Mastering The 21 Immutable Principles Of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: The Ultimate Handbook for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Students

At the time of the writing of this review, I am new to BJJ as a sport, wearing a white belt, but I come to it with 15 years of experience practicing a high-end competitive Judo and instructing in Judo a superb, 6x BJJ world champion, another BJJ black belt, and several upper degree BJJ practitioners. In other words, I am new to the art/sport as a formal practitioner, but I am fairly experienced and qualified to judge, and with plenty of "hours" in submission grappling to know what I am looking for when it comes to a BJJ book. With all of these experiences in mind, when I started BJJ I started looking for the source that is not showing me the umptieth complicated technique and the latest variation of the x,y,z guard, but the one that tells me what makes BJJ really work. What are the principles of the sport/art ... what fundamentals underlie the techniques. What is the closest to the essence of BJJ as one can find. I looked for this because I looked before and found similar sources for Judo which really helped me "made" my Judo, (Judo has dozens of techniques too, but there are also some core principles that are far more valuable to learn to become an expert than to learn every variation of every nage or ne waza technique). This book gave mostly did accomplish to give me that access to the "wisdom" that I was looking for it. Not talking about the particular variations of techniques but really teaching you what makes BJJ a BJJ, what is its practical philosophy, what makes it work, and how should you absorb it. It is also an interesting general read. Paulo Guillobel loves chess, and he quotes the chess masters throughout the book, which I find it extremely fitting, and just satisfying. Furthermore, he truly decomposes the principles and gives a very good breakdown of the fundamentals in every area - positioning, techniques, anatomy, etc. Beware, it is a short book, and it is more a book of practical wisdoms than a in-depth tutorial. It complements very nicely Saulo Ribeiro's Jiu Jitsu University. Finally, it is also well written. Non-pretentious, but competent and engaging. Only thing left desired are better photos, but the book comes with a free access to videos of the demonstrated principles which more than compensates for the OK photos. With all this said -- I give it an easy five. For fellow Judoka or those familiar with Judo books - I would compare this book to "Judo Heart and Soul" by Hayward Nishioka.

I don’t leave many reviews, but felt this book was worth the time. I have been practicing Jiu Jitsu for about 1.5 years now and found this book very helpful. It is written clearly, and covers what you would expect from the title: fundamental principles. I have probably heard all or most of it before, but this book does a nice job of summarizing and explaining the how and why. The videos that accompany the book (link to the videos are provided in the book, just need a quick registration) are great too, although there isn’t any new information provided in the videos, the visual and auditory intake of the information helps to lock the information into your memory. I would recommend reading this in pieces, one chapter a week, so that you can focus a few practices on each principle before moving to the next. I also think this would be an excellent book to read on a regular basis, say once per year, as your skills develop.

good content, respectable author print quality is the bad. these books look 5 years worn out after a brief brisk read

If you train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mastering The 21 Immutable Principles Of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of those books that immediately earns a permanent spot in your gym bag. Instead of focusing on isolated techniques that may come and go with trends, this book digs into the core principles that make all techniques work—leverage, timing, pressure, energy efficiency, connection, and more. What I loved most is how clearly the author breaks down each principle. The explanations are simple but never shallow—you get both the “why” and the “how,” along with examples that you can apply in rolling the same day. The writing feels like having a knowledgeable coach talk you through concepts you’ve been using without fully understanding. A few standout aspects: ✔️ Principle-Based Learning I found myself having multiple “aha!” moments, especially around posture, weight distribution, and transitions. Instead of memorizing 100 escapes, you actually start to understand why escapes work. ✔️ Great for All Levels As a mid-level student, I picked up tons of insights—but this is also perfect for beginners who want to build a strong conceptual foundation, and advanced students who want to refine their approach. ✔️ Practical, Actionable, and Well-Structured Each principle ends with takeaways and training tips you can immediately test during drills or sparring. It’s a book you’ll revisit often as your understanding deepens. ✔️ Clean Layout & Engaging Writing Clear, concise, and easy to follow. No fluff, just high-quality instruction. ⸻ If you’re serious about improving your BJJ, this book is an incredible investment in your development. It teaches you to think like an experienced practitioner and helps you see the art in a more holistic, intelligent way. One of the best BJJ conceptual guides I’ve read—highly recommended.

A great book for beginners training BJJ. BJJ can be very confusing initially. There's so much to learn and put together that it's no wonder it takes 10+ years to get a black belt. Heck , it can take 2 year to go from white to blue belt. This book, when studied in conjunction with training BJJ, is good to help better understand and improve techniques, both when to use a technique and how to better implement it. The videos are helpful as well.

Well written and comprehensive. Very self experience based but still a good read. Very fundamental

Di certo non si impara una disciplina complessa da un libro. Però da questo libro puoi capire i principi fondamentali per apprendere la tecnica. Quindi lo consiglio. Inoltre è possibile visualizzare dei video che spiegano tali principi.

I like the analogies, it is an easy and insightful read. I will be perusing this book for many years to come on my BJJ journey.

Good read

This is mainly about the flow of the game, or how to build your game out of the movements you learn individually in training. I read it in about 4 hours, but it's a book that I see myself reading 2 or 3 times every year, because it put some things in perspective.

Although Ne waza is part of classical kempo/todi/goshin karate jutsu, its an aspect ignored for far too long due to the tragic emphasis on sport 'McDojo' karate. My lineage is Naha kempo and, although most fights end up on the ground, its absolutely the LAST place you want to be in a self-defense scenario. Once down there, however, you need to be able to prevail and regain your feet. This book has been a HUGE help in filling in several gaps in my skill set. Especially useful if you're into flow-chain drilling but aren't a dedicated sambo/judo/BJJ practitioner. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.