What is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?

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History of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Jiu-Jitsu, which means gentle art is the oldest form of martial arts. It originated in India more than 2000 years BC. It was created by monks spreading through China, and eventually took root and was elaborated on in Japan becoming the first martial arts style. In 1914, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu champion Esai Maeda migrated to Brazil, where he was instrumental in establishing a Japanese immigrant community. His efforts were aided by Gastão Gracie, a Brazilian scholar and politician of Scottish descent. As an expression of his gratitude for Gracie's assistance, Maeda taught the Brazilian's oldest son Carlos the essential secrets of the ancient martial arts technique. Carlos taught Maeda's techniques to his four brothers, and in 1925 they opened the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy in Brazil. For the Gracie brothers, teaching the art was more than an occupation. It was their passion. During the decades that followed, Carlos's brothers, sons, grandsons and cousins became the driving force that further developed and refined the art into the form we see today.

Rio de Janeiro, with it's penchant for reality-based combative sport, became a proving-ground for no-rules fighting (known as Vale Tudo) strategy and technique. BJJ schools blossomed everywhere, a sporting aspect was developed and the art grew tremendously in popularity. It's effectiveness was never in question, as the population had become educated as to the difference between reality and fantasy when it came down to fighting for real. It became obvious that almