MMA Training Book Review: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique
Written by Mike on August 31, 2008 – 10:16 pm -MMA is mixed martial arts and by definition combines several arts like boxing, wrestling, kickboxing and submissions. For one to train mma, one has to have a good base art. Some mixed martial artists are primarily submission specialists like UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira or UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn. Many of these submission specialists have a background in one of today’s most popular grappling arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).
"Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Theory and Technique" with authors Renzo and Royler Gracie on the cover
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the integral arts to mma training. In fact many practitioners discovered BJJ from Royce Gracie’s performance in the first few UFC’s basically making those pay-per-view events, an infomercial for jiu-jitsu. The book “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Theory and Technique,” by veteran fighters and trainers in mma Renzo and Royler Gracie, is a good book for learning the basics of BJJ. The book focuses mainly on gi training. Keep in mind however, that many of today’s top grapplers feel their game is more complete, tighter or that they have better technique thanks to gi training. (That gi vs no-gi debate can be discussed better in another place. For now let us focus on the benefits of this book for having a foundation prior to beginning mma training.)
The book itself has information presented in a concise, accurate, format that has a good flow. E.g. technique A is standing up in the closed guard. Technique B will then be sweeping someone who stands up from the closed guard. Technique C will feature a counter to that sweep. Technique D will then be the armbar counter to the sweep counter. Photographs are color-coded and well-arranged. There is plenty of text to enhance one’s learning process. Hand positions and other details are pointed out well. The color coding is somewhat questionable though because many techniques can be done by advanced students no matter their rank.
Advanced practitioners may be turned off by the basic techniques presented in BJJ: Theory & Technique. Thing is, even the best student in bjj or the best fighter training mma may have forgotten a few details along the way. This book can help sharpen one’s techique in various sweeps or submission. To illustrate, many of Nogueira’s submissions came from basic triangle chokes and armbars. BJ Penn’s highlight frequently has him finishing off contenders with a rear naked choke, the hold he used to win the welterweight and lightweight belts.
So if you’re thinking of training mma, you have to build a foundation in an art. Training all aspects of the fight game from the beginning is not always recommended. If the foundation you want is submissions and jiu-jitsu is the art of your choice, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique is an excellent manual to have when starting at the bottom rung of your bjj/ mma training ladder. It is also a good place for an advanced submission wrestler to brush up on their basics, the key to success in the art.
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