Claudio Calasans: How To Adapt Judo For BJJ

By Corey Kuropas, December 07, 2016

When it comes to Judo in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Claudio Calasans should be someone that pops into your mind right away. Calasans, a Judo black belt and a BJJ black belt, who trains out of the world famous Atos school has adapted his Judo greatly for BJJ competition. It is not an easy task, going from Judo to Jiu Jitsu. The rules are different, the emphasis is different and you’ll notice this not only from technique, but to sparring as well. What can an experienced Judoka do to adapt their Judo to BJJ? Claudio Calasans has some true insight on this matter.

When you roll, start standing

While every Jiu Jitsu match will no doubt hit the ground, the matches do not start there. Every Jiu Jitsu bout starts standing up on the feet. This will give the Judoka an easier transition to the art. If every time, a sparring match starts from the knees, the Jiu Jitsu practitioner will have the advantage from the get go. By starting standing, it gives the Judoka an opportunity to hit a takedown, throw or trip and establish a dominant position. This is also a good thing for the BJJ practitioner because he will have to learn these takedowns or become an excellent guard puller.

Not every throw is good for BJJ

When it comes to throwing techniques, Judo has such a fantastic repertoire. But you will have to realize that not every throw will be good to BJJ. Many of the safe throws from Judo will transfer just fine. But some that require to turn your back too much can be your downfall. You need to pick the throws that do not expose your back too much, otherwise you’ll be getting tapped left and right.

Drill those throws

Going off the last point, you need to drill those throws for BJJ as much as you can. Drill the grips, drill the foot work, and drill the actual technique. If you think you’re drilling the throw too much, you’re not. You need to become an expert with those throws. Then in sparring, seek those techniques out. Aim to hit one every time that you and your sparring partner are both on your feet. This will help out immensely.

Claudio Calasans is one of the stars of BJJ because of his adapted use of Judo. He can flow seamlessly throw both arts to overwhelm and dominate his opponent. If you are an experienced Judoka who is coming over to BJJ, then take these ideas from Claudio and put them into action. Do yourself a favor and check out his DVD set, Giant Killing. It’s helpful for Judoka’s and Jiu Jitsu practitioners alike.

Claudio Calasans Giant Killing for $77.