{"id":18640,"date":"2023-01-27T16:13:59","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T22:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rollingaroundbjj.com\/?p=18640"},"modified":"2023-04-05T15:02:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T20:02:48","slug":"does-bjj-have-striking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rollingaroundbjj.com\/does-bjj-have-striking\/","title":{"rendered":"Does BJJ Have Striking?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
BJJ has become the world\u2019s premier grappling system, and chokes and joint locks are its specialties, not punches and kicks. BJJ is most well-known as a sport, but modern competitions are not the entirety of the martial art. So does BJJ have striking<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n BJJ is a grappling martial art and does not have any striking. But this is only the popular sports version of BJJ. In contrast, the traditional self-defense version has both defenses against strikes and some limited use of palm strikes, elbows, and kicks used for defense or a setup for grappling.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n BJJ comes from traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu and today has a few iterations, from sports BJJ to self-defense BJJ to Combat BJJ. While each is focused on grappling, the relationship to striking varies from style to style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To have a complete answer, we must look at all the different types of BJJ separately and see what strikes are in each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Gracie family in Brazil created Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and the traditional form is often called Gracie BJJ. They created the martial art entirely to be a reliable and effective self-defense system. As such, it had to also include some form of striking. Helio Gracie, who created Brazilian jiu-jitsu along with his brothers, was smaller and lighter than most of his peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He had to find a way to defeat his opponents using technique, leverage, and positioning on the ground, where size matters less. But a complete system for self-defense or no-rules fights needs to have an answer to strikes, and traditional BJJ has always had in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In self-defense BJJ, the main focus is still grappling, but there is also a defense against common strikes and ways to close the distance. Old-school classes include defending against straight punches, hooks, haymakers, and some kicks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before using submissions, you also need to be able to safely tangle an attacker, prevent him from punching or head-butting, and then take him to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there are even some strikes used for an attack in self-defense BJJ. These are usually short, but hard palm or elbow strikes to the head. Helio and his family created the original system also included fast kicks to the thigh or the knee, similar to what is today known as the oblique kick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These short strikes serve to stop an opponent, gauge distance, or distract them for your own entry. These techniques can be seen in the Gracie Challenge matches caught on tape and in the Vale Tudo and MMA fights of Rickson Gracie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So while traditional Gracie BJJ focuses heavily on grappling, some simple, striking offense and defense are included. Rener Gracie, the grandson of Helio Gracie, famously said, “If you are not training Jiu-Jitsu using strikes, then you are not doing Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. BJJ with strikes isn’t MMA, it’s Gracie Jiu-Jitsu”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Does BJJ Have Striking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Self-Defense BJJ<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sports BJJ<\/h3>\n\n\n\n