Key Points
-
Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes had low body fat without differences between novices and experts or between elite and non-elite athletes.
-
Aerobic power was similar to that of other grappling combat sports and did not seem to be influenced by the Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete’s competitive level.
-
Experience and competitive level seem to influence an athlete’s flexibility responses as experienced athletes had greater flexibility than beginners and elite athletes showed more flexibility than non-elite athletes.
Background
Methods
Searches
Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
Assessment of Risk of Bias
Results
Search Results
Discussion
Body Composition
Athlete characteristics (n) | Body mass (kg) | Body fat (%) | Method (Prediction equation reference) | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Male | ||||
High level athletes (n = 14) | 71.3 ± 9.1 | 8.5 ± 1.5 | Carter [84] | Diaz-Lara et al. [85] |
High level athletes (n = 8) | 76 ± 10 | 11.2 ± 3.0a
| Lohman [86] | Marinho et al. [25] |
State level athletes (n = 10) | 72 ± 5 | 14.8 ± 3.0 | ||
Athletes of different competitive levels—brown and black belt (n = 10) | 81.8 ± 7.4 | 13.0 ± 4.8 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Andreato et al. [39] |
High level athletes (n = 26) | 75.4 ± 9.7 | 9.5 ± 2.1 | Bioimpedance—Moon et al. [88] | Diaz-Lara et al. [89] |
State level athletes—blue to black belt (n = 15) | 82.2 ± 11.9 | 14.6 ± 5.6 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Follmer et al. [90] |
Athletes of different competitive levels (n = 9) | 73.3 ± 9.7 | 6.8 ± 2.1 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Mazzoccante et al. [35] |
State level athletes (n = 9) | 77.4 ± 24.5 | 16.5 ± 7.1 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Ribeiro et al. [36] |
State level athletes (n = 9) | 84.6 ± 19.9 | 16.1 ± 5.6 | ||
Practitioners (n = 136) | 81.8 ± 13.1 | 16.2 ± 6.7 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Schwartz et al. [16] |
High level athletes—brown and black beltb
| 77.9 ± 6.8 | 7.4 ± 2.7 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Silva et al. [68] |
Practitioners—blue and purple beltb
| 76.5 ± 8.7 | 6.5 ± 1.7 | ||
High level athletes—purple to black belt | Kerr [91] | Báez et al. [26] | ||
Pass fighter (n = 10) | 75.0 ± 8.9 | 18.4 ± 2.5 | ||
Guard fighter (n = 15) | 75.9 ± 11.9 | 19.9 ± 2.5c
| ||
All (n = 25) | 75.6 ± 10.6 | 19.3 ± 2.5 | ||
High level athletes (n = 20) | 81.6 ± 5.4 | 7.1 ± 5.4 | NR | Brandão et al. [22] |
Practitioners (n = 10) | 83.3 ± 3.8 | 7.8 ± 2.5 | NR | |
State level athletes (n = 20) | 68.1 + 8.5 | 12.0 + 4.3 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Carmo et al. [92] |
High level athletes | Bioimpedance—Moon et al. [88] | Diaz-Lara et al. [20] | ||
Novice—white to blue belt (n = 24) | 75.7 ± 9.3 | 9.3 ± 3.7 | ||
Expert—purple to black belt (n = 32) | 77.4 ± 11.3 | 9.1 ± 4.6 | ||
Brown or black belt (n = 10) | 83.8 ± 12.1 | 16.1 ± 10.1 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Joel et al. [52] |
