The history of bjj
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is one of the fastest growing martial arts in the world, as it welcomes students of all ages and can be practiced for self-defense, but also serves to relieve stress and improve physical fitness in general.
Between the 7th and 19th centuries, the Japanese samurai participated in great battles on horseback, but they needed a way to defend themselves when they were alone and unarmed. In this way, the Jiu-Jitsu technique was born but, due to the heavy armor of the samurai, they had little capacity for movement, since some of the techniques known today were not used.
The evolution of Jiu-Jitsu in the world
Over the years, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu branched out into different styles, shifting the focus to general self-defense while maintaining certain essentials, such as the use of chokes and joint locks. However, it was a man named Jigoro Kano who perfected the technique and increased the effectiveness of the movements using the minimum of effort.
Jigoro Kano was a student of traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, who in 1882 founded his own school of martial arts called Kodokan, where he instructed students with the techniques that he thought were the most effective, using live combat takedowns., throws, blocks and chokes against resisting opponents. All this without the need for full contact, which created the foundation for what we know today as Judo.
In 1894, Japanese judoka Mitsuyo Maeda began practicing at Kodokan and eventually became one of Kano’s foremost students, specializing in ground fighting called ne-waza. In 1914, Maeda traveled to Brazil and met businessman Gastão Gracie and his teenage son Carlos Gracie, who became Maeda’s student for several years and later shared his knowledge of ne-waza-based Judo with the brothers of him.
The Gracie Family: The Creators of BJJ
The true creator of BJJ was Hélio Gracie, one of Carlos Gracie’s brothers who did not enjoy great size or strength, so he made adjustments to the techniques he had learned so that anyone could perform the movements. In this way, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was born.
Later, the Gracie family fully incorporated Hélio’s techniques into all the training they did. Thus, they put into practice what they learned in challenge matches and contests with students of different martial arts, where the Gracie were undefeated most of the time.
However, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and its techniques remained unknown to the world and to martial arts professionals. Years later, in the late 1970s, one of Hélio’s sons named Rorion immigrated to the United States and created a movement that would forever change the perception of the art of wrestling.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
In 1993, Rorion Gracie was the main person in charge of a martial arts event, whose purpose was to expose his family’s art to the public. In this way, the first tournament of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) organization was held, where professionals from different disciplines faced each other. In this sense, Rorion appointed his brother Royce as a representative of BJJ. The young man had a slim build that made him the smallest contestant in the competition, which would serve to show the world the true power of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Royce Gracie won the first tournament and some of the following UFC events, becoming a revelation for martial arts professionals, who understood the possibility of defeating big opponents with the use of BJJ and its techniques. It is important to mention that the UFC later established the foundations for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to be a sports discipline practiced worldwide.
Meanwhile, in Brazil, Carlos Gracie Jr. took over the family business and created in 1994 the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), which today promotes tournaments in more than 50 countries, where around 3,000 athletes participate. with different BJJ belts.
BJJ: The best martial art?
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not a martial art based on physical prowess or the strength of kicks and punches, but instead teaches control of distance, position, leverage and submissions to subdue more physically aggressive and imposing individuals.
The BJJ athlete is taught to fight by disabling the opponent’s fists and feet, isolating his limbs to submit him. However, the number of BJJ techniques is so wide that to achieve a black belt you need to invest a greater amount of time compared to other fighting arts. This is mainly because in BJJ there are no choreographed movement patterns or single techniques that work in all situations.
In contrast, a BJJ match can trigger a myriad of sequences that allow the martial artist to develop a unique style. In this way, when learning BJJ, unions between different techniques begin to be perceived, as chains that allow reacting depending on the movements of the opponent.
Also, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu favors the mental, emotional and physical development of the individual, so it can benefit all kinds of people, from childhood to adulthood. However, in the case of young children, the use of some type of knee brace or protection in the extremities is recommended for greater safety.
To conclude, we can say that BJJ is a complex sports discipline, which helps the athlete to improve control of his body, not only to defend himself in a risk situation, but also to maintain optimal physical condition.
