In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, there are certain rules in place to protect each other. For instance, you can’t slam your opponent because this could cause a serious spinal injury. Other rules are in place and most are universal, including the rule regarding the bending of fingers in BJJ.
If you’ve trained for several years, then the chances are that you’ll have sustained finger injuries at some point. Sadly, these are quite common and are usually caused by accident. Nonetheless, you’ll know how annoying they can be whilst you try and heal or train around an injury. So, is bending fingers legal and if so why is this the case? Read on for more information.
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Is it legal to bend fingers in BJJ?
In practically every BJJ rule set, bending the fingers is illegal. The reason for this is that most grappling competitions are against small digit manipulation. This also means that bending toes is also not allowed. Although bending fingers may not be as damaging as slamming someone, it’s still something that is taken pretty seriously.
Usually, it takes over a month to recover a sprained finger which is irritating as it stops you from training properly and may cross over into your personal life. For instance, if your job requires lifting things then this can be a pain.
However, imagine if someone bent your finger and literally broke it which would take months to heal and potentially require surgery. This may not be as bad as eye gouging or something, but it’s still bad enough to ban. Furthermore, it would be quite easy to bend and snap fingers if possible as they’re easy to access and are vulnerable to this.
Why do BJJ newcomers bend fingers?
Often, new white belts will bend fingers which is mostly for two reasons. The first reason is that they genuinely don’t know the rules. Remember, when you first start training BJJ, you may be confused by certain things. For instance, doing a toehold is fine, but if you grip inside a sleeve then that’s illegal and so on.
Therefore, it’s quite instinctual to naturally grab at fingers which is why BJJ beginners do this regularly. The second reason is often a natural defense mechanism. Often, newbies will grab at the fingers to defend bow and arrow chokes as it can stop the choke and isn’t an awful defense. Even if they know it’s illegal, some people will do it without thinking especially when new.
Bending four fingers is legal, kind of
Having said this, bending four fingers in BJJ is legal. If you hold all four fingers together then this is allowed as it’s seen as grabbing an extension of the wrist. Arguably, if you try and bend back four fingers at once, it’s not really possible due to the width, whereas doing it with one digit is much easier.
Sometimes, people will grab four fingers at once to defend against certain grips and chokes. At the same time, grabbing one, two, or three fingers isn’t legal. In theory, you could possibly perform a wrist lock by grabbing the four fingers if you generated enough torque from the grip, although it would be quite difficult. Remember, wristlocking in BJJ is completely legal.
What happens if my training partner bends my fingers?
If someone bends your fingers and it hurts, you can either continue or tell them. If they’re new, you may be doing them a favor by alerting them to the rules of BJJ. Remember, if they continue doing it then at some point they may annoy someone who decides to punish them for it. At the same time, it’s your choice.
However, if they’ve been told and they keep doing it then you have a few options. Firstly, you can tell your teacher who can have a word with them. Perhaps hearing it’s illegal from an authority figure will make them stop. Alternatively, you can take justice into your own hands and go harder on them. So long as you don’t hurt them, this may be a tough but needed lesson to teach them that in BJJ, bad behavior has consequences. As mentioned though, it’s your call.
Conclusion
Bending figures is illegal in BJJ for good reason. It may not be life threatening but it’s certainly annoying and isn’t really needed within BJJ as a martial art. In fact, most grappling martial arts have banned finger bending. Even in MMA which is considered much more brutal and tough compared to BJJ, bending the fingers is also illegal too.
With this in mind, don’t be that guy when you’re training as it will probably create enemies and tension within your gym. If you’re unsure about the legalities of BJJ, it’s always best to ask a higher belt to see what their advice is. Thankfully, bending fingers is a fairly minor issue within BJJ though so hopefully you’ll be ok.
If you’ve injured your fingers whilst training, check out this protective tape to help you recover.