Brown or black belt (n = 10) | 83.1 ± 10.1 | 16.6 ± 8.0 | ||
Practitioners—men (n = 8) | 78.9 ± 7.9 | 19.4 ± 5.2 | NR | Lorenço-Lima et al. [93] |
Athletes of different competitive levels (n = 10) | 70.3 ± 5.9 | 6.8 ± 2.4 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Mazzoccante et al. [37] |
High level athletes (n = 49) | 77.3 ± 6.5 | 15.7 ± 4.0 | Bioimpedance | Pietraszewska et al. [94] |
High level athletes (n = 10) | 70.0 ± 3.3 | 14.1 ± 2.9 | Thorland et al. [95] | Pinho-Júnior et al. [96] |
Practitioners—purple to black (NR) | 78.7 ± 7.9 | 9.5 ± 1.9 | NR | Tinsley et al. [97] |
High level athletes (n = 11) | 83.1 ± 8.7 | 10.3 ± 2.6 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Andreato et al. [8] |
Athletes of different competitive levels (n = 12) | 75.4 ± 8.8 | 9.2 ± 2.4 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Andreato et al. [98] |
Athletes of different competitive levels | Tipton and Oppliger [99] | Arruda et al. [99] | ||
Feather (n = 3) | 69.8d
| 10.5d
| ||
Light (n = 1) | 47.0 | 5.3 | ||
Middle (n = 3) | 81.6d
| 9.8d
| ||
Medium heavy (n = 4) | 87.6d
| 12.5d
| ||
Heavy (n = 1) | 90.0 | 14.6 | ||
Ultra heavy (n = 2) | 95.0d
| 14.5d
| ||
All (n = 14) | 82.8 ± 9.1 | 11.4 ± 3.6 | ||
Athletes of different competitive levels (n = 155) | 78.2 ± 8.5 | 15.9 ± 6.1 | Thorland et al. [95] | Brito et al. [9] |
High level athletes (n = 9) | 68.0 ± 2.8 | 12.7 ± 3.5 | Thorland et al. [95] | Santos et al. [100] |
State level athletes (n = 21) | 78.1 ± 9.4 | 14.3 ± 4.8 | NR | Souza-Junior et al. [101] |
Beginner athletes—white and blue belt (n = 7) | 74.9 ± 5.9 | 8.7 ± 3.8 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Coswig et al. [21] |
Experienced athletes—more than purple belt (n = 7) | 79.0 ± 4.1 | 9.1 ± 3.0 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | |
High level athletes (n = 7) | 77.9 ± 3.5 | 9.0 ± 2.6 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Andreato et al. [23] |
State level athletes (n = 7) | 72.2 ± 25.0 | 9.1 ± 3.1 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | |
High level athletes (n = 8) | 79.4 ± 9.5 | 8.4 ± 2.3 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Gomes et al. [24] |
State level athletes (n = 5) | 72.4 ± 7.7 | 9.8 ± 2.4 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | |
High level athletes (n = 106) | 76.0 ± 15.2 | 15.8 ± 6.1 | Thorland et al. [95] | Roas et al. [102] |
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 5) | 93.8 ± 13.7 | 19.9 ± 4.3 | Jackson and Pollock [87] | Rigatto [103] |
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 7) | 80.4 ± 16.6 | 12.2 ± 5.7 | ||
High level athletes (n = 7) | 78.9 ± 12.2 | 9.8 ± 4.2 | Guedes and Guedes [104] | Del Vecchio et al. [3] |
Female | ||||
Practitioners (n = 8) | 56.3 ± 10.0 | 24.2 ± 3.6 | Lorenço-Lima et al. [93] | |
Athletes (n = 14) | 61.0 ± 11.5 | 19.3 ± 6.3 | Slaughter et al. [105] | Roas et al. [102] |
Somatotype
