WHAT IS BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU?

Jiu-Jitsu, which means gentle art, is the oldest style of martial arts. It originated in India more than 2000 years before Christ, created by monks to defend themselves against barbarian attackers. It spread throughout China, and eventually took root and was further developed by the Japanese. The samurai clans in Japan trained Jiu-Jitsu to help them defeat their opponents in the event they lost their weapons. Over time different jiu-jitsu practitioners began to specialize in strikes(Karate) and others in throws and grappling(Judo), almost every Japanese martial art has its roots in Jiu-Jitsu. Helio Gracie, a the founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), began to adapt the traditional Japanese sport form of Jiu-Jitsu because he was a small man (only 135 pounds) and constantly found himself facing larger and stronger opponents. He developed new techniques and refined existing ones to be more reliant on leverage, timing, and technique rather than power and force, enabling a much smaller or weaker person to defend themselves against a larger and stronger attacker. With the knowledge that more than 95% of confrontations end in a clinch or on the ground, this art has become one of the most effective self defense systems in the world today. In the early 1990's, no hold barred competitions, such as the "Ultimate Fighting Championship", became very popular in the United States. These early competitions pitted style VS. style, or martial art VS. martial art. In these "No Holds Barred" tournaments, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters consistently defeated other mostly larger and stronger masters from other martial disciplines. Because of the sheer dominance of the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu fighters in these early competitions, virtually every martial arts academy has added some form of BJJ to their curriculum. It can truly be said that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the most effective hand to hand combat art available today, and it is the fastest growing martial art worldwide.