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Jiu-Jitsu University Paperback – November 17, 2008
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length368 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherVictory Belt Publishing
- Publication dateNovember 17, 2008
- Dimensions8.5 x 0.92 x 10.86 inches
- ISBN-109780981504438
- ISBN-13978-0981504438
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From the Publisher


“Technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious.” —Daisetsu Suzuki
In Jiu-Jitsu University, author Saulo Ribeiro shares with the public for the first time his revolutionary system of grappling, mapping out more than 200 techniques that carry you from white to black belt. Illuminating common jiu-jitsu errors and then illustrating practical remedies, this book is a must for all who train jiu-jitsu.
SEATED MOUNT SURVIVAL
SPINNING ARM BAR
Editorial Reviews
Review
From the Back Cover
About the Author
Kevin Howell is a political science professor based in Huntington Beach, CA. He holds a brown belt in judo and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Product details
- ASIN : 0981504434
- Publisher : Victory Belt Publishing; First Edition (November 17, 2008)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780981504438
- ISBN-13 : 978-0981504438
- Item Weight : 3 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.5 x 0.92 x 10.86 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #8,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Mixed Martial Arts
- #1 in Sports Health & Safety (Books)
- #5 in Martial Arts (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Hello all! My name is Kevin Howell and I am a jiu-jitsu fanatic who's goal is to help in the growth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and grappling both through the sharing of deep personal knowledge and practice. My goal is to make the best use of my over 13 years of grappling experience and education/writing background to create the most unique and sought after grappling related books in martial arts. I am the author of two best selling books on the martial arts: Jiu-Jitsu University with Saulo Ribeiro and Drill to Win with Andre Galvao.
When away from writing, I am either teaching college level political science, spending time with my family, or teaching jiu-jitsu at The Jiu-Jitsu League in Long Beach, California (www.TheJiuJitsuLeague.com).
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book's information and descriptions effective. They appreciate its logical presentation of the basics of jiu-jitsu and its useful structure for reinforcing lessons learned in class. The pictures and illustrations help them better understand position. Many consider it a good value and worthwhile purchase, especially for beginners. The book places an emphasis on defense and survival, which is much more practical and realistic for self-defense. It provides relevant advice and examples from white belt to black belt levels.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book's information quality high. They appreciate the effective structure, pictures, and descriptions. The book is organized to teach lessons as you progress. It provides detailed instructions about techniques and body positions that instructors may miss. Overall, customers find the book helpful and clear to understand.
"...The explanations are very thorough and well done(well edited by Kevin Howell)with only a few places difficult to understand...." Read more
"...you don't "need" one to benefit from the other, the text gives the few CRITICAL points which is good for memorizing the techniques, while the videos..." Read more
"Lots of pictures, explanations and the quality of the paper is impressive, wow!" Read more
"...It’s nice to get more in depth information that they can’t always offer in class...." Read more
Customers find the book helpful for learning jiu-jitsu basics. It provides a good breakdown of essential skills and moves. They appreciate the structure and context it provides for their learning. The book also provides useful information about strategy and philosophy, which is also helpful for them.
"...This book also focuses on competition Jiu jitsu - not self defense or MMA. I read from it nearly daily to help refine my techniques...." Read more
"...other, the text gives the few CRITICAL points which is good for memorizing the techniques, while the videos show the moving details in case you are..." Read more
"This is a great addition to your physical training. It’s nice to get more in depth information that they can’t always offer in class...." Read more
"...My ground game greatly improved as I was surviving and escaping (I read ahead ^_^) from people who had been there for some time longer than myself..." Read more
Customers find the book has clear pictures and descriptions to guide them. They appreciate the graphics and illustrations that help display points. The photos help better understand positions and the style and information are great. Overall, customers find the book beautiful, printed on thick paper with large color photos.
"...The photographs are well done with Saulo Ruberio in a blue Gi and his partner in a White Gi which makes the pictures easier to understand...." Read more
"Lots of pictures, explanations and the quality of the paper is impressive, wow!" Read more
"...This book is 368 pages with lots of pictures and in-depth explanations...." Read more
"...Overall the book is beautiful, printed on thick paper with large color photos...." Read more
Customers find the book provides good value for money. They say it's worth buying, especially for beginners. The survival chapter is a worthwhile purchase in itself, and the tips are priceless. The book has clear pictures and easy language to understand, making it a great choice for fine-tuning skills.
