So you do Jiu Jitsu? That’s great! Did you know there are actually more than two styles of “Brazilian Jiu Jitsu”. If you have been training for a few years than I am sure you did! There is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Although they are both essentially the same thing, they do have some differences. What’s the difference you ask? Well sit tight and let’s take a closer look at the differences and what their strengths are.
- The Focus– The biggest difference between the two is what they choose to focus on more. In normal Brazilian Jiu Jitsu the most common focus these days is are the sportive moves. At most Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools you learn the sport and then how it can be used to defend yourself once you have been training a while. In traditional Gracie Jiu Jitsu, the focus is self-defense . Students start out learning mostly basic self-defense such as punch blocks, clinching and headlock defenses. Then as they progress they learn the more sportive moves.
- Testing – While some people hate on the testing schools, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu often requires testing whereas Brazilian Jiu Jitsu does not. If you train at the average Brazilian Jiu Jitsu School you receive you belts based solely on dedication, tournament performance and in school performance. Gracie Jiu Jitsu takes all of this into account, but also requires testing. Testing usually is mostly self-defense based, but also may require you to know many other positions from school to school.
- Curriculum– While all schools have a curriculum in one way or another Gracie Jiu Jitsu tends to have a actual outlined and written curriculum for each belt and class. This ensures that all students learn the specific moves that the school requires and that there is some uniformity from school to school.
When you said, “Did you know there are actually more than two styles of “Brazilian Jiu Jitsu”.”, I expected you to list more than two styles.