What Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? It is both a martial art and a fight sport that focuses on grappling in order for you to beat your challenger through submission or points.
Roots of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Much of the strategy was adjusted from Kodokan Judo and Jiu Jitsu. Knowing how to execute the appropriate technique enables even a smaller sized and weaker person to beat someone who is bigger which is why it is likewise often implemented into self-defense classes.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu developed early in the 1920’s. But it only gained world acknowledgment when Royce Gracie won the Ultimate Fighting Championship multiple times after it was established in 1993. As a result, many schools took notice and began offering this ‘New’ martial art.
In Brazil, there are four primary styles if you will and each of them can trace their roots either to Carlos Gracie or Mitsuyo Maeda.
Popularity of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
You can probably say that its appeal on the global stage as a sport is a runner up with football (soccer) as there are competitions held routinely such as the European Championships, Mundials and Pan American that is under the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF).
Training In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
If you wish to master Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it takes real practice and time. Sparring is essential. By ‘rolling’ with a live opponent you can implement the lessons learned through training and get a feel for your body and the art itself. It’s important during this sparring that you learn to go full speed and strength while also knowing how to exercise proper restraint so as to not harm or injure your training partner. The same can be said for tournament competition.
During training and competitions, in the traditional setting the practitioners are required to use the Gi. Similar to what you would see in judo, the primary difference is that the clothing has tighter cuffs on both the jacket and bottoms. There is also the style called NoGi (this is what we practice at MWC) where you wear pretty much any athletic attire. The primary difference here compared to Gi is that in Gi you can utilize the clothing for attacks, where in NoGi you may not grab the clothing.
Winning In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Submission in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is attained either through chokes or joint locks. Choking as you likely guess includes constricting the windpipe so the person is unable to breathe or cutting off the blood supply to the brain. The latter is more technically referred to as a strangle which constricts the carotid artery. Choking is less effective than strangles and typically more challenging to achieve successfully which is why the second is utilized more frequently during competition.
When it comes to joint locks, what you are doing is producing a lever with the body position which will force the joint to move past its typical series of motion. This is better referred to as hyperextension and if locked in well there is no way out of it (or at least not under the time constraints of it breaking), the opponent has no other recourse however than to conceded the match.
Rising Through the Ranks In BJJ
Anyone can learn Jiu Jitsu. As you get better, you are promoted to the next belt class, but even moreso you gain the skill to show for your efforts. Beginners start with the white belt and move up through the ranks eventually to Black Belt. For those who are listed below 15 years of age, you work your method from white to green belt. At the age of 16 they can then be awarded the blue belt and continue to rank beyond.
How fast you raise through the ranks depends on the amount of time the individual puts in and how quickly they pick up the skills. In general Jiu Jitsu is one of the slower martial arts to rank in and generally can take up to ten years or more to achieve a black belt.
With Brazilian Jiu Jitsu making its mark in the world scene, you won’t have a hard time discovering a a place to learn it such as Modern Warrior Combatives (Dothan’s Only Black Belt Instructed Program). The only thing you need to do now is make time to train and set out on the journey!