"...Although the DVDs and book overlap, their is no sense of wasting time or money when using both...." Read more
"...The Survival chapter is worth the price of the book itself. Beginners would do well to get this book just for that section." Read more
"...Best choice great when you are on the mat and fine tuning your skill sets. Open the page and have it near by to refer to" Read more
"...for a good book to read I recommend Jiu Jitsu Univeristy It's worth the money and I think you will be very happy with your purchase." Read more
Customers find the book helpful for learning self-defense and survival. They appreciate the detailed explanations and pictures to guide them. The no-gi Brazilian Jui Jitsu approach is considered more practical and realistic for self-defense. The book shows how one can protect themselves, allowing them to become confident in their defense. It helps remove the fear of ending up in a fight by teaching defense and escapes early.
"...on defense, so far this is the only book I have found that makes defense the main topic...." Read more
"...Alot of emphasis on defense/survival. It goes into great detail with pictures to guide you. Each chapter is broken down into belt color...." Read more
"...well organized and drills the basics of surviving positions, escapes, guards, passing, etc. in great details...." Read more
"...The book also shows particular defensive positions you can take and a few scenarios that can happen, and how you ought to respond against them...." Read more
Customers find the book helpful for white belts and beginners. It provides relevant advice and examples from white belt to black belt. The book covers mindset questions for each belt level and what you should focus on while at that belt.
"...This would be great for white and blue belts, but even the upper rank belt would benefit as a reminder of the small technical details that we forget..." Read more
"...This is a book for any belt level. From day one to black belt." Read more
"...This book has stuff for everyone from white belt to black belt." Read more
"...Has a great section for white belts and each section of the book is by belt color/level!..." Read more
Customers find the book's pictures helpful. They say it shows multiple angles of the moves and explains them well. The pictures are labeled.
"...also common mistakes you need to avoid and each technique is shown from alternate angles and presented with labeled photos along with easy to..." Read more
"...which might be missed by some instructors and shows many of these moves from different angles...." Read more
"...The photos are high quality and the author shows each technique from multiple angles...." Read more
"...Another perk of this book is the photos from multiple angles...." Read more
Customers find the moves in the book useful and applicable. They appreciate that it focuses on movement and escapes that culminate in locks or chokes. The book provides a strong base of moves to learn from, with illustrations showing most moves from both sides to better understand what is going on.
"...to read and look at to supplement your training, drilling, and rolling. The step-by-step descriptions and photos really help...." Read more
"...It is fully illustrated with most moves shot from both sides to better see what is going on...." Read more
"...I have learned a lot reading this book and it’s really helped when I roll...." Read more
"...Simple wording with large photos to explain how and why moves/maneuvers work. My jiu jitsu had improved immediately after reading...." Read more
Reviews with images

Excellent guide for the road ahead
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2012I have been a wrestling coach for 25 years and started Jiu Jitsu with my son 6 months ago at the local Martial Arts School after the wrestling season ended. We train 6 days a week for 2-3 hours. I have several BJJ books and DVDs but this has become my go to reference book. I decided to write my first book review today when I bought a second copy of it to give to a frend - because I was unwilling to lend him my copy.
The book is laid out by belts with White Belt learning survival on the bottom from back, mount, side control, etc. Blue belt learns escapes, Purple belt the guard, Brown belt the mount, and Black belt learns submissions. The layout makes it easy to find techniques in the book, even if your school does not follow a similar format.
There are about 200 techniques covered in the book with most of the major techniques covered (though as you know, there are multiple different names for different moves and you still might need to figure out what your school calls a particular move). The photographs are well done with Saulo Ruberio in a blue Gi and his partner in a White Gi which makes the pictures easier to understand. The explanations are very thorough and well done(well edited by Kevin Howell)with only a few places difficult to understand.
There are also drills for the techniques, combinations and set ups for many moves.
Saulo also gives just enough anecdotes to make it personal without distracting from the purpose and flow of the book.
This book has given me a strategy for learning, training and rolling with an emphasis on proper technique(rather than accumulation of a large number of moves).
Highly recommended for beginners.
Update: I have been training Jiujitsu now for 2 years (blue belt 1 stripe) and this is still my go to reference book. Good solid basics for Gi and no-Gi. I have not seen the survival techniques for white belts taught elsewhere and this strategy helped me more than anything to survive against bigger, stronger, younger and more experienced Jiu jitsu players. This book if studied and learned will give a good solid foundation for any school you train with. The only major hole I see is that no take downs are taught. This book also focuses on competition Jiu jitsu - not self defense or MMA. I read from it nearly daily to help refine my techniques. Best Jiujitsu book I have found yet for beginners.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2009If this is not the best book on Jiu-Jitsu then I want to buy whatever is better.
Everyone has pretty much given the run-down on this superb book so I will just touch on a few points that are of particular importance to me:
The breakdown by CHAPTER==BELT COLOR==GOAL, e.g., white=survival, blue=escape, is ESPECIALLY useful for those just starting jiu-jitsu or those teaching.