Athlete characteristics (n) | Endomorphy | Mesomorphy | Ectomorphy | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Male | ||||
High level athletes | Báez et al. [26] | |||
Pass fighter (n = 10) | 2.3 ± 0.6 | 7.0 ± 1.2 | 1.3 ± 0.6 | |
Guard fighter (n = 15) | 2.2 ± 0.7 | 5.9 ± 0. 9 a
| 2.1 ± 0. 9 ª | |
All (n = 25) | 2.2 ± 0.7 | 6.3 ± 1.1 | 1.8 ± 0.9 | |
High level athletes (n = 49) | 2.1 ± 0.6 | 5.8 ± 1.0 | 2.0 ± 0.8 | Pietraszewska et al. [94] |
High level athletes (n = 11) | 3.0 ± 0.8 | 5.5 ± 1.0 | 1.7 ± 0.6 | Andreato et al. [8] |
High level athletes (n = 7) | 3.2 ± 1.6 | 7.9 ± 1.4 | 1.7 ± 0.6 | Del Vecchio et al. [3] |
Aerobic Profile
Athlete characteristics (n) | Test | VO2max (ml/kg/min) | References |
---|---|---|---|
State level athletes (n = 5) | Graded exercise test in treadmill (direct) | 45.2 ± 2.4 | Leitão da Silva [31] |
Athletes of different competitive levels (n = 9) | 1600 m test | 50.4 ± 4.0 | Mazzoccante et al. [35]a
|
State level athletes—white to purple belt (n = 9) | 2400 m test | 42.4 ± 5.6 | Ribeiro et al. [36] |
State level athletes—white to purple belt (n = 9) | 46.3 ± 7.0 | ||
State level athletes (n = 9) | 46.3 ± 7.0 | ||
Practitioners (n = 136) | Queens College step | 52.2 ± 7.9 | Schwartz et al. [16] |
Athletes of different competitive levels (n = 10) | 1600 m test | 50.2 ± 4.3 | Mazzoccante et al. [37]b
|
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 14) | 1600 m test | 49.0 ± 3.2 | Silva et al. [38] |
State level athletes—white belt (n = 14) | 51.0 ± 3.6 | ||
High level athletes (n = 7) | Graded exercise test in treadmill (direct) | 42.7 ± 3.2 | Rezende et al. [32] |
State level athletes (n = 8) | Graded exercise test in treadmill (direct) | 49.8 ± 2.3 | Borges et al. [33]c
|
Practitioners (n = 30) | Graded exercise test in treadmill (direct) | 52.0 ± 6.9 | Mazzocante et al. [34] |
1600 m test | 52.1 ± 5.1 | ||
High level athletes (n = 10) | Graded exercise test in treadmill (indirect) | 49.4 ± 3.6 | Vidal-Andreato et al. [1] |
Anaerobic Profile
Maximum Isometric Handgrip Strength
Athlete characteristics (n) | Right IHGS (kgf) | Left IHGS (kgf) | References |
---|---|---|---|
Male | |||
High level athletes (n = 14) | 53.5 ± 3.2a
| 48.5 ± 5.2b
| Diaz-Lara et al. [106] |
State level athletes—brown and black belt (n = 10) | 53 ± 6a
| 50 ± 9b
| Andreato et al. [4] |
High level athletes (n = 26) | 48.5 ± 5.6a
| 50.8 ± 5.2b
| Diaz-Lara et al. [89] |
State level athletes (n = 22) | 54.2 ± 6.7c
| 51.4 ± 6.1 | Franchini et al. [72] |
State level athletes—blue to black belt (n = 15) | 48.1 ± 5.7 | 45.5 ± 7.9 | Follmer et al. [90] |
State level athletesd
| Gasparotto et al. [107] | ||
White belt (n = 18) | 40.1 ± 2.5e
| ||
Blue belt (n = 15) | 46.3 ± 3.3e
| ||
Purple belt (n = 20) | 41.4 ± 3.5e
| ||
Practitioners (n = 136) | 103 ± 17f
| Schwartz et al. [16] | |
State level athletes—blue belt (n = 12) | 38.0 ± 6.3a
| 32.3 ± 6.3b
| Andreato et al. [108] |
High level athletes | Diaz-Lara et al. [20] | ||
Novice—white to blue belt (n = 24) | 43.6 ± 7.1g
| 43.3 ± 6.6g
| |
Expert—purple to black belt (n = 32) | 48.6 ± 6. 1 | 49.1 ± 7.0 | |
