On your Brazilian jiu-jitsu journey, most of the lessons you learn will come through the hours you spend on the mat. But what many practitioners miss is the fact that you can learn a lot about the history and techniques of jiu-jitsu by picking up a few BJJ books.
Nowadays, most of the insights that BJJ players pick up outside of the gym come in the form of a blog post or a youtube video. In this article, we’ll show you that you can build on your grappling knowledge through the tried and true method of reading jiu-jitsu books. Read on to find the best BJJ books you should read in 2021.
Can I Learn BJJ from a Book?
Before we look at some of the best books on BJJ, let’s address one concern that many Brazilian jiu-jitsu students have. As you may have heard during your training, some don’t consider jiu-jitsu books to be a viable way to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
To a degree, those people have a point. There is no substitute for the hours you spend on the mat with your coaches and training partners learning phases of combat and practical remedies. But while that represents the bulk of your BJJ learning, it does not mean that jiu-jitsu books can’t help.
Becoming a master through jiu-jitsu books alone is a tall order. So if you approach your reading with that goal, you will be disappointed in actual jiu-jitsu. However, jiu-jitsu books can serve as a great supplement to your drilling and sparring while advancing basic techniques.
Books on BJJ can show you more about the history of the art, and they can help you discover new techniques and tactics that you might not have found otherwise. For that reason, we are confident that reading is a great way to enhance your Jiu-Jitsu skills and competitive jiu-jitsu understanding.
Which are the Best Books to Aid Me While Learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
Learning from the top minds in jiu-jitsu is one of the best ways to advance your game. Below are the seven Brazilian jiu-jitsu books that we believe every Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner should read.
A Roadmap for BJJ
Stephan Kesting may not be a name that a BJJ beginner would recognize. But he has several decades of experience in grappling and has dedicated a lot of that time to share what he has learned. A Roadmap for BJJ is a perfect book about what Kesting can teach you.
This book is ideal for a novice who is just getting their bearings in the art and looking to learn basic techniques. It breaks down the complexity of BJJ by focusing on six primary positions. That approach will make grappling appear more straightforward than ever before, making it one of the best BJJ books for beginners.
Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique
If you are searching for a source of insight into the world of BJJ, there is no better place to look than the Gracie family. In Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique, cousins Renzo and Royler Gracie give you the chance to learn the fundamentals of BJJ from the family that popularized the art.
This book is getting up there in age. But that is only a testament to how timeless the advice in it really is. While most people today focus on the sport version of BJJ in their training, Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and Technique is a book that will introduce you to a style of Jiu-Jitsu and GI techniques that are applicable in real-life confrontations.
Jiu-Jitsu University
A name like Jiu-Jitsu University, you would be right to expect that this book will provide comprehensive schooling on all things BJJ. During those lessons, Saulo Ribeiro, one of the greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu stars, serves as a fantastic professor. In the text, he draws on the experience he gained en route to winning six Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu world championships.
Ribeiro’s wisdom is invaluable to anyone who wants to improve their BJJ. His book focuses on more than 200 highly effective grappling techniques that have proven their worth against the most fearsome competition. Ribeiro also takes time to point out some of the most common Jiu-Jitsu errors so that you don’t need to make an avoidable mistake on the mats.
Mastering Jujitsu
Renzo Gracie proves to be one of the most prolific authors in the Gracie family. In his 2003 book, Mastering Jujitsu, Renzo teams with John Danaher to expose the inner workings of Jiu-Jitsu from all angles.
Whether you’re a blue belt, black belt, or just want to up your belt level; Mastering Jujitsu covers both strategies and specific Gracie Jiu-Jitsu combat system techniques that you can use in nearly any grappling scenario. Renzo also dives into some of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu history of the art so that you have a clear understanding of how modern BJJ came to be.
The Cauliflower Chronicles
The Cauliflower Chronicles may not be a book by one of the greatest BJJ practitioners, but that is part of what makes this perfect book so appealing. The book follows Marshal Carper, a BJJ white belt, as he strives to learn the art from one of his idols.
This book reveals the personal nature of each person’s unique Jiu-Jitsu journey. Hopefully, it will help you find the motivation you need to keep learning and progressing on your own journey within the jiu-jitsu brotherhood.
Kodokan Judo
Technically speaking, this is not a book about BJJ as we know it today. Instead, it gives you a glimpse into the world of Judo, BJJ’s parent style.
Kodokan Judo by Judo’s creator, Jigoro Kano, is the top resource for that martial art. For Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, the book gives a greater understanding of Jiu-Jitsu’s roots as a Japanese art.
The Gracie Way
By now, you should be familiar with the Gracies. If you haven’t heard about them for some strange reason through training, our numerous mentions of that name on this list should tell you something about the indelible mark that the Gracies have left on the world of grappling.
Every BJJ practitioner owes something to the Gracie family. At the very least, it makes sense to understand what the Gracies did to make BJJ a worldwide phenomenon. The Gracie Way is your chance to do that. This book will introduce you to a few of the most prominent members of the family and how they contributed to the growth of BJJ.
Wrap-Up
If you’re looking to advance your closed combat skills or just learn basic techniques, reading books on BJJ can help improve your performance on the mat. Give any of these books a try to delve more into the unique art of BJJ and jiu-jitsu brotherhood.