Though known as a ground fighting system, each BJJ exchange begins on the feet. You may wonder what type of techniques athletes utilize to advance to the ground and does BJJ teach takedowns?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BJJ originates from judo and includes different types of throws, trips, as well as wrestling takedowns. But due to the rise of sports BJJ which emphasizes ground fighting, having a top takedown game is not prioritized in the learning curriculum.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, many academies dedicate only around 10\u201315% of training time to standup grappling with the rest focusing on what\u2019s happening on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This opens up a question, how skilled are BJJ fighters in executing or defending against takedowns?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does BJJ Teach Takedowns?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Each BJJ exchange begins on the feet where the main goal is to advance to the ground. To achieve this, practitioners use various takedowns and throws adopted from conceptually similar martial arts such as Judo and Wrestling. Though the emphasis is on ground fighting, all BJJ practitioners must have a solid defensive and offensive understanding of takedowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Practitioners who train in a traditional Gi style of BJJ rely more on using judo techniques. On the feet, they can grab onto the opponent\u2019s gi uniform, secure a strong grip, and use it to manipulate their weight, balance, and take them down to the ground. They have more grips available so they do not rely too much on explosive wrestling moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No-gi style is different because practitioners do not wear a Gi which means fewer grips. There is no manipulating the sleeves and lapels of the opponents\u2019 gi to get a takedown. As a result, wrestling takedowns such as single or double legs are among the most common methods of taking the opponent down. They still utilize trips and throws, but not as much as in a Gi style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regardless of the style, takedowns do not fall into a group of primary techniques. In fact, students in most academies worldwide spent around 10% of the 90-minute training session on standup grappling, while the rest is done on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So if you want to develop a strong takedown game, you would have to cross-train in wrestling or Judo to learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why Takedowns Are Not Too Important in BJJ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
In modern times, most BJJ schools focus on teaching sports variations of the system. The entire learning curriculum is designed to be in line with the official rules of the competition and to prepare you to win matches, not how to fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to these rules, takedowns and throws do not bring you as many points as techniques on the ground. In fact, takedowns are at the bottom of the list when it comes to points across different rule sets. For the purpose of this article, let\u2019s look at the IBJJF point scoring:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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