Posted by Victor Joseph | Posted in Sports & Recreation | Posted on 13-04-2011
Tags: bjj, brazil, grappling, japan, jiu jitsu, martial arts, mixed martial arts, MMA, sports, Sports & Recreation, ultimate fighting championship, what is bjj
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a martial art that emphasizes grappling. There is some contention over exactly where its roots came from but it’s believed they are from Chinese martial arts which were brought there from India. It was then further developed in Japan to become the system of Jiu-Jitsu which would later make it to Brazil.
The development of the art began in the 1500s and was altered in the 1800s for teaching and practicing the art outside of actual warfare. An important part of the original art, however, was ground fighting and this was not emphasized in the Judo developed by Jigoro Kano. Therefore, it became weak in that area.
When it became apparent that this was a weakness, the ground fighting techniques were added in. This happened before the art travelled to Brazil around 1915. At this time, the art was introduced to the Gracies by a Japanese practitioner named Esai Maeda and included ground fighting.
In Brazil, it was honed into a more effective art as it was always being tested. Instead of concerning themselves with rules, the schools competed without them so that the techniques could better be perfected in actual fight situations.
While in the beginning, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the Gracie family were synonymous, separate schools began to break off. There are also schools that trace their lineage directly to Maeda, apart from the Gracies. That being said, there’s no doubt that they are the most recognized practitioners and have done the most to promote the art to worldwide recognition.
The art has techniques like joint locks, strikes, submission holds, choke holds and other techniques for ground fighting. It emphasizes getting ones opponent down onto the ground. Part of the intention is to even up odds for a smaller opponent fighting a larger and stronger one who has the ability to hit harder with a longer reach.
Because of the emphasis on fighting on the ground, these fighters often have a great advantage against even the best fighters in systems that focus on a standing position. Once these standing fighters are on the ground, they do not have the training or experience to cope with the situation effectively. Because of this, training in grappling is become more common, and this art is especially popular with people who want to compete in mixed martial arts or UFC types of competitions.
Training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be approached a number of ways, including methods such as drilling of techniques, partial kinds of sparring and full sparring. Clubs will also often put emphasis on physical conditioning so that the stamina and endurance necessary for effective fighting can be improved.
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