Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the safest martial arts, but it doesn’t mean that is harmless. The main goal of BJJ is overpowering opponents cleanly and respectably using leverage to attack joints and sensitive points of the body. It’s a beautiful concept, as it gives the adversary the opportunity of giving up without getting hurt. Still, Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, so there are dangers involved. But can Brazilian Jiu Jitsu kill?
As a general rule, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can kill, despite being one of the safest martial arts. The most deadly techniques are chokes when hold for too long. Also, there are forbidden techniques that can cause serious injuries and kill, the reason why they are illegal in training and competitions.
Chokes Can Be Dangerous
The most deadly techniques in BJJ are chokes, especially when hold for too long, for an obvious reason: this type of attack interrupts the flow of oxygen to the brain, which can lead the person who suffers the action to unconsciousness or even death. But fatal chokes are super rare in training sessions and even in competitions, as students are often instructed to immediately release the position if the adversary tap, ask for you to stop or pass out. Passing out is never a good thing, but it happens sometimes. Despite being a strong scene, there’s nothing to worry about. If the choke is released immediately, in a few seconds the fighter returns to consciousness – and the best part: through an organism’s defense mechanism, without remembering what happened.
Forbidden Techniques In BJJ
In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu there are forbidden techniques. It doesn’t matter how experienced you are, some movements are just out of question. That’s because over the years the martial art evolved and through blood, sweat, and tears big names in the sports and federations surged to avoid serious injuries and deaths in the sport of Jiu-Jitsu. Some of these techniques are often used in MMA, but it doesn’t mean they can be used in BJJ training or competition. Here are two examples of forbidden techniques that are illegal in BJJ because of the potential to cause permanent damage or even death:
Bate-Estaca (The Slam or Power Bomb)
The slam (also called powerbomb or “bate-estaca” here in Brazil) is a simple, yet super dangerous move – you pick up a person that’s on the ground, lift in the air, and slam them back on the ground. Usually, their back is the surface hits the floor first, causing immediate shortness of breath due to the power in the blow, which can make the person faint quickly. But this is not even the worst-case scenario. In some instances, slams might end up with the person hitting the floor with their head or cervical region, a potentially deadly situation. The slam is illegal in any BJJ school, and also in competitions (GI and NO-GI). When it does occur, the fighter that executes the technique is immediately disqualified.
I have a terrible experience with “bate-estaca”, or as it’s called in English: the slam. After I was training BJJ for about 1 month, a friend of mine asked me to show him some techniques. At that was training Taekwondo as well, and he was a training partner (Taekown Black Belt these days). I showed him a couple of movements and then he challenged me for a 2-minute roll. It was a friendly invitation, and as I was rolling at the gym every day at the time I accepted the challenge and we started. What a mistake! He was a good guy, and a good friend of mine, but he had no idea how dangerous (and forbidden) it is to apply a slam.
After a few seconds of rolling, I pulled him to the closed guard, and as a reaction movement, he immediately stood up and slammed me on the floor. Everything happened so fast that I did not have the chance of saying him to stop. About 30 seconds after the slam I woke up with Toni, another great friend, and great fighter that unfortunately passed away (miss you brother) waking me up desperately. My luck was that I only hit the back region at the time of the fall, mainly because of my Judo background. This prevented more serious injuries to the head and cervical region that could have permanently incapacitated me or even killed me. This is just a simple example of how dangerous this movement is.
Neck Cranks
Neck cranks are more common and even valid in some NO-GI competitions. However, those techniques have the potential to kill or cause serious injuries such as permanent incapacitation. The cervical region is super sensitive, so overloading this area with a crank (especially if it is a sudden move that the person is not prepared for) is super dangerous and sometimes fatal. Even when it’s a valid move, this kind of attack is limited to high-level athletes, brown and black belts. In MMA this kind of attack is also legal and super-risky, especially when the fighter tries to resist the pressure.
Fortunately, serious injuries and deaths in BJJ are super rare events. Like with any martial art, accidents can happen, but respecting the rules and not using illegal techniques help to avoid most injuries related to Jiu-Jitsu. That’s why it’s so important to stick to the movements allowed to your age/belt to prevent hurting yourself and others. In addition, once again: never keep holding a choke or submission after your training buddy tap or ask for you to stop. This is vital for a long-term BJJ career/training life.
Related Questions
Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Deadly? As a general rule, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not deadly but is a martial art that has techniques with the potential to kill. The most lethal moves are chokes and neck cranks. Also, the slam, called “bate-estaca” in Brazil is a forbidden BJJ technique that can kill.
Has Anyone Died Doing Jiu-Jitsu? There are registers of people that died doing Jiu-Jitsu. Most deaths occur due to pre-existing health issues. However, there are cases of deaths caused by chokes or forbidden moves. But these cases are super rare, and BJJ is considered the safest martial art.
Why Is Jiu-Jitsu Deadly? Jiu-Jitsu is deadly because it’s a martial art with techniques that can easily kill, like chokes, slams, and neck cranks. Despite BJJ being safe, if a technique is applied with bad intentions, it can cause severe pain, permanent damage, and even death.
