Brazilian Jit Jitsu for Wrestlers

Is this what people think of when they think of wrestlers? Maybe. Who knows. Who cares. This is Mark Kerr and he was a collegiate wrestler. He was also an absolute champion in the ADCC. The fact is when people step into any arena they’re just a little extra scared. Why? Because wrestlers are scary. Wrestlers do an hour of cardio just to warm up for two hours of wrestling. Wrestlers starve themselves just to compete like two rabid wolves. Why do they do it? If you wrestled then you know. You know you’ll always be a wrestler. If you never wrestled you’ll never know. It’s too late for you.

So what hell do wrestlers do as adults? We do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It’s one of the few activities where the development of such a skillset can be useful in adulthood. Take those double legs and turn them into side control. Take those switches and turn them into back takes.

BJJ learned early on that wrestlers are hard to handle. It’s the reason most grapplers with previous wrestling experience are forced to enter tournaments at a much higher level than dictated by their BJJ experience. They’ve grappled before they say. They have insane cardio they say. Indefatigable they say.

However, it doesn’t take long for wrestlers to realize that at higher levels the story becomes more complicated. Especially in the gi. “NAGA Expert” may sound enticing after a tournament where you’ve won the no-gi division, gotten your horrendously tacky belt, and had your arm raised. It’s only after getting picked apart at an IBJJF event does it become clear that the transition from wrestling to BJJ may more far more complicated than you thought.

This site is dedicated to those individuals. High level grapplers with previous wrestling experience who study and analyze BJJ on a regular basis. Like many individuals I believe that studying people with similar experience and body style is most effective when searching for techniques with the greatest applicability and efficacy. Many wrestlers lose sight of their previous experience once they’ve been guillotined for the 50th time or instinctively turtle roll after roll. We must harness our previous abilities and yet maximize their effectiveness for jiu jitsu.

So here begins our quest. No different than great BJJ Blogs like BJJ Scout, JJ Lab, or Bishop BJJ, just the filling of another necessary niche in the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Let’s do this,

Aaron Kampe