brazil

Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil began when Mitsuo Maeda, one of Jigoro Kano’s top students, traveled to Brazil in 1914. A judoka who excelled in throws and takedowns, his specialty was newaza, also known as the ground-fighting aspect of judo. In his journey, Maeda became friends with Gastão Gracie, a businessman who happened to be the father of Carlos Gracie.

At 14, Carlos became Maeda’s student, allowing him to study ground fighting in depth for years and eventually share his grappling knowledge with his younger siblings. Hélio, one of Carlos’ brothers, found it challenging to excel in judo‘s takedown techniques due to his smaller frame and lack of strength. Because of this, Hélio made technical adjustments to the techniques he learned, making them effective for anyone regardless of size. Through these innovations, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was born.

Over the years, the Gracie family and their students continuously tested their techniques by competing against other martial arts. With these battle-tested techniques, the Gracies evolved their system, eventually incorporating elements from wrestling and other grappling disciplines.

While BJJ remained relatively unknown outside Brazil for some time, one of Hélio’s sons, Rorion, moved to the United States to spread the art. The growing popularity of Jiu-Jitsu became a catalyst in changing how the world viewed fighting, and it became one of the key innovations in modern martial arts.

Today, Brazil has produced numerous world champions in both grappling and MMA, and the country continues to influence the development of new techniques and strategies on the world stage.

The Brazilian Style Of Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian grapplers typically bring an electrifying and well-rounded style to the mat. They can explode into a takedown from the feet, aggressively pass guard, or defend, sweep, and attack from their back.

Let’s break down their style further:

1) Fluid Stand-Up Skills

Brazilian grapplers are fluid on their feet, often showing skill levels that suggest years of wrestling or judo experience. While the stand-up aspect of No-Gi BJJ is different from wrestling, Brazilian grapplers often excel in both areas. One example is BJJ star Mica Galvão, who has expressed interest in competing in freestyle wrestling at the Olympic level.

Their confidence in stand-up exchanges often translates directly into relentless guard-passing efforts. It’s common in grappling that strong takedown artists are also skilled at passing the guard. When a Brazilian grappler is competing, expect fast-paced action and aggressive exchanges from the feet.

2) Dynamic Gameplay

Being well-rounded allows Brazilian grapplers to play a dynamic game, seamlessly transitioning from takedowns to submissions and even into guard work when necessary. Whether they are attacking or defending, each move is often part of a calculated chain.

For example, a failed flying armbar attempt might end with the attacker sweeping their opponent into a leg entanglement and finishing with a heel hook. Defensively, a guillotine choke or a sumi gaeshi sweep can quickly turn a bad position into a dominant one.

This style of chaining attacks and turning defense into offense is a hallmark of the Brazilian approach.

3) Excellent Guard Game

Brazilian grapplers are renowned for their guard work. They can use the guard to sweep, transition, or directly attack with submissions. While pulling guard has become less common in elite modern grappling, open guard strategies have evolved. Today’s top Brazilian grapplers mix guard play with aggressive transitions and leg lock entries.

The guard remains a powerful tool to gain dominant positions like mount or back control without expending excessive energy. If you’re working on your open guard game, study grapplers like Roger Gracie, Marcelo Garcia and the Miyao brothers to see this approach in action.

4) Explosive Submissions

With their technical proficiency and physical conditioning, Brazilian grapplers can finish submissions from nearly any position. From half-guard sweeps to flying submissions or transitions mid-guard pass, they possess the spatial awareness to capitalize on fleeting opportunities.

The ability to identify and execute submissions from both dominant and neutral positions makes them dangerous throughout the match.

5) Ability To Scramble

Brazilian grapplers have a strong sense of positional awareness, which allows them to scramble effectively both offensively and defensively. They can reverse bad situations, defend takedowns creatively, and recover positions with fluidity and precision.

This scrambling ability gives them the confidence to attack more aggressively, knowing they can fight their way out of trouble if things don’t go their way. Like elite wrestlers, they rarely concede positions without attempting a counter or reversal.

Conclusion

The Brazilian style of Jiu-Jitsu is dynamic, strategic, and deeply rooted in innovation. What sets it apart is not just technique but the commitment to attacking, transitioning, and maintaining constant pressure. Physical conditioning plays a major role in sustaining their pace, and it’s rare to see Brazilian grapplers gas out during a match.

Their legacy continues to influence grappling globally. From the founding Gracies to modern athletes like Mica Galvão and the Ruotolo brothers, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu remains at the heart of the grappling world. If you want to level up your ground game, studying the Brazilian style is a great place to start.