High level athletes (n = 49) | 47.8 ± 8.3 | 46.2 ± 7.6 | Pietraszewska et al. [94] |
Experienced—purple to black (n = 14) | 52.4 ± 11.8 | 50.6 ± 11.6 | Silva et al. [38] |
Beginners—white belt (n = 14) | 46.7 ± 6.5 | 47.2 ± 5.8 | |
State level athletes—white to brown belt (n = 35) | 45.9 ± 10.3 | 44.2 ± 11.1 | Andreato et al. [40] |
State level athletes | Costa and Oliveira [109] | ||
White and blue belt (n = 29) | 43.6 ± 9.0 | 41.1 ± 7.2 | |
Purple to black belt (n = 17) | 46.3 ± 8.9 | 45.1 ± 9.6 | |
All (n = 46) | 43.8 ± 10.2 | 42.3 ± 9.6 | |
Beginner athletes—white and blue belt (n = 7) | 52.5 ± 9.1 | 49.9 ± 7.2 | Coswig et al. [21] |
Experienced athletes—more than purple belt and high level (n = 7) | 57.0 ± 8.4 | 55.6 ± 7.6 | |
High level (n = 11) | 43.7 ± 4.8 | 40.1 ± 3.8 | Vidal-Andreato et al. [1] |
State level athletes—white and blue belt (n = 5) | 33.6 ± 5.5a
| Neto and Dechechi, [110] | |
High level athletesd
| Matuzaki et al. [69] | ||
White belt (n = 15) | 42.3 ± 10.2e
| ||
Blue belt (n = 17) | 49.2 ± 11.3e
| ||
Black belt (n = 6) | 50.2 ± 5.2e
| ||
High level athletes—brown and black belt (n = 21) | 51.2 ± 10.7 | 48.2 ± 10.3 | Oliveira et al. [62] |
High level athletes—blue and purple belt (n = 29) | 49.6 ± 8.2 | 46.2 ± 8.2 | |
All (n = 50) | 50.3 ± 9.1 | 47.0 ± 9.0 |
Dynamic Strength
Athlete characteristics (n) | Strength test | Absolute 1RM score (kg) | Relative 1RM score (kg/body mass) | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Male | ||||
High level athletes (n = 8) | Bench press | 111 ± 6a
| 1.46 ± 0.13 | Marinho et al. [25] |
State level athletes (n = 10) | 98 ± 6 | 1.36 ± 0.11 | ||
High level athletes (n = 14) | 90.5 ± 7.7 | 1.27 ± 0.27 | Diaz-Lara et al. [106] | |
High level athletes—brown and black beltb
| 115 ± 16c
| 1.48 ± 0.15c
| Leitão da Silva et al. [31] | |
Intermediary athletes—blue belt and purpleb
| 101 ± 13 | 1.32 ± 0.14 | ||
High level athletes—blue to black belt (n = 23) | 103.4 ± 22.9 | 1.3 ± 0.2 | Silva et al. [111] | |
State level athletes (n = 20) | 85.8 ± 17.8 | NR | Costa et al. [112] | |
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 5) | 94 ± 24 | NR | Rigatto [103] | |
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 7) | 87 ± 31 | NR | ||
High level athletes (n = 7) | 109 ± 18 | 1.39 ± 0.26 | Del Vecchio et al. [3] | |
High level athletes (n = 8) | Squat | 91 ± 8 | 1.20 ± 0.13 | Marinho et al. [25] |
State level athletes (n = 10) | 88 ± 7 | 1.23 ± 0.13 | ||
High level athletes (n = 7) | 110 ± 15 | 1.38 ± 0.19 | Del Vecchio et al. [3] | |
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 5) | Lat pull-down | 90 ± 18 | NR | Rigatto [103] |
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 7) | 86 ± 15 | NR | ||
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 5) | Military press | 56 ± 17 | NR | Rigatto [103] |
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 7) | 57 ± 22 | NR | ||
High level athletes—(n = 11) | Leg Press | 308 ± 88 | NR | Fernandes et al. [113] |
