Hi guys:

Well, that´s my question: What are BJJ´s strong and weak points?

Thanks in advance

In my opinion, it's greatest strength is ground fighting and throws when stand up grappling. It's weakness would be striking including kicking as well as punching. The last time I answered a question like this I started a flame war. From what I have seen and done BJJ has all you need for ground fighting. If I had to fight a skilled BJJ fighter I'd much rather stay on my feet.

I'd like to know the same question with a twist. It seems that B.J.J. receives all the press, is this because it is the predominate style in the U.S? Is B.J.J. inherently better than other styles of Ju-Jitsu? What are its weak and strong points against other styles of Ju-Jitsu?

Gawd man narrow your question. What other styles of jujutsu are you talking about? Judo? Kito ryu? Aikijujutsu? Go check out ebudo then come back here with a reformulated query. In any event it's the practitioner not the specific art. I larned that when I choked Tim out just the other day (not).

Whatever -
Your a d**k. Stay out of the conversation if you have nothing to offer. You want El Chamuco to list everytype of Ju-Jitsu? Will you then critique each one with your expertise? I know that BJJ is heavy on ground fighting were other Ju-Jitsus have a mix of stand-up incorporated in them. Is this what you meant El Chamuco?

Enough said. I'm staying out of this conversation.

Whatever -
Is Judo considered a type of Ju-Jitsu?

Hey Den,
Weak point: rules (always a weak point in any system). I'm not referring to rules of posture, relaxation, etc.; rather I'm referring to rules such as "no eye gouging," "no throat crushing," etc. Technically, such rules aren't a part of Ju-Jitsu, therefore they really don't exist in BJJ & therefore aren't a weak point; but since beginners are taught to use rules, & because rules are usually adhered to in practice without even thinking of the other options (a.k.a.: breaking the rules), this "watered down" Ju-Jitsu may become automatic in street application (thereby dulling the edge of BJJ's combat effectiveness).
Weak point: attitude. Again this is individual & not truly a part of BJJ; unfortunately some (many) BJJ practitioners (not the high-level ones) tend to think of themselves as invincible (they then get cocky & go looking for or starting trouble -- much like many American karateka in the 1960's & 70's as they too thought they had invincible stuff, buying in to the ad campaigns of their time).
Weak point: "Stand-up" skills are good, but not as highly developed as its "Mat" (a.k.a.: "Ground-Fighting" skills. Some arts spend more time &/or place more emphasis early on on striking & throwing from a standing posture (& some even specialize in fighting from a kneeling or sitting posture). In this light, all martial arts have weak points in that all specialize on their own respective "A" at the expense of "B, C, D, etc."
Weak-point/Strong-point: the individual practitioner. How healthy are you? How much martial knowledge do you have? How much do you actually apply that knowledge? How much of that knowledge is ingrained as martial skill from practice (or are you natural already) so that you always/almost always apply that knowledge? Do you have any mental blocks?
I will give an example of a mental block from something I witnessed in the 1970's (I was a kid "helping dad" -- my dad being Inglewood Police Department's rangemaster at the time): a Japanese-American would-be police rookie was on the pistol range & was firing very well. He was at or near the top in his class in police-type subjects; that is, until the moment when the combat-application part of the course required him to shoot left-handed while concealing most of his body behind a wall -- HE COULDN'T (WOULDN'T) SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER! The grip of his left trigger-finger was adequate, but he wouldn't squeeze the trigger. The poor man was in tears (he washed out -- he couldn't be a law-enforcement officer). Later I heard that the police psychiatrist determined that he had been brought up to believe that things done with the left hand are evil! The poor guy just didn't want to do anything evil -- that's commendable, but it hampered his otherwise excellent shooting abilities (his martial ability).
Approximately 22 Japanese-Americans earned (Congressional) Medals of Honor during a campaign in Italy during WWII. I imagine that not all of them were brought up the same way (but I really don't know).

Hey El Chamuco,
Currently Brazilian Ju-Jitsu is receiving beau-coup press due to a very smart promotional campain by the Gracie family -- starting with their Ultimate Fighting Championship(s) of the mid-1990's (they've since sold the rights). Gracie-(Brazilian)-style Ju-Jitsu (BJJ) has been in the U.S. much longer, but went relatively un-noticed until this brilliant ad campaign.
BJJ is an excellent form of Ju-Jitsu -- it adheres to many of the basic principles found in the "internal" Chinese arts & in Japanese Ninpo Tai-Jutsu; but unlike these other arts, BJJ has developed the ground-fighting aspects to a very high level (as unlike these other arts it was developed in more modern times when the chances of getting speared or otherwise punctured, sliced, or crushed by nearby supporting enemy troops wasn't a major concern; the older arts probably didn't develop their ground-fighting as much since there wasn't much chance to use it -- as the "other guy" almost always had armed allies nearby during their respective periods of development).

Hey Anonymous (Sat., 4Nov, 1:20p),
Judo is a type of Ju-Jitsu. Judo is Ju-Jitsu. Judo is Ju-Jitsu whose techniques have been catagorized, departmentalized & in some cases modified for the sake of safe practice. Take away the modifications & blend all of its catagories in usage & you have got Ju-Jitsu -- great Ju-Jitsu! However, not all judoka practice appropriately [I've seen suppossedly high-level amature matches where the winners win by using their larger size & weight against their opponents; that is, they "muscled" their way thru their matches; "muscling" (using brute force-against-force) was never a part of the original judo instruction; rather, judo was originally taught as a "soft," "internal-like" art of yeilding to & redirecting an opponents force -- with well-placed/well-timed hand, elbow, knee, foot, & head strikes to help facilitate a throw, lock/break, or choke]. Complete Judo (as described above) is really great stuff, but its ground work isn't quite as highly developed as the BJJ (again, possibly due to the environment/time that it was developed in).

Excellent analysis Mike.

Macaco fino

Thanks,Mike. You answered my question precisely. I knew YOU would come through.

Thanks a lot Mike!

Wonderful amount of information!

Den.

Just a note on history, BJJ was developed from Judo. Maeda (the teacher of the Gracie family) was a black belt from the Kodokan (the school of Judo's founder, Jigoro Kano). The Gracie family learned Judo then modified it somewhat with special emphasis on the groundfighting techniques.

Tim:

Just curious if you're going to add an overview essay on BJJ to accompany the excellent ones on taijiquan, baguazhang and xingyiquan on your website. You've been studying/training in BJJ intensively for, what, 7 or more years now. I know you're busy with the power-training book and other projects, but it would be great to see a little presentation of BJJ history/principle/technique like you have for the other arts.

Just a thought.

Rbbt,
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm planning to add some info in the near future.

Tim,

What do you think are the weaknesses of BJJ?

I think that in a one-on-one situation its hard to beat.

Most BJJ schools spend little time on stand up fighting. There are exceptions, but in most BJJ academies most of the time is spent ground grappling. BJJ schools that also participate in Vale Tudo events will have more stand up, including striking. Most BJJ academies will also train at least part of the time without the gi, which is good preparation not only for submissions wrestling but also the street. Bjj includes a range of practical 'self defense' techniques (dealing with standing attacks, escapes from holds...), but in my experience, most schools don't spend much time on them. The ground fighting is, of course, the focus of training and where BJJ excels.

Tim,

First I would like to say that all your posts are great. I really find your art and webpage very interesting.

I recently began studying BJJ, how would your art complement my art?

Great response, Tim!

I agree.