A little history about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

By Lucinda Datres

Jiu-Jitsu, pronounced (joo’jitsoo) is a martial art whose origin can be traced to Japan and is based on early 20th century Kodokan Judo. Jiu-Jitsu is known as the “Gentle Art”, because there are no kicks, strikes or punches involved. Instead Jiu-Jitsu teaches students to use leverage and balance to gain a dominant position over an opponent. Joint-locks and choke-holds are employed to force the opponent to submit.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became known to the world in the 1990’s when Royce Gracie won the first, second and fourth Ultimate Fighting Championships. Since that time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools have spread throughout the United States and the world. Its overwhelming appeal is that it is the only single martial arts style that addresses all areas of fighting completely, without the need to cross-train. This makes Jiu-Jitsu a complete self-defense system.

With its technique based in escapes and submissions, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the perfect non-violent method for self defense. As a matter of fact, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was develped specifically to give smaller opponents the advantage. By using leverage and balance, women and children can successfully defend themselves against much larger and stronger assailants.

This “Gentle Art” is perfect for children who do not yet have the maturity of judgment to responsibly handle martial arts techniques that incorporate kicks and punches. Jiu-Jitsu class time is filled with fun games and drills, one-on-one instruction, as well as sparring or ground grappling with a partner. Tons of positive reinforcement and the use of logical consequences keeps everyone focused on learning and fun. This action packed class, with close body contact and attention to detail has also proven to be a wonderfully effective teaching method for children with Attention Disorders and Autism.