High level athletes (n = 7) | Deadlift | 138 ± 24 | 1.72 ± 0.31 | Del Vecchio et al. [3] |
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 5) | Biceps curl | 91 ± 25 | NR | Rigatto [103] |
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 7) | 52 ± 29 | NR | ||
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 5) | Elbow extension in the pulley | 114 ± 28 | NR | Rigatto [103] |
State level athletes—purple to black belt (n = 7) | 64 ± 41 | NR |
Athlete characteristics (n) | Exercise | Result | References |
---|---|---|---|
Male | |||
State level athletes—blue to black belt (n = 15) | Elbow flexion | Follmer et al. [90] | |
PT45° (N m kg−1) | 0.77 ± 0.12 | ||
PT90° (N m kg−1) | 0.91 ± 0.16 | ||
PT120° (N m kg−1) | 0.77 ± 0.13 | ||
PTCON (N m kg−1) | 0.68 ± 0.17 | ||
PTECC (N m kg−1) | 0.87 ± 0.20 | ||
Elbow extension | |||
PT45° (N m kg−1) | 0.63 ± 0.10 | ||
PT90° (N m kg−1) | 0.71 ± 0.13 | ||
PT120° (N m kg−1) | 0.71 ± 0.13 | ||
PTCON (N m kg−1) | 0.79 ± 0.19 | ||
PTECC (N m kg−1) | 1.10 ± 0.25 | ||
State level athletes (n = 15) | Knee flexion | Assis et al. [115] | |
PT (N/m) | 187a
| ||
Power (W) | 252 | ||
Total work (J) | 1913 | ||
Knee extension | |||
PT (N/m) | 308a
| ||
Power (W) | 286a
| ||
Total work (J) | 1614 |
Muscle Power
Athlete characteristics (n) | Exercise | Result (cm) | References |
---|---|---|---|
Male | |||
State level athletes (n = 10) | Throw the medicine ball | 428 ± 33 | Nascimento [73] |
State level athletes—white and blue belt (n = 5) | 380 ± 48 | Neto and Dechechi [110] | |
High level athletes (n = 14) | Countermovement jump | 40.6 ± 2.6 | Diaz-Lara et al. [106] |
State level athletes—brown and black belt (n = 10) | 41 ± 6 | Andreato et al. [4] | |
High level athletes (n = 26) | 34.0 ± 5.2 | Diaz-Lara et al. [89] | |
State level athletes | Diaz-Lara et al. [20] | ||
Novice—white to blue belt (n = 24) | 29.7 ± 5.0a
| ||
Expert—purple to black belt (n = 32) | 34.2 ± 5.1 | ||
State level athletes—blue to black belt (n = 23) | 40.8 ± 5.5 | Silva et al. [111] | |
State level athletes—blue to purple belt (n = 22) | 45.5 ± 1.3 | Detanico et al. [114] | |
State level athletes (n = 9)b
| Vertical Jump | 39.9 ± 8.1 | Ribeiro et al. [36] |
State level athletes (n = 9)b
| 48.3 ± 5.9 | ||
High level athletes (n = 49) | Standing long jump | 234 ± 22 | Pietraszewska et al. [94] |
Beginner athletes—white and blue belt (n = 7) | 225 ± 25 | Coswig et al. [21] | |
Experienced athletes—more than purple belt and national level (n = 7) | 226 ± 12 | ||
State level athletes (n = 10) | 237 ± 23 | Nascimento [73] | |
State level athletes—white and blue belt (n = 5) | Standing long jump | 234 ± 25 | Neto and Dechechi, [110] |
Muscular Endurance
Athlete characteristics (n) | Exercise | Result (s or rep.) | References |
---|---|---|---|
Male | |||
High level athletes (n = 14) | Grip endurance with gi | 54.4 ± 13.4 s | Diaz-Lara et al. [106] |
Athletes—brown and black belt (n = 8) | 28 ± 9 s | Andreato et al. [4] | |
Athletes—blue to black belt (n = 15) | 41 ± 16 s | Follmer et al. [90] | |
