In this guide, I’ll answer ten of the the most common questions about what BJJ is, how it developed, and what makes it different from other martial arts. Whether you’re considering starting your BJJ journey or just curious about this fascinating martial art, these answers will give you a solid understanding of the fundamentals.
Note: This guide is meant to be just an overview with simple answers to each question. To read more detailed answers to these questions, follow the links to my in-depth articles covering these topics. (I’ll be adding more as soon as I can!)
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art that focuses on ground fighting, where practitioners learn to control and submit opponents using technique rather than strength. This martial art evolved from Japanese martial arts used by Samurai, but became its own thing when the Gracie family in Brazil refined it into a system where smaller fighters could effectively defend themselves against larger attackers. Today, BJJ is both a practical self-defense system and a sport, teaching students to use leverage, joint locks, and chokes to neutralize opponents while staying safe and without having to use potentially lethal punches or kicks.
While Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s roots trace back to ancient Japanese martial arts, the modern sport we know today was shaped primarily by Carlos and Helio Gracie in Brazil during the early 1900s. The story begins with Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese Judo master who traveled to Brazil and taught Carlos Gracie, who then passed the art on to his younger brother Helio. Helio, being smaller and physically weaker than his brothers, adapted the techniques to rely more on leverage and timing than strength, developing what would become modern Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Today, countless branches of the Gracie family continue to innovate and teach BJJ around the world.
Gracie Jiu Jitsu is the original style of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu developed by the Gracie family, with a strong emphasis on self-defense and effectiveness in real-world situations rather than just sport competition. While the term is sometimes used interchangeably with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Gracie Jiu Jitsu specifically refers to schools and teaching methods connected to the Gracie family lineage, particularly those that maintain a focus on practical self-defense scenarios alongside sport techniques. Many Gracie schools follow a structured curriculum developed by pioneers like Helio Gracie and his sons, teaching fundamental techniques in a specific order designed to build a solid foundation for both self-defense and sport application.
No-gi Jiu Jitsu is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practiced without wearing the traditional kimono (gi), with practitioners instead wearing rash guards and shorts or spats. Training without the gi forces grapplers to rely more on body control and wrestling-style grips since you can’t grab your opponent’s clothing, making it particularly relevant for MMA and self-defense scenarios. While the core principles remain the same, no-gi BJJ tends to be faster-paced and more athletic than gi training, incorporating many techniques from American wrestling, and many practitioners enjoy training both styles to develop a well-rounded game.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is all about ground fighting and submissions, while Japanese Jiu Jitsu (also spelled Jujutsu) covers a much wider range including strikes, throws, and weapons – if you’re curious about how these arts evolved differently and how Judo fits into the picture, check out my detailed guide “Difference Between Judo, Jiu Jitsu, and Jujutsu.”
While Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu share common roots, Judo focuses more on throwing techniques and standup grappling, while BJJ emphasizes ground fighting and submissions – if you’re interested in learning more about how these arts developed and what makes each one unique, check out my detailed guide “Difference Between Judo, Jiu Jitsu, and Jujutsu.”
Unlike striking-based martial arts that focus on punches and kicks, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is all about controlling your opponent through grappling, especially on the ground where leverage and technique matter more than size and strength – for a detailed comparison of how BJJ differs from Karate and other popular martial arts, check out my in-depth article, “What is the Difference Between Karate and Jiu Jitsu?”
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the most effective martial arts for real self-defense because it teaches you how to control an attacker without relying on size or strength. Since most real fights end up on the ground, BJJ’s focus on ground fighting and escapes gives you practical tools to defend yourself from the most common attack scenarios. What makes BJJ particularly valuable for self-defense is that you can practice these techniques at full speed against fully resisting training partners, allowing you to develop real-world skills that work under pressure.
In adult Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, practitioners progress through six main belt ranks: white, blue, purple, brown, black, and, after decades of dedication, coral and red belts (though few people ever reach these highest levels), with some schools also offering a green, grey, or blue and white striped belt between white and blue. For young practitioners under 16, BJJ uses a different belt system with more frequent promotions to keep kids motivated – these youth belts include white, grey, yellow, orange, and green before transitioning to the adult system. Many schools also award stripes at each belt level (a piece of white athletic tape wrapped around the end of the belt) to track progress between belts.
On average, it takes 1-2 years to earn a blue belt, 3-4 years to reach purple belt, 5-6 years for brown belt, and typically 8-10 years to achieve black belt, though everyone’s journey is different depending on training frequency and natural aptitude. What makes BJJ unique among martial arts is that belt promotions aren’t tied to memorizing specific techniques or forms – instead, they represent real skill development against resisting opponents, which is why the journey to black belt often takes a decade or more of consistent training.