Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or “The Gentle Art”, is a popular martial art across the world and is Brazil’s claim to fame in the world of martial arts. It is a very dominant martial art which is teached in mixed martial arts schools as a fundamental alongside; boxing, muay thai, and wrestling. The roots of BJJ are easily visible within every Gracie gym, posters of the founders of the martial art are put on display but the history behind BJJ is not as simple as a single man creating it.
Jiu jitsu originated from another martial art in Japan known as judo. Then a man by the name of Mitsyuo Maeda, a Japanese diplomat and martial artist brought it to Brazil, more specifically Rio de Janeiro, in the early 1900’s. Maeda’s jiu jitsu involved many different types of judo and also some of his own innovations. Later in Brazil, jiu jitsu was picked up by the Gracie family which shaped it into the sport we know today as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Nowadays jiu jitsu has spread to the whole world with the main places it is practiced being in Brazil, the United States, and some countries in Europe.
As previously mentioned, jiu jitsu is a grappling martial art based on fighting on the ground and submitting your opponents. One of the biggest philosophies of the sport is that, “In Jiu Jitsu, even a small person can successfully defeat a big opponent with the right strategies.” This is particularly useful in street fights and self defense because it allows a smaller person to get away from the fight and maybe even defeat a larger and stronger opponent with the right technique and training. The main focus of jiu jitsu is submitting your opponents with either chokes or forcing the opponents limbs, but while practicing jiu jitsu, no one breaks each other's limbs or chokes them to sleep. However, in a self defense situation a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner would be able to do it to their opponent for their own safety.
In the end, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a major aspect of Brazilian sports and martial arts and is something that makes this country truly stand out. After reading this article you should be more acquainted with the value of this sport to the culture of Brazil, not only as a method of self defense but as a powerful martial art with a rich history.
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