Table of Contents
What is combat Jiu Jitsu?
Combat Jiu Jitsu originated as an idea by BJJ maverick Eddie Bravo. After running his successful EBI competition for several years, he decided to ditch the format in favor of Combat Jiu Jitsu. In brief, CJJ is competition BJJ mixed in with open palm strikes or slaps which means the positions and roles of the sport have different implications. Whilst some are fans of the format, others are critical in claiming it offers little relevance when MMA has been done for years for those wanting to combine grappling with striking.
Below is a list of the rules. If you are familiar with the original EBI rules then you will notice they are mostly at present here. The main additions are the introduction of open palm strikes and the coin toss rule to get the action to the ground. Otherwise, it is mostly the same format as EBI and there is of course no gi involved.
Rules:
1. Open palm strikes or slaps are legal. These can be as hard as possible but your fists cannot be clenched and you cannot use kicks.
2. Rounds are 10 minutes long. If there is no winner, then EBI overtime rules follow (you then start on your opponent’s back or in an armbar position and have to submit the opponent quicker than they submit you)
3. Strikes cannot be done whilst both competitors are standing. A competitor must be on the floor for strikes to begin, which means sitting or on their knees.
4. If the match is still standing after one minute, then a horn is sounded. The ref flips a coin and the winner of the coin toss can start in a top position against butterfly guard.
5. To stop stalling, you cannot disengage from the top for more than 30 seconds. If disengaging for longer than this, the time will be added on to your overtime which puts you at a disadvantage.
6. All submissions are considered legal
7. You can win by knockout, submission or in EBI overtime (submission or beating the time of your opponent)
The history of CJJ
Eddie Bravo named the Combat Jiu Jitsu worlds, and it started in 2017 after Bravo had grown increasingly tired of the lack of realistic situations in BJJ. Instead, he wanted a fresh tournament where even the fear of being hit would change the dynamic of matches.
The first result of this format was quite interesting. Perhaps one of the most aggressive grapplers even won the event with relative ease and took home the $20,000 prize money. This was Vagner Rocha who is known to have a grinding, merciless approach. After winning his way to the final – he then beat 10th Planet veteran Nathan Orchard.
Although Orchard has a good bottom game, Rocha exploited this under the CJJ rules. By using palm strikes, Rocha was able to pass his guard and gain mount. From here, he struck Orchard viciously in the head until the ref intervened – deeming the strikes a knockout and victory for Rocha. This was the first time someone had won a Combat Jiu Jitsu tournament and it was the first knockout. Since then, the event has been held yearly.
Criticisms of Combat Jiu Jitsu
Whilst Combat Jiu Jistu has its fair share of fans, it also has some who are less thrilled with its setup. For instance, some argue that it fills a pointless bridge between sport BJJ and MMA. In short, if you want strikes then MMA is the most realistic fighting format. However, if you appreciate pure grappling then sport BJJ is probably more to your taste. Combat Jiu Jitsu offered neither but still involved strikes to a certain extent.
Perhaps one issue is that sometimes the striking can be ineffective. For example, there have been cases of someone getting caught in a heelhook who defend in vain by slapping the thigh of the opponent. Whilst this is a true criticism, it should also be noted that strikes can and do open up the guard – as seen with the success of Rocha.
However, by far the biggest critique of CJJ is that it took away EBI. EBI was very popular among fans as it had a unique and fast-paced ruleset. Arguably, the best thing Eddie Bravo could have done was keep EBI open alongside CJJ and split the prize money between the pair to keep them afloat.
So, is Combat Jiu Jitsu legit for self defense?
Overall, if you want to improve your self defense then MMA training is the best thing do pursue. However, this being said training Combat Jiu Jitsu will certainly improve your BJJ for self defense. One reason for this is that it will force you to re-access your positions in BJJ, especially when playing the guard. For example, if you are willing to sit and stall then you will get punished with strikes involved. This isn’t the case in sport BJJ which could set bad habits for self defense. In brief, by training Combat Jiu Jitsu – you will start to improve your guard and focus on aggressive sweeps and submissions instead of being too passive.
With this said, CJJ is beneficial for self defense and whilst it may not be as realistic as MMA – it is better for self defense than standard BJJ. A good way to train this in the gym would be with a trusted partner who will lightly slap you. This would be preferred compared to a maniac who may slap too hard and risk concussions as a result. With this training method, you can stay safe whilst still learning about the differences that striking brings.
Can I train Combat Jiu Jitsu and compete?
As discussed above, you can train CJJ with a partner albeit most schools do not offer this format. Instead, you may find a similar setup at an MMA gym, but most pure BJJ gyms will not offer this. As a result, you could try this at an open mat or in a more casual setting.
In terms of competition, there are sadly not many CJJ tournaments out there. Most competitions follow a conventional sport BJJ setting. However, if you look hard enough, there are sometimes CJJ competitions. Often these may have slightly different rules to the EBI ones, such as open palm kicks. They also may involve the use of the Gi which also changes the dynamic again. However, generally these competitions are quite uncommon so you may have to go out of your way to find one.
Summary
Combat Jiu Jitsu is an interesting addition to the world of sport BJJ. Whilst it may not satisfy all – I think it deserves a place and should be recognized as something beneficial to the BJJ community. Looking back at traditional martial arts, they have often suffered over the years due to not adapting. As a result, CJJ offers something different and keeps its practitioners on their toes. For those wanting to know more, the highlights of Combat Jiu Jitsu champion Vagner Rocha can be seen below.