High level athletes (n = 49) | 40 ± 11 s | Pietraszewska et al. [94] | |
High level athletes (n = 10) | 61 ± 19 s | Pinho-Júnior et al. [96] | |
Experienced—purple to black (n = 14) | 45 ± 10 sa
| Silva et al. [38] | |
Beginners—white belt (n = 14) | 36 ± 10 s | ||
Athletes of different competitive levels (n = 10) | 62 ± 14 sb,c
| Silva et al. [78] | |
Athletes of different competitive levels (n = 10) | 60 ± 0 sb,c
| ||
Practitioners (n = 10) | 43 ± 5 sc
| ||
Beginners—white belt (n = 10) | 28 ± 9 s | ||
High level athletes (n = 9) | 63 ± 19 s | Santos et al. [100] | |
High level athletes (n = 10) | 56 ± 11 sd
| Silva et al. [75] | |
State level athletes (n = 10) | 38 ± 11 s | ||
Athletes—blue to black belt (n = 15) | Repetitions with gi | 10 ± 5 rep | Follmer et al. [90] |
High level athletes (n = 10) | 15 ± 2 rep | Pinho-Júnior et al. [96] | |
Experienced—purple to black (n = 14) | 10 ± 3 rep | Silva et al. [38] | |
Beginners—white belt (n = 14) | 8 ± 3 rep | ||
High level athletes (n = 10) | 18 ± 3 repb,c
| Silva et al. [78] | |
State level athletes (n = 10) | 17 ± 3 repb,c
| ||
Practitioners (n = 10) | 9 ± 3 rep | ||
Beginners—white belt (n = 10) | 7 ± 3 rep | ||
High level athletes (n = 9) | 15 ± 2 rep | Santos et al. [100] | |
High level athletes (n = 10) | 15 ± 4 repd
| Silva et al. [75] | |
State level athletes (n = 10) | 8 ± 3 rep | ||
Beginner athletes—white and blue belt (n = 7) | 10 ± 3 repe
| Coswig et al. [21] | |
Experienced athletes—more than purple belt and national level (n = 7) | 15 ± 2 rep | ||
High level athletes (n = 14) | Bench press at 45% 1 RM | 22 ± 8 rep | Diaz Lara et al. [106] |
High level athletes (n = 8) | Push-ups | 41 ± 3 repf
| Marinho et al. [25] |
State level athletes (n = 10) | 36 ± 3 rep | ||
High level athletes (n = 11) | 39 ± 8 rep | Vidal-Andreato et al. [1] | |
High level athletes (n = 8) | Sit-ups | 46 ± 4 repf
| Marinho et al. [25] |
State level athletes (n = 10) | 40 ± 3 rep | ||
State level athletes (n = 9) | 52 ± 19 rep | Ribeiro et al. [36] | |
State level athletes (n = 9) | 68 ± 11 rep | ||
Practitioners (n = 136) | 62 ± 16 rep | Schwartz et al. [16] | |
High level athletes (n = 49) | 35 ± 5 rep | Pietraszewska et al. [94] | |
High level athletes (n = 11) | 52 ± 7 rep | Vidal-Andreato et al. [1] |
Flexibility
Athlete characteristics (n) | Sit-and-reach (cm) | Reference |
---|---|---|
Male | ||
High level athletes (n = 8) | 40 ± 3a
| Marinho et al. [25] |
State level athletes (n = 10) | 32 ± 3 | |
Athletes—brown and black belt (n = 10) | 26 ± 8 | Andreato et al. [4] |
Practitioners (n = 136) | 27 ± 9 | Schwartz et al. [16] |
Athletes—adult (n = 30) | 22 ± 8 | Araujo et al. [81] |
Athletes—master (n = 7) | 26 ± 7 | |
Athletes—senior (n = 4) | 22 ± 6 | |
Beginner athletes—white and blue belt (n = 7) | 28 ± 2b
| Coswig et al. [21] |
Experienced athletes—more than purple belt and national level (n = 7) | 35 ± 4 | |
High level athletes (n = 11) | 35 ± 8 | Vidal-Andreato et al. [1] |
State level athletes (n = 20) | 34 ± 7 | |
High level athletes (n = 7) | 43 ± 3 | Del Vecchio et al. [3] |