Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
In northern India, over four centuries ago, in order to defend themselves from attacks, Buddhist monks developed a form of grappling that allowed them to neutralize opponents without killing them. The monks’ grappling style of fighting spread to Japan where it was improved upon and named jujutsu or jiu- jitsu. The martial art of Judo is a derivative of jiu- jitsu. The Japanese set out to keep jujutsu, or jiu- jitsu, and its derivatives from the western world, but eventually the art was passed on to a family in Brazil.
The martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or Gracie Jiu- Jitsu, came into practice sometime after 1914, when Kodokan Judo master Mitsuyo Maeda taught Judo to Carlos Gracie, who was the eldest son of his Brazilian business associate, Gastao Gracie. Carlos then taught his siblings what he was taught, including Helio, who happened to be the smallest and youngest of his brothers. Helio often felt that his smaller size did not mesh well with the judo he was taught, which seemed to favor the stronger and larger fighter. So, he developed an offshoot which favored leverage over size and strength. This offshoot became what we know today as the martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a martial art focused on teaching practitioners to fight from their backs. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters are at their most comfortable and dangerous when in this position. They use the guard position, a unique technique which consists of the practitioner wrapping his or her legs around their opponent in order to restrict their movement. The guard position allows them to fight from their backs with extreme effectiveness. From this position, submission holds can be introduced and utilized efficiently. Submission holds are used to either choke or cut off an opponent’s air supply or take advantage of a joint such as the case when using armbars.