The white belt "survival postures" and the blue belt escapes from those postures are worth the cost of the book alone. Saulo Ribeiro has managed to keep the survival postures to a minimum (even for side mount where there are numerous top pinning styles and arm positions) and they all seem to work off the same principals and even a similar pattern.
Frequently, Ribeiro shows a better (according to him and his also multi-time world champion brother Xande [shandee]) way to do common techniques, and also shows the common mistakes including what is wrong with the usually given methods for that same technique.
This book immediately made me almost happy to have my back taken (by a similarly experienced and sized opponent) since the very simple defenses and escapes to those positions worked on the first try even though I messed up some of the details. (Really! -- my training partner is a bit stronger, heavier, younger than I am and he has quite a bit of judo training, but he can no longer hold me FROM THE BACK.)
Although the book stands alone, it is especially useful if you have any of Saulo Ribeiro's Jiu-Jitsu Revolution 1 or 2, or Freestyle Revolution DVD sets. Although you don't "need" one to benefit from the other, the text gives the few CRITICAL points which is good for memorizing the techniques, while the videos show the moving details in case you are having trouble or something doesn't make sense.
Although the DVDs and book overlap, their is no sense of wasting time or money when using both.
(BTW, he in no sense means that you must wait to become a purple belt to learn the guard, but rather that the FOCUS is on a particular goal or position for each belt level. In the case of a purple belt, he is saying this is where you focus on MASTERING the guard.)
Is there anything wrong with it? No index, but the contents is so good this is not a deficiency and the book runs the content RIGHT to the last page wasting no space. Crappy font for cover title but how picky can I get? A VERY FEW mistakes in left-right or picture correspondence -- or maybe clarity and I misunderstood, but that isn't very detracting, although I would offer to edit the 2nd edition if they ever re-publish it.)
The techniques WORKS right out of the box (i.e., book) and if you practice it then it is even more valuable.
Much of it is SPECIFICS on HOW to grapple using the techniques as examples rather than as the only answers -- he is teaching grappling using techniques, not JUST a bunch of (useful) techniques. Saulo is teaching us to fish (do jiu-jitsu) WHILE he feeds us some very fine fish (techniques).
If you are a low rank jiu-jitsu play you MUST buy this book if you buy anything.
If you are teaching jiu-jitsu, you owe it to yourself and your students to have and understand this book.
I am reasonably sure that anyone in between (i.e., teacher and low level) will find this book superb, and probably the best, as well.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2025Lots of pictures, explanations and the quality of the paper is impressive, wow!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024This is a great addition to your physical training. It’s nice to get more in depth information that they can’t always offer in class.
This book is 368 pages with lots of pictures and in-depth explanations. When I first started training in BJJ things moved pretty fast and it’s nice to be able to refer to this book to help fill in the gaps that they couldn’t get into in class.
Top reviews from other countries
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HerreroReviewed in Brazil on July 27, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente!
O livro mostra os fundamentos do jiu jitsu com foco em posições eficazes e explicadas de forma didática. O livro é dividido por faixas explicando o que o praticante deve aprender em cada faixa. Um guia prático para iniciantes a graduados!
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Perla ChaconReviewed in Mexico on January 4, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars excelente bibliografía
Muy detalladas las técnicas y las ilustraciones ayudan bastante a comprender la mecánica de cada una. Explica ampliamente el por qué de las etapas del jiujiteiro y cómo debe ir avanzando en cada cinta. Lo recomiendo si estás iniciando en esa disciplina.
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Manu S.Reviewed in Spain on January 22, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy educativo
Lástima que no esté traducido al español, pero si te manejas con el inglés, un pedazo de libro muy educativo que cubre gran parte de los aspectos del aprendizaje del Jiu Jitsu con muchas fotos acompañadas de los elementos clave necesarios para pulir las distintas técnicas, y todo ello bien organizado por objetivos y cinturones.
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MaxReviewed in France on January 19, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Idéal pour cultiver sa théorie
Ouvrage indispensable pour cultiver sa théorie en dehors du tatami ! Très bien documenté et assez denses en informations et astuces
- SiobhReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Great beginner's Jiu-Jitsu book
Really easy to follow with colour pictures showing a step by step break down of particular techniques photographed from two different angles. It illustrates some really useful tips & also highlights common mistakes & what you should not do when you find yourself in certain situations. The book is neatly separated into different sections starting with white belt through to black belt - each section of the book is dedicated to each particular coloured belt. The chapters explain what is expected of each belt & the progress & milestones that you generally should be aiming towards within an approximate timeframe. As a relatively new white belt practitioner, I find this book a really useful tool to reinforce what my Instructor has taught me on the mat. It is a great complement to what I learn in class. I can highly recommend this book.
SiobhGreat beginner's Jiu-Jitsu book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2024
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