BJJ is Not a Martial Art

BJJ is a fighting style, as opposed to a martial art- here is why!

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (also known as BJJ) is one of the fastest growing sports on the planet right now for teens and adults alike. Made popular by the Gracie family of Brazil, they innovated a way of fighting in the 1920’s that quickly evolved into one of the most proven ways for a person to defend themselves in a real one on one confrontation (without weapons).

Adisa looking super serious for no reason. LOL!

The goal of the art is to go from standing, to taking an opponent down, pinning them and then using a finishing hold to end the fight (usually with a joint lock or a chokehold). I like to think of it as the fighting style for people who don’t like to fight. I have noticed over the years that most of the people who want to fight can’t do so very well. The irony is that many of those who can, do not want to. I found for myself BJJ made me a more calm individual.

BJJ teaches nonviolence through gradual exposure to danger. Any physical altercation between adult men can end in death. For anyone half aware, choosing peace is not the cowards way out- it is the best way out. BJJ allows you to reasonably enforce the peace (for yourself and the people and things you love).

I am blessed to be a black belt and be lucky enough to observe some of the best people from the UFC and the early MMA explosion prepare for fights. Nevertheless, I avoid fights at all costs. I always will. I hope you do too.

One of the main things that makes BJJ cool is that you can win a fight without punching or kicking your opponent. This allows an inherent mercy in the sport. Meaning you don’t have to knock someone down or punch their teeth in to win. This is great because as much as we might envision having to fight someone to the death, many times we might just need to pin a drunk uncle and ask them to stop messing stuff up at the holiday party. It may be you just want to stop an out of control person you love from hurting themselves. Or you may need to assist a person unable to protect themselves or their property. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is perfect for this. But again, be mindful of the risk.

Jiu-jitsu black belt stops a guy at a 7–11 from abusing store clerks and customers!

BJJ can be expressed in many ways and this makes it very hard to define, actually. This is because it is a versatile way of fighting. Some of it is done in a traditional uniform or, or gi. Some of it is done in a cage or in an MMA setting. Some of it is strictly self defense related (like a confrontation leaving work or dealing with a pickpocket on a train).

In the end I define BJJ as a fighting style that uses logic, leverage and timing to overcome an opponent. Size always matters in fights, but it matters a lot less if you understand the logic of how to approach your opponent. You have a greater advantage if you can use leverage to get to positions that keep you safer in the conflict. Additionally if you understand the ideal time to do the moves you know, your chances of winning rise a lot.

I still remember the first time I grappled with a man at the Ralph Gracie Academy as a beginner. The guy was a 210 pound man when I weighed 165 pounds and I choked him several times in a 5 min period. He held a black belt in another martial art. All I knew was what Ralph taught me. My victory would have been an unthinkable thing had we been only boxing or kickboxing.

This is not to say boxing and kicking do not work. My belief however is that the average person can learn BJJ faster than most striking arts can be internalized. This is another aspect of what makes BJJ so unique and addictive to those who practice the art. If you are only going to learn one martial art to save yourself in real confrontations, BJJ is the way.

To me the best aspect of BJJ is that it is a living martial art. What I mean by that is that in many traditional martial arts (various forms of Shotokan Karate, Kung-Fu and similar styles) a student learns a codified set of punches, kicks, throws etc. Once done to the level of the instructors approval the student is given a black belt to signify mastery.

BJJ is different. Unlike many martial arts, BJJ is a living martial art. It breathes and grows like an organism. The founding fathers of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (Carlos and Helio Gracie) originally innovated moves and positions most commonly seen in Kodokan Judo. As the years went on, they continued to create new elements to takedowns, pinning dynamics and finishing hold entries. As each new submission hold revealed itself, so did more complex ways of negating and escaping.

What this meant was that long after Carlos and Helio passed away- the art would thrive. The black belt art that Helio had, currently have a lot things they never saw happen on the mat. There are attacking positions and chained submissions that they never got to experience. This is because BJJ is a living art. The innovations of BJJ have expanded far beyond the family to people like Gordo, Marcelo Garcia, Eduardo Teles, Caio Terra and Eddie Bravo among countless others.

This “aliveness” is one of the aspects of BJJ that also contribute to its addictive nature. It is an infinite art. No black belt “master” can know it all or do it all. What they can do, is all they have learned to the best degree they can. For instance, when students of mine become black belts they will be better than me because the art will have evolved in ways that were not present in my day.

