Combat Jiu Jitsu 101: A Beginner’s Guide To Combat Jiu Jitsu

Over the years, Jiu Jitsu has gained in popularity, so much so that the traditional forms of Jiu Jitsu have been revised somewhat to create a more competitive style of Jiu Jitsu. Combat Jiu Jitsu is a mix between Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). 

If this sounds like something you are interested in but you don’t yet know enough to sign up to classes, well, you’re in the right place. This beginner’s guide to Combat Jiu Jitsu tells you everything you need to get started in this exciting sport! 

What Is Combat Jiu Jitsu? 

BJJ is a calm sport. Yes, it’s full contact, but open palm strikes are not permitted. In relation to other full-contact sports, it’s a lot more tame, focussing on technique, precision, and poise, rather than force. 

And that’s how Jiu Jitsu remained for many years. That is, until Eddie Bravo became a household name within the sport. He is an athlete that bridges the gap between MMA and BJJ, and thus a new form of Jiu Jitsu was born to accommodate his style: Combat Jiu Jitsu. 

Combat Jiu Jitsu takes all the skills required of BJJ and adds in more contact. Open palm strikes are common in Combat Jiu Jitsu, and thus the traditionally calm BJJ became a little less calm. 

This exciting, relatively new form of Jiu Jitsu is becoming more and more popular, because it is focussed on real-life self-defense – teaching those who practice Combat Jiu Jitsu techniques that will help them in a real-life fight should they find themselves in a position where they need to defend themselves. 

What Are The Rules Of Combat?

Below is a complete list of the rules of Combat Jiu Jitsu, so you know what a fight would look like in practice: 

• A match lasts for 10 minutes, with overtime if necessary.
• Open palm strikesareallowed, butonlywhen competitors are on the ground. Strikes are forbidden when both competitors are standing.
• Open palm strikes are allowed to the face or body of your opponent.
• A competitor is considered to be ‘downed’ when their knees or buttocks hit the floor.
• Combat Jiu Jitsu is designed to be in constant action, so if after 1 minute there have been no takedowns to allow open palm strikes, then the referee will intervene and implement the ‘get down’ rule. A coin will be flipped, and the winner decides if they will be on top in the butterfly guard or on bottom.
• Competitors are allowed to be in the purgatory position for 30 seconds over the course of the entire match. This is when one competitor is standing whilst the other is on the ground. Any time spent in this position over the 30 second limit will be added to the overtime result to prevent competitors from stalling.
• If a player is in full guard of their competitor, or their competitor is in a leg entanglement with them, then this is not considered purgatory. If they break guard or disengage from the leg entanglement, then they have 10 seconds to re-engage before the purgatory timer starts again.
• All submissions are allowed.
• Matches are won by either submission, technical knockout (TKO), or during overtime.

How Is Combat Jiu Jitsu Practiced? 

Combat Jiu Jitsu was first introduced to the masses during an Eddie Bravo Invitational tournament, in which the new open palm strike system was allowed on the ground. 

The crowd generally received it well across the 3 fights in which it was introduced, and ever since Combat Jiu Jitsu has been seen as a legitimate form of Jiu Jitsu that aids in self defense. 

It’s more complicated than BJJ, because you now have to think about ways of preventing yourself from being hit too, so lots of people have felt drawn to it. 

Ever since its introduction at the Eddie Bravo Invitational, Eddie Bravo has stepped away from these tournaments to focus more on the Combat Jiu Jitsu world championships. 

More and more competitors are becoming involved in the sport each year, with backgrounds in both BJJ and MMA, because competitors from both camps can see the benefits of the sport. 

If you’re interested in seeing the fights in action, then check out some highlights from the Combat Jiu Jitsu World Championships for a look at the sport in practice. 

Should You Learn Combat Jiu Jitsu? 

The only person who can answer that question is you. If you want to learn more about the sport and allow yourself to pick up Combat Jiu Jitsu techniques that help you with self defense, then yes, learn it. 

It’s a great way to stay fit, it’s an exercise of the mind and the body, and it teaches you amazing techniques such as takedowns, submission holds, and ways to strike your opponent to keep them from striking you. 

The rules involved are also a great way to keep you focussed and they allow you to fight in a relatively safe manner whilst still practicing good fighting techniques. 

Some people may not wish to take part in a competitive sport that involves combat, in which case BJJ may be better suited to you. One thing’s for sure though, Combat Jiu Jitsu is becoming more and more popular, so if you’re interested, then you should think about taking the next steps. 

Next Steps

If you’ve researched Combat Jiu Jitsu, have watched videos of the sport in practice, and feel as though it is something you would like to learn, then your next steps are simple: You need to get involved in some classes. 

GBJJ can help you with a range of classes that will teach you all the latest Combat Jiu Jitsu techniques, rules, and submission holds to get you started. Learning with GBJJ can be a really transformative experience and it’ll get you ready for taking Combat Jiu Jitsu as far as you wish to take it. Want to learn as a way of keeping fit whilst learning some self defense? That’s fine. Want to learn the in’s and out’s of the sport so you can take it to competition level? GBJJ can help you with that too, so sign up for classes today!