Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the martial
arts that is taught at our gym Long Island MMA and Fitness Center located in
Lindenhurst New York. Brazilian Jiu
Jitsu or BJJ is a self defense system that focuses on grappling and is a
major component of Mixed Martial Arts. BJJ is a derived from the Japanese
martial art of judo in the early 20th century.
The
principle of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is based upon the ability of a weaker person
to successfully defend against a bigger, stronger person by using leverage,
position and proper technique. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training can be used for
grappling competitions, mixed martial arts (MMA) competition or self defense.
Live training or randori is a
major component in BJJ, and a premium is placed on performance, especially in
competition, in relation to progress through the belt ranks (white, blue,
purple, brown and black). One of the
major reasons for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s effectiveness is its emphasis on live
training, allowing the participants the opportunity to utilize their techniques
against an unwilling opponent much like Boxing or Wrestling. Sport
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's focus on submissions without the use of strikes while training allows practitioners to practice at full
speed and with full power, resembling the effort used in a real competition.
Training methods include technique drills in which techniques are practiced
against a non-resisting partner, positional drilling where only a certain
technique or sets of techniques are used, and full sparring in which each
opponent tries to submit their opponent using any legal technique. Physical
conditioning is also an important part of training at many gyms.
The origin of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
began with Mitsuyo Maeda who was one of Judo's top groundwork experts that
Judo's founder Kano Jigoro sent overseas to demonstrate and spread his art to
the world. Maeda left Japan in 1904 and
visited a number of countries giving demonstrations and accepting challenges
from wrestlers, boxers, and various other martial artists before eventually
arriving in Brazil on November 1914.
Maeda was given the opportunity to
travel to Brazil as part of a large Japanese immigration colony. In Brazil he
befriended Gastão Gracie, an influential businessman, who helped Maeda get
established. To show his gratitude, Maeda offered to teach Judo to Gastão's
oldest son, Carlos Gracie. Carlos learned for a few years and eventually passed
his knowledge to his brothers.
When the Gracie’s went to the United States to
spread their art, they used the terms "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu" and
"Gracie Jiu-Jitsu" to differentiate from the already present styles
using similar-sounding names.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Positions
Side control
The practitioner pins their opponent to the ground from the side of their
body. The dominant grappler is across the opponent with weight applied to the
opponent's chest. The opponent may be further controlled by pressure on either
side of their shoulders and hips from the practitioner's elbows, shoulders, and
knees. A wide variety of submissions are initiated from Side control.
Full mount
The practitioner sits astride the opponent's chest, controlling the opponent
with their bodyweight and hips. In the strongest form of this position the
practitioner works their knees up under into the arm pits to reduce arm
movements, limiting their ability to move or counter the submission attempts.
Full Mount is mostly used to attack the arms or apply choke holds.
Back Mount
The practitioner attaches to the back of the opponent by wrapping their legs
around and hooking the opponent's thighs with their heels. Simultaneously, the
upper body is controlled by wrapping the arms around the chest or neck of the
opponent. This position is commonly used to apply
chokeholds, and counters much of the benefit an
opponent may have from greater size or strength.
Guard
In the Guard, the practitioner is on their back controlling an opponent with
their legs. The practitioner pushes and pulls with the legs or feet to upset
the balance and limit the movements of their opponent. This position comes into
play often when an opponent manages to place the practitioner upon his or her
back and the practitioner seeks the best position possible to launch
counter-attacks. This is a very versatile position from which the BJJ
practitioner can attempt to sweep (reverse) the opponent, get back to the feet,
or apply a variety of joint-locks as well as various chokes.
The three main types of guard are Open, Closed, and Half. In closed guard,
the bottom grappler has their legs around the opponent's trunk and has their
ankles closed together to provide control and a barrier to escaping the
position. In the open guard, the legs are not hooked together and the bottom
grappler uses their legs or feet to push or pull in a more dynamic fashion. In
the half guard, one of the top grappler's legs is being controlled by the
bottom grappler's legs.
Submissions
The majority of submission holds can be grouped into two broad categories:
joint locks and
chokes. Joint locks typically involve isolating an
opponent's limb and creating a lever with the body position which will force
the joint to move past its normal range of motion. Pressure is increased in a
controlled manner and released if the opponent cannot escape the hold and
signals defeat by
submitting.
Opponents can indicate submission verbally or they can tap out (tap the
opponent or the mat several times). Choke holds limit the blood to the brain
and will ultimately cause the recipient to pass out.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
kimono AKA Gi
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner's uniform is similar to a
judo
kimono or gi, but often with tighter cuffs on the pants and jacket.
To be
promoted
in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the wearing of the Gi while training is a requirement. Until recently there have been promotions in
a “No-Gi” style of Jiu Jitsu.
Belt Grading or Ranking
The
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ranking system awards a practitioner different colored
belts to signify increasing levels of technical knowledge and practical skill. For children under the age of 16 the belt ranking
system is white, yellow, orange and green. For adults over the age of 16 the belt ranking
system is white, blue, purple brown and black belt. The amount of time it takes to achieve the
rank of black belt varies between the individual but the average time frame is
between 8 and 10 years with a consistent training schedule of 3 to 4 times per
week.
If
you are interested in learning the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu please stop down
or contact Long Island MMA and Fitness Center, we are conveniently located in
Suffolk County, New York.
