Jiu Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro Book Review

Jiu Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu book that teaches practitioners the techniques required to move from white belt to black belt in his system. Being a six time world jiu jitsu champion and two time ADCC champion with mentors like Rickson Gracie, Ribeiro is as qualified as anyone to write a book on mastering Brazilian Jiu Jitsu principles.

Initially, you'll come across two words in this book— leverage and survival. Both, according to Ribeiro, are very important to learning jiu jitsu. And by reading his creation, you will learn how to use leverage to survive in some very specific ways.

Jiu Jitsu University Specifics

Title: Jiu Jitsu University

Author: Saulo Ribeiro with Kevin Howell

Publisher: Victory Belt Publishing

MSRP: $39.95

Pages and Style: Sturdy Trade Paperback of 368 pages

Jiu Jitsu University Techniques

Ribeiro organized this book according to belts. In the white belt section readers learn how to survive the bad positions they will no doubt be placed in. From there, it goes down in the following way: Blue belts learn how to escape bad positions, purple belts learn about the guard (spider, cross, butterfly, De La Riva, and reverse De La Riva), brown belts acquire knowledge on how to pass the guard, and the black belt section is all about submissions. The table of contents also clearly delineates which techniques are taught where, so it’s quite easy to find what you’re looking for.

Ribeiro’s creation does an amazing job of detailing each technique so that it can be understood quite easily. In fact, Jiu Jitsu University goes a step further than most books by discussing counters, how to react when certain moves fail, and common jiu jitsu mistakes that are often made. So you won’t just learn how to do a technique necessarily. In some cases you’ll learn how to react to your opponent’s techniques and avoid getting in trouble in the first place.

Jiu Jitsu University Photography and Visuals

A curriculum book on jiu jitsu must have clear visuals. Without them, the book is in essence useless. The good thing about Ribeiro’s Jiu Jitsu University is that the photography is clear and the timing of each visual is impeccable. The photography and accompanying descriptions make it as easy as possible to follow each technique to its conclusion.

Sheer Amount of Moves Taught in Jiu Jitsu University

Here’s an example of the detail of each chapter in this book. When it comes to surviving the mount, Ribeiro details the solo mount survival drill, early posture, nullifying the choke, errors made in choke survival, seated mount survival, and common misconceptions. Keep in mind that's just one section. Though he teaches multiple submissions, you won’t learn a lot of fancy ones in this book. In fact, an argument can be made that submissions make up the smallest amount of moves the book delves into, as the black belt section details only twenty eight. That said, you’ll understand each of these moves very well after reading Jiu Jitsu University. Besides, without the other aspects of jiu jitsu he teaches you may not get to submissions anyway.

The Final Word: Jiu Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro (with Kevin Howell) is an oustanding book for those interested in learning about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Each and every technique is detailed very clearly, including the quality photography that accompanies it. That plus the way that Ribeiro conveys the common mistakes that are often made and counters to certain positions make it an outstanding addition to your jiu jitsu resources. It is highly recommended.