The other thing that separates BJJ from many other ways of fighting is that I see it as a fighting style, as opposed to a martial art. A martial art in my opinion is a way of fighting that has a philosophy attached to it. This would be akin to the way Buddhism is often aligned with Kung-Fu practitioners. Or, how many Wing Chun practitioners are often associated with Taosim. Beyond that Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, had philosophical outlines for his students to follow.

BJJ is not this way. It had no built in philosophy from its founders. I came into the sport naive and wanting to learn from a Mr. Miyagi or Yoda type individual to make me a better person (morally and philosophically). I learned quickly that no such person exists. Your BJJ instructor may or may not be a philosopher (and that is ok). Your BJJ instructor may or may not be a kind person (it is a case by case basis). There are many good people teaching BJJ. I was lucky. My instructor was a great person who had character equal to his technical skill. But all of us are not as lucky as I was.

So stay alert for weird people. Sometimes instructors are kind but not fit enough to give you life advice. Do not delude yourself about this. This is why you must abandon philosophical idealism that can misguide you about your martial arts teacher.

Over the years, schools like Gracie Barra have deliberately pushed for more philosophical and community based ideas in BJJ. The founder of the schools, Carlos Gracie Jr., has done a lot to help BJJ teachers understand the importance of their role in their students life (child, teen, adult or elder) and to be intentional in the ways they engage that student.

I have spent a lot of time watching classes at Gracie Barra Roundhay Leeds in the UK on and off for the past few years. The Head Instructor, Prof. Mike Bates, is highly focused on it being focused more on community over a competition team. The team does very well though. For the kids classes they have a positive word of the week (leadership, community etc.) that they talk to the kids and teens about and encourage them to embody away from the mats. This way, the students are not expected to gain morals by osmosis. It is taught alongside with the physical practice each week.

I would be lying if I said there were not other cool teachers and schools out there. The school I came from in San Jose, Heroes Martial Arts is amazing (with an amazing kids program). Ralph Gracie San Jose also has an amazing kids program. I have friends in Portland OR, Los Angeles CA, Charlotte NC, that all have amazing schools with safe, fun enviroments. There are many great schools in the world. But with any school take the time to do your due diligence and trust your intuition about the kind of school you want for yourself or your children.

There is serious good news about BJJ being a fighting style though. The good news is, you get to define your philosophy for yourself. There is nothing at all stopping you from reading the works of Miyamoto Musashi, Niccolo Machiaveli, Marcus Aurelius, and The Buddha to accent your training. There is no one preventing you from researching the works of Christian mystics, sacred Taoist or Sufi texts to train your mind and spirit as you refine your body. Soak it all in. Take your time, but stay consistently striving to know more in BJJ and beyond. Listen to lectures and interviews by Bruce Lee, Alan Watts, Krisnamurti, and watch stoic conversations by Donald Robertson or Ryan Holiday. You get to study and choose the laws you live by.

Bruce Lee in my opinion was both a great fighter and philosopher. I suggest you all read the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

A friend recently noted that most methods of fighting that actually work in real confrontations (BJJ, Boxing, American Wrestling and Thai Boxing) don’t have inherent philosophies. He noted the irony that many of the ones that do have philosophies- don’t work as well when it gets real. I reflect on this often and largely agree. Traditional martial arts will always be culturally and socially valuable. They also have technical beauty that should not be ignored.

Can enrolling in BJJ and reading philosophy solve all your life problems? Nope. Not even close. However, when paired with things like therapy and sincere self work it can be one of the best life decisions you have made (regardless of your age). Your BJJ coaches and teammates can help, but you need to do the heavy lifting.

The guru you really need is in the mirror. But you won’t find them without sincere hard work, research, and consistency. Good luck in finding yourself on the path.

This article is dedicated to Eddie Goldman of NHB News, he was and is my first mentor in writing about martial arts and MMA.

Adisa Banjoko is a black belt in BJJ and founder of 64 Blocks, LLC. They teach a fusion of jiu-jitsu meditation and chess to teens and adults for mind and body balance. He has spoken at Harvard University, University of Connecticut and Zaytuna College on the topics pertaining to martial arts and philosophy.

All Photos courtesy of David Lane Portraits at The Jordan Legacy UK fundraiser at Gracie Barra Harrogate, UK.