Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Brazilian jujutsu is a fighting and self-defense style that is already widely known and recognized as effective among those who practice martial arts seriously. The worldwide breakthrough of Brazilian jujutsu took place in the early 90's with the first free matches organized for the general public in the USA (Ultimate Fighting Championships, UFC). The media then took a wider interest in the games, where apparently 'everything is allowed' (No Holds Barred, Vale Tudo) and which seemed not to know more about the matter and very violent. Representatives of various martial arts were represented at the games, but Brazilian jujutsu was particularly surprising, as its slim and smaller representative defeated all of his opponents in a display style, regardless of their size and style. The honorable and gentlemanly behavior of the representatives of the Brazilian Gracie family was also noteworthy, which is not a given in the contradictory and disputed world of freestyle matches, where threats and self-aggrandizement are not uncommon. The representatives of the various martial arts were shocked and in disbelief at the results - for many, it is still a difficult piece to swallow.

Brazilian jujutsu, originally developed by the Gracie family from traditional Japanese jujutsu, had more than half a century of history behind it in Brazil before the UFC. The basis of the sport has been self-defense, but nowadays, in many cases, this aspect has been overshadowed by competitive forms. The free matches were initially a way to verify the functionality of the developed techniques and an opportunity to develop them further. For decades, the best representatives of the sport had been ready to take on the challenge of freestyle matches from anyone and at any time, regardless of size and sport background.The world of martial arts has not been what it used to be with the spread of freestyle competitions. As the techniques, strategies and training methods developed by the Gracie family and new Brazilian generations became more widely known, they have been studied everywhere. New hybrid sports and schools oriented towards freestyle matches have emerged, where efforts have been made to combine the features of different martial arts and to utilize the techniques used in the country of Brazilian jujutsu.In Brazilian jujutsu, free matches are only intended for willing more advanced fighters, purely for safety reasons. When acting this way, serious injuries in free matches have been surprisingly few. As a competitive form, Brazilian jujutsu can also be practiced more safely in its sport form, where punches and kicks are prohibited. The sport has expanded into a hobby for thousands of people around the world. The world championships of the Brazilian jujutsu sport form "Mundials" are held annually in Rio de Janeiro.

The effectiveness of Brazilian jujutsu lies in its realistic ground fighting techniques: especially various locks and chokes. This is based on the fact that in a real, serious combat situation, you almost always have to come into close contact and further to the ground. There is a lot of statistical information about this and this is also constantly seen in free match competitions. No one seriously practicing self-defense sports can close their eyes to the ground fighting situation anymore. When hitting the ground, even a larger opponent's strength advantage and greater weight is neutralized with effective techniques that are verified by sport endurance. Punches and kicks belong to the sport, but they have not traditionally been emphasized, especially as vertical techniques, because it is difficult to defeat a larger opponent with blows. In addition, the risk of hand or leg injury is high in a real combat situation without protection.The style of competition practiced without punches and kicks is called Brazilian jujutsu, and nowadays submission wrestling, which takes place without a suit, has also been included. Sports bjj is similar to judo, but more techniques are allowed in the match (e.g. leg locks) and the emphasis is usually on ground wrestling. The matches start in a standing position, but the fight usually progresses quickly to the mat with various takedowns. Matches could often be described as mat chess, which combines mental and physical resources and versatile techniques. The scoring system used in competitions rewards positions and techniques that work in a real self-defense situation. However, the actual goal is to make the opponent give up with a choke or lock. The sport form of Brazilian jujutsu is practiced more and more actively and competitions are organized around the world.

Brazilian jujutsu can be practiced by men and women, boys and girls, regardless of age and gender. The emphasis between self-defense, competitive sports, fitness and freestyle training depends on the goals of the enthusiast. However, the sport requires patience and continuous self-improvement both mentally and physically. Brazilian jujutsu is a concrete sport that is applied in practice matches. Meeting your own limits is part of training. The right attitude is crucial and failure is part of the learning process. In Brazil, old gray-haired bjj enthusiasts take part in competitions of the sport form in great spirit in their own match categories, just like young boys and girls.In a rare sport, concrete results can be obtained as quickly. The progress of the trainees amazes both coaches and trainees again and again. A smaller and gentler athlete gradually discovers that he can survive the push of his larger opponent and, as his techniques develop, he can advance to control different situations. The formal measures of progress are the belt values: white, blue, purple, brown and black. Compared to many martial arts, in Brazilian jujutsu it is still a lot of work to advance in the belt scale.

Basic positions

Defense techniques

Attacking techniques

Locks and chokes

Safety:- clapping ( surrender )

Prohibited techniques:- slamming-small charms and all leg locks except the straight ankle lock-dirty means (fingers in the eyes, etc.)

Lesson structure:- warm-up-technique- positional wrestling- application of the taught technique in wrestling