To understand what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was developed for, it’s important to take a closer look at both the term BJJ and its origins. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a martial art that functions as an effective form of self-defense.

The origin of Jiu Jitsu lies in Japan. This martial art was developed during times of civil war in the Land of the Rising Sun. Over time, the islanders combined their fighting techniques with the philosophy of China. Among the philosophical foundations are the following two principles:

• The gentle overcomes the hard.
• The weak overcomes the strong.

The two principles form a foundation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

For practitioners of the BJJ martial art, fighting is a way to test their strength. However, especially in Gracie Jiu Jitsu, it’s all about dynamics and the ability to improvise. The goal is not to defeat a strong opponent through brute force, but to find a better solution.

What is the goal of learning BJJ for self-defense?

It’s about survival and learning how to handle unpredictable situations. In training, BJJ martial artists are prepared to respond to brutal and violent attacks. They learn how to defend themselves if someone assaults them on the street. The training is based on techniques that closely reflect real life situations.

Headlocks are a frequent occurrence in street fights. Punches and kicks are also common attacks in real life, even though they are forbidden in sport Jiu Jitsu.

In street fights, punches, kicks and headlocks are common weapons. That’s why it’s crucial to apply self defense techniques from BJJ. When an untrained person attacks on the street, the fight unfolds in a completely different way than in a competition on the mat. In sport Jiu Jitsu, the rules dominate, rules that athletes learn in order to win matches.

The lack of awareness about Jiu Jitsu as a form of self defense calls for education

Original BJJ includes striking, kicking and throwing techniques. It is a complete fighting system. However, many people believe that Jiu Jitsu needs to be combined with other martial arts in order to be complete. Today, most people who study martial arts view Jiu Jitsu as a system that must be complemented by other styles. This does not apply to Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

Whether BJJ was designed for survival can be answered with a simple question: What kind of attack is most common in street fights? That’s right, the punch. Does BJJ that focuses on tournaments teach techniques to defend against this type of attack? No, that only applies to Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

The development of the unknown dividing line

If there were a way to trace the development of BJJ for tournaments, we would see a split forming in the lineage from which BJJ originated. This split divides BJJ into two parts. The same thing happened with Judo. Once intended for self defense, it has now evolved into a combat sport. Those who prefer tournament styles focus on becoming better athletes. They are not thinking about defending against a knife attack, but rather about running away. On top of that, they have little to no interest in self defense.

Gracie Jiu Jitsu was a complete fighting system, designed to ensure survival, even though its promotion often took place in the combat sports arena. The techniques included valuable defensive strategies against a variety of attacks.

In the 1960s, the Jiu Jitsu federation was founded. At the same time, the founding members of the federation developed rules and point systems for tournaments. Their goal was to spread Jiu Jitsu and replicate the success of Judo. The focus shifted to ground fighting, various positions and the ability to control those positions. They also found simpler ways to achieve their goals by creating and applying their own rules.

The two lesser known main rules

How can we distinguish between sport focused BJJ and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu designed for survival? The difference can be identified through two lesser known rules.

Master Hélio had a fundamental principle: Never turn your back on your opponent. Turning your face away from the attacker leads to certain defeat. From a strategic point of view, it is essential to look your opponent in the eye and anticipate their next move. Since we have no eyes in the back of our heads, this is impossible and therefore forbidden in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. In sport oriented BJJ, however, the founders awarded points for movements where the athlete turns their back on the opponent.

So what is the second important rule? Striking from a vulnerable or unprotected position is not allowed. This is why triangle techniques dominate tournaments. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that is designed for survival, risky movements are to be avoided. In contrast, competitors in tournaments often apply high risk techniques. In a real street fight, where self defense is the priority, the goal is to minimize risk while always having a backup plan. Anyone who wants to defend themselves effectively needs an emergency plan for when a technique fails, and BJJ provides many resources and alternatives.

The danger of training exclusively for tournaments is that fighters will react in a street fight exactly as they have trained. Due to heightened adrenaline and the way our brain stores muscle memory, we fight the way we train. In the worst case, this could mean being unable to defend against a sudden and unpredictable attack.

In self defense oriented BJJ, there is a strong synergy between standing techniques, throws, strikes and ground fighting. It is a complete system. A martial artist who trains Gracie Jiu Jitsu does not need additional training in Judo or Wrestling to learn throwing techniques, because they already acquire them in their BJJ training.

MMA has helped clarify the role of BJJ to some extent. However, MMA is not designed for self defense. It does not teach techniques for surprise attacks or for defending against multiple attackers. BJJ, on the other hand, is suitable for survival because it teaches techniques specifically developed to defend against stronger and more physically dominant opponents.

Conclusion

BJJ is a martial art designed for survival. It originated during a time when a fierce civil war raged in Japan. The defensive techniques focus specifically on attacks that typically occur on the street, particularly punches, kicks and headlocks. Yet these very attacks are forbidden in tournaments. That makes the purpose of BJJ crystal clear: Gracie Jiu Jitsu was created to ensure survival.