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Whether you grew up on the mats or not, wrestling can seem completely foreign – and more than a little intimidating – to the average jiu-jitsu practitioner. But with the increasing popularity of submission grappling style events that favor explosive takedowns over pulling guard, understanding the fundamentals of wrestling has become crucial for anyone serious about their competitive career… or just anyone who don’t want to get out-classed on the mat by the younger generations.
So, whether you’re a serious athlete looking for that extra edge in the tournaments, or just a BJJ practitioner looking to take your game to the next level, it’s time to consider adding some wrestling to your repertoire.
But where do you start? In this article, we’ll give you a quick breakdown of what wrestling is, a few key concepts that you can begin incorporating into your game, and a short list of BJJ-friendly takedowns that you can try to master first.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is one of the fastest growing, most exciting sports in the world today. Not only are there millions of practitioners from every corner of the globe, but there’s an entire, robust industry centered around it. From academies big and small, to a variety of event promotions, gear and apparel companies, and even jiu-jitsu specific health products and services, BJJ offers a tremendous number of career and business opportunities for anyone and everyone willing to put in the work.
It hasn’t always been that way. Even just a couple decades ago, there was just a handful of individuals who had “cracked the code” for making a living out of the gentle art. And it wasn’t easy, but their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit laid the foundation for the industry emerge.
One such individual is Bruno Munduruca, founder and CEO of the global jiu-jitsu brand Kingz. Just last month during the IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Con, Bruno sat down with Jiu-Jitsu Con Talks to share his story on how he endeavored to build one of the most successful jiu-jitsu companies in the world.
Certainly, the roots of this sport we all love – Brazilian jiu-jitsu – are far deeper than 100 years, as many others have already written extensively about. However, it was a hundred years ago, in 1925, that the first Brazilian academy dedicated to the evolving new style of martial art was born. Since then, BJJ has experienced growth unlike any other sport or martial art in history.
In all the excitement of the current state of the sport, it’s easy to forget its history. On this, the centennial anniversary of the first BJJ academy, we decided it was a good time to give a refresher course on jiu-jitsu’s evolution.
As you may or may not already know, experiencing an injury on the mat during your Brazilian jiu-jitsu journey is not an “if”… it’s a “when.”
Accidents happen all the time. It doesn’t matter how strong or talented you are, or how much you prepare your body to withstand the rigors of BJJ training, you cannot avoid or anticipate everything. There are simply too many factors involved: the dynamic movements, your partner’s actions and reactions, other people rolling on the mat, and even how you might be feeling that day or how much sleep you got the night before. All of these contribute to the potential for injury. You might even sustain an injury off the mat that will force you to stop training for a while.
Yes, it sucks. What is worse, however, is returning to jiu-jitsu without a strategy to keep you from re-injuring yourself, thereby prolonging your time off the mat. Believe us, we've all been there.
Last weekend completed one of the most exciting events in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu calendar: The IBJJF World Championships. We say this every year, but it’s always true… this was one of the most exciting Worlds Championship yet!
This year, there were some familiar faces on the podium, but we saw even more shakeups, as the latest generation of champions are making themselves known.
Even more exciting? Nine of our amazing Kingz Athletes hit the top of the podium… a few of them (FIVE in total) leveling up as they did so! If there’s nothing better than that feeling of being crowned World Champion, second best has got to be the pride in seeing one of your own make it.
