Is BJJ the Hardest Martial Art?

Anything You Need to Know about BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)

When it comes to martial arts, most people will consider the injury rate before joining the club. However, all mixed martial arts come with their own risk and benefit that may be different from one and another. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is considered as one of the safe martial arts since it does not include striking. This makes Brazilian jiu-jitsu has a lower risk of injuries compared to karate, taekwondo, jujutsu, aikido, and other martial arts.

Even though Brazilian jiu-jitsu is considered a safe martial art, but how safe is the safe rate? Well, there is still a chance of people get injured when doing BJJ. But before you get scared of getting injured, here is anything you need to know about Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

How dangerous is BJJ?

Those that have been injured during training or competing for BJJ would say that martial art can be dangerous. However, there is no such thing as black and white to the question of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. There are lots of factors to consider before claim that martial art is dangerous. Comparing to other martial arts such as Krav mega, Brazilian jiu-jitsu indeed has fewer injuries during competition or training. But again, situations are hard to predict and there is always a chance for injuries. There are even some situations that may lead to catastrophic injuries.

The good news is the injuries are avoidable with proper preparation such as wearing protective gear, Bjjmouthguard, and such. Plus, if you perform Brazilian jiu-jitsu at home or club rather than a competition, the injury rate is even lower.

Even though Brazilian jiu-jitsu has a lower injury rate, but it is the hardest martial art to master. The martial art includes a non-striking movement which makes it a more peaceful martial art. The main aim of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is not simply to win a match with brute force, but it is the ability to control a distance before allowing the defender in.

The average time to reach black belt in BJJ

Despite being a lower injury rate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is famous as one of the hardest martial art belts to achieve. Obtaining a blue belt which is one level above the white belt takes an average of 2-5 years while obtaining the black belt takes an average of 8 to 1- years. Brazilian jiu-jitsu indeed takes a long time to achieve black belts while other martial arts belts can be achieved in a relatively short time. For example, Taekwondo only takes 3 to 5 years, Judo only takes 3 to 6 years, Aikido only takes 4 to 5 years, and Karate takes around 5 years.

In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, belt promotions do not necessarily associate with skill ability or knowledge of martial art. Obtaining the belts depends on the student and the coach. Sometimes obtaining belts comes from the time spent for practice. Some BJJ teacher values success in the tournament instead of the dedication for the sport. No matter how a Bjj coach assesses the black belt achiever, it does not dismiss the fact that martial art takes the longest time to get the black belt.

BJJ training and competition

Training and competition are the most chance where people get injured during Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Yes, people do get hurt when doing the regular training but the amount is insignificant and strongly related to the training frequency. The suggested training time for Bjj is four training sessions every week. However, people do get addicted to martial art and thus, training excessively when they are fatigued or tired. This reckless action does lead to injuries. But, still, regular training according to the suggested time does not make Brazilian jiu-jitsu dangerous.

Different from training, sparring or competition training has a higher chance of injuries than regular training. This is because during sparing, you train for a competition, so it should be slightly tough. However, the BJJ competition should hold the highest chance of injuries so far. It is no longer training or simple sparring, but a real competition with the real situation. This should lead to more injuries rate but still, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu injuries rate is lower than other martial arts.

The average injuries in BJJ

Even though Brazilian jiu-jitsu is safer than other martial arts, but still it is good to know the common injuries in the sport before you shout oss. Thus, you can be more aware of the body part and be more cautious. The common injuries during Brazilian jiu-jitsu are elbows, ribs, knees, and feet. These body parts can be injured when doing some techniques such as takedowns.

There are lots of techniques that you can do to prevent injuries for example improve armbarsdefense to prevent elbow or arm injury. The common catastrophic injury in Brazilian jiu-jitsu is falling body weight. However, there is no need to be afraid to try martial art because it is relatively a safe one. Also, if you start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the late age, you may consider the injury prevention more than anything so, it will not hold you back from training.

Should you learn BJJ?

Despite the hard training, people love trying martial arts including Brazilian jiu-jitsu for various reasons. Brazilian jiu-jitsu can be a great physical activity to strengthen the body and train motor skills. Since Brazilian jiu-jitsu offers no-striking techniques, it taught the trainee to develop focus and confidence. The martial art is not based on size or power and the techniques are not in a fixed form. This makes trainee can develop their unique technique style. As you develop a technique chain in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, you can implement other movements after observing the opponent’s reaction. That is why people who join Brazilian jiu-jitsu develop good conflict resolution while developing athletic ability.

If you are looking for a low-key martial art, Brazilian jiu-jitsu may be the one for you. This martial art is safer than most other practices. But you can still develop the physical and mental ability for practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

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