Research

of matches at ADCC 2026 ended by submission (50 of 103, not counting the absolute division).

Source: BJJ Heroes, 2026 ADCC World Championship Results

The rear naked choke has been the most-used finish at every ADCC since 2015. In 2026, back chokes led with 19, followed by straight ankle locks and triangles with 6 each.

Source: BJJ Heroes, ADCC 2026 After Math, Data Compilation and Analysis; BJJ Heroes, 2026 ADCC World Championship Results

of ADCC 2024 submissions were chokes, and 78% attacked the upper body. The top player got nearly three times as many finishes as the bottom player.

Source: BJJ Heroes, ADCC 2024 After Math, Data Compilation and Analysis

heel hook finishes in the women’s ADCC divisions from 2015 to 2022, where lower-body submissions were 13% of finishes.

Source: BJJ Heroes, ADCC Female Division Stats and Analysis

injuries per 1,000 competition matches across eight tournaments. The elbow was the most injured joint, mostly from armbars, and BJJ was lower risk than the other combat sports compared.

Source: Scoggin et al., Assessment of Injuries During Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Competition, Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine (2014)

of injuries in a 2025 survey of 881 practitioners happened in training, mostly during sparring. Knees (25%) and shoulders (13%) were hit hardest, and injury rates were lower at brown and black belt.

Source: Stegerhoek et al., Injury prevalence among BJJ practitioners globally: 881 participants, BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine (2025)

higher knee-injury risk for IBJJF no-gi competitors exposed to heel hooks (26.5 vs 2.2 per 1,000 matches).

Source: Piekarski et al., Knee Injury in Competitive BJJ Athletes: Implications for Training, Sports Health (2026)

of injuries in a survey of 1,140 athletes happened during submissions. The armbar, kimura and heel hook caused the most.

Source: Hinz et al., Injury Patterns, Risk Factors, and Return to Sport in BJJ: 1140 athletes, Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine (2021)

Reviewing motor skills at growing intervals improves retention. That’s how the Review queue works.

Source: The Science of Teaching Jiu-Jitsu, Part 5: Retention (summarising motor-learning research)

Drilling one move over and over gives faster short-term gains, while mixing techniques and positions gives better retention and transfer.

Source: The Science of Teaching Jiu-Jitsu, Part 4: Repetition Models

In a 2026 trial with 60 BJJ athletes, a constraints-based (ecological) program improved reaction time and force development more than traditional training. BJJ-specific evidence is still limited, so treat it as promising, not settled.

Source: Comparison of traditional and ecological dynamical training approaches in BJJ, Frontiers in Psychology (2026)