BJJ eventually came to be its own defined combat sport through the innovations, practices, and adaptation of Gracie jiu-jitsu and judo, and has become one of the essential martial arts for modern MMA.

BJJ revolves around the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger opponent by using leverage and weight distribution, taking the fight to the ground and using a number of holds and submissions to defeat them.

Sparring, commonly referred to as "rolling" within the BJJ community, and live drilling plays a major role in the practitioner's development.

The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is the main governing body of the martial art, establishing the rules and general guidelines, as well as promoting competitions and training of referees.

He left Japan in 1904 and visited several countries giving demonstrations and accepting challenges from wrestlers, boxers, savate fighters, and various other martial artists, and arrived in Brazil on 14 November 1914.

[6][7] In 1917 Gastão's eldest son Carlos Gracie[8] watched a demonstration of ‘Kano jiu-jitsu’ (judo's common name at the time) by Maeda at the Da Paz Theatre and decided he wanted to learn.

In a 1994 interview with Yoshinori Nishi, Hélio Gracie said that he did not even know the word judo itself until the sport came in the 1950s to Brazil, because he heard that Mitsuyo Maeda called his style "jiu-jitsu".

Brazilian jiu-jitsu since its inception did not strictly follow kodokan judo rules, this divergence helped BJJ develop a distinct identity becoming a groundwork and submission focus fighting style.

BJJ also allows heelhooks and knee-reaping which are prohibited in judo, and any takedowns used in wrestling, sambo, or other grappling arts, including direct attempts to take down by touching the legs or dragging the opponent to the ground.

Royce fought successfully against several larger opponents proficient in other fighting styles, including boxing, shootfighting, Muay Thai, karate, wrestling, and taekwondo.

BJJ employs a wide range of takedown techniques to bring an opponent to the ground such as "pulling guard", which is not used in other combat sports such as judo or wrestling.

Renzo Gracie wrote in his book Mastering JUJITSU: "The classical jujutsu of old Japan appeared to have no common strategy to guide a combatant over the course of a fight.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu gyms typically follow a set of ground rules to instill trust, respect, and cleanliness amongst students.

In the strongest form of this position, the practitioner works his knees into the opponent's armpits to reduce arm movements and ability to move or counter submission attempts.

While not an entirely new concept in grappling, as it had origins in nonatei style judo credited to Oda Tsunetane, it gained prominence through De La Riva's use.

Leglocks are allowed in varying degrees depending on skill level, with the most prominent BJJ tournaments typically allowing only the straight ankle lock and muscle stretching submissions such as the "banana split" from white through purple belt, with the kneebar, toehold, and calf slicer submissions being permitted at brown and black belt.

Heel hooks and knee-reaping are illegal in gi BJJ, since they are considered to be exceptionally dangerous techniques, but are allowed by IBJJF rules in no-gi competitions.

In contrast, an air choke (involving constriction of the windpipe) can take up to two minutes, depending on how long the person can hold their breath, and may cause serious damage to the throat.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner's uniform is commonly referred to as gi or kimono is similar to a judogi, but with slight differences in the dimensions and often made of lighter material with tighter cuffs on the pants and jacket.

[42] The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ranking system awards a practitioner different coloured belts to signify increasing levels of technical knowledge and practical skill.

A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu commonly takes more than several years to earn, and the rank is generally considered expert level.

The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, a for-profit organization that hosts a number of tournaments[49] and JJGF, founded by Rickson Gracie, which has focus on both BJJ as self-defense and as a sport.

[51] While there are numerous local and regional tournaments administered regularly by private individuals and academies, there are two major entities in jiu-jitsu circles.

Metamoris, a grappling competition event run by Rose's brother Ralek Gracie, has helped advocate this tournament form.

Another notable example of a submission-only format is the EBI Eddie Bravo Invitational, which was the first televised event of its kind, and is now being featured on UFC Fight Pass.

Other submission-only events have cropped up all over the world including TUFF invitational, Polaris Pro Grappling based in the United Kingdom, Submission Underground backed by longtime MMA star Chael Sonnen, and the QUINTET promotion, devised by Japanese MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba and based around teams of five players each representing a different gym or background.

[53] At tournaments, especially those hosted by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), some athletes engage in a practice called "closing out".

Notable examples of closing out include Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida forfeiting the finals of the Absolute division at the 2018 IBJJF World Championship to his friend Leandro Lo, who had suffered a shoulder injury during a previous match,[55] and frequent close outs between the brothers Paulo and Joao Miyao, who often compete in the same weight division.

Besides the normal strains and pulls associated with most martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners (along with wrestlers, judoka, and other grapplers) are exposed to regular skin abrasions and potential unsanitary mat conditions.

[58] Depending on the severity, many injuries require evaluation by a professional, usually a primary care provider, sports medicine physician, orthopedic surgeon, or physical therapist.