What is BJJ? A beginner’s guide to Brazilian jiu-jitsu
By Scott Flear, founder of JitsAI, with member data from 3,316 grapplers.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling martial art and combat sport. Instead of striking, you take an opponent down, control them on the ground and win by submission, making them tap to a choke or joint lock, or on points for takedowns, sweeps and dominant positions. It developed in Brazil in the 20th century, with roots in judo and Japanese jiu-jitsu.
How does BJJ work?
Most of a BJJ match happens on the ground. One person is usually on top trying to pass the legs and pin; the other is on their back using the guard, their legs and hips, to defend, sweep or submit. The main positions are guard, side control, mount and back control, and every class works on getting to the good ones and out of the bad ones. Our side control and mount escapes guide covers the two beginners drill most.
You win by submission: a choke or a joint lock, such as the kimura shoulder lock, that makes your opponent tap. Tapping, with your hand or by saying “tap”, stops the round straight away, which is what lets people train at full effort safely. Without a submission, a match is decided on points.
| Position or move | Points |
|---|---|
| Takedown | 2 |
| Sweep | 2 |
| Knee on belly | 2 |
| Guard pass | 3 |
| Mount | 4 |
| Back control | 4 |
Where does BJJ come from?
The UK governing body, UKBJJA, traces it to the Japanese jiu-jitsu artist Mitsuyo Maeda, who traveled across the Americas in the early 20th century. In Belém, Brazil, in 1917, a teenager named Carlos Gracie watched Maeda fight and began to learn from him. The Gracie family built those lessons into a new art that works from your back. The IBJJF still reserves its highest rank, the 10th-degree red belt, for five pioneers: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão and Helio Gracie. BJJ reached a global audience in the 1990s, when Royce Gracie fought in the early UFC events.
What happens in your first BJJ class?
Most classes run the same way: a warm-up, a technique shown by the coach, drilling it with a partner, then positional sparring or free rolling. Tell the coach it is your first class, tap early, and ask before you roll: some gyms let beginners spar in week one and some wait. Among 1,931 white belts who joined JitsAI, 37% said they hadn’t sparred yet. The BJJ for beginners guide has a 12-week plan for what comes next, and our BJJ glossary explains any word your coach uses that you don’t recognize yet.
What is the difference between gi and no-gi BJJ?
In the gi, you wear a jacket, trousers and a belt, and you can grip the cloth: collar chokes and sleeve grips are a big part of the game. In no-gi, you wear a rash guard and shorts, and grabbing clothing is a foul under IBJJF rules, so the game is faster and grips go on the body instead. Most members do both: 64% train gi and no-gi, 20% gi only and 16% no-gi only. Our no-gi BJJ guide covers the rules, kit and who trains it in full.
How do BJJ belts work?
Adults move through five belts: white, blue, purple, brown and black, with up to four stripes on each belt before black. Your professor decides promotions; the IBJJF sets minimum ages and minimum times, which add up to at least 4.5 years from blue to black. BJJ belts in order has every rule and how long members at each belt have trained.
How often should you train BJJ?
Three or four times a week is the most common answer at every belt: 51% of our 3,316 members train that often. Beginners often start with two or three. How often to train BJJ breaks it down by belt and by goal.
Is BJJ good for self-defense?
BJJ teaches you to stay calm under a heavier person, escape, and control someone without striking, which is why so many people start it: 47% of our members listed self-defense as a reason to train. But sport BJJ has rules, one opponent and a soft mat, and a street fight has none of those. If self-defense is your main goal, ask whether an academy teaches it as its own topic. See BJJ for women for how belt, training and competing break down among our female members specifically.
How much does BJJ cost?
Prices vary a lot by city and academy, so compare local gyms rather than trusting a national average. The costs to expect:
- Membership: most academies charge a monthly fee, sometimes with a cheaper plan for fewer classes a week. Many offer a free or low-cost first class.
- Kit: a gi for gi classes (many gyms lend one at first), or a rash guard and shorts for no-gi. A mouthguard is worth having.
- Competitions: entry fees per event, plus federation membership. In the UK, UKBJJA membership includes liability insurance and ranking points at affiliated events.
- Extras: private lessons, seminars and instructional courses, all optional.
How is BJJ different from judo?
Both come from the same Japanese roots and both use a gi, but judo rewards throws and short pins, while BJJ rewards control and submissions on the ground with no time limit on a pin. Our BJJ vs judo comparison sets the rules side by side, and BJJ weight classes covers how competitions are divided.
What should you work on after your first class?
New grapplers forget most of a class by the next one. JitsAI gives each week one position to work on, and a quick check-in after class records whether it worked, and against whom.
- One Focus a week, with pinned lessons from Henrique Rezende’s 74-lesson fundamentals course.
- A nine-level ladder for every technique, from partners less experienced than you to more experienced ones, each split lighter, same weight and heavier.
- Land it once and it’s a hit; 3 wins across 2 sessions and it’s proven.
$1 for 7 days, then $39 a year.
iPhone and Android.
Pick ONE thing One position for the week: an escape, a guard, a sweep.
Test it on everyone A quick check-in after class: who each round was against, and whether it worked.
Hit, then proven Land it once and it’s a HIT. Three across two sessions and it’s PROVEN.
Know what works See what holds up, against whom, then pick your next Focus.
What else do beginners ask about BJJ?
What does BJJ stand for?
Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It is a grappling martial art and combat sport developed in Brazil in the 20th century, with roots in judo and Japanese jiu-jitsu.
Is BJJ the same as jiu-jitsu?
Not quite. “Jiu-jitsu” can mean the older Japanese systems too. BJJ is the Brazilian version, built around groundwork and submissions, with its own belt system and competition rules, most widely those of the IBJJF.
How do you win a BJJ match?
By submission, when your opponent taps to a choke or joint lock, or on points. Under IBJJF rules a takedown, sweep or knee on belly scores 2 points, a guard pass 3, and mount or back control 4. Ties go to advantages, then penalties, then the referee.
Can you start BJJ at any age?
Yes. The white belt has no minimum age, and IBJJF competition runs from kids’ divisions at age 4 to masters divisions for people aged 61 and over.
How long does it take to get good at BJJ?
Years, measured in belts. The IBJJF minimums put black belt at least 4.5 years after blue belt, and 85% of the black belts in our data have trained for ten or more years. Progress between belts is easier to see if you track which positions work in live rounds.
Is BJJ good for self-defense?
BJJ teaches you to control and escape from someone on the ground without striking, which is why many people start it. 47% of our 3,316 members listed self-defense among their reasons. Sport BJJ has rules that a street fight doesn’t, so ask your academy whether it teaches self-defense specifically.
About the data
Training frequency and experience: self-reported answers from 3,316 adults (18 and over) who joined JitsAI between 16 October 2025 and 24 September 2026 and told us their belt at sign-up. Snapshot 25 Sep 2026. Full breakdown and a CSV on the BJJ belts page.
What we publish: totals only, groups of at least 50 people, and no share that rests on fewer than 10. Founder accounts are excluded and percentages are rounded. Most members found JitsAI through our ads, so this is a big sample but not a random one, and it leans towards people who want to improve and compete. The numbers describe patterns, not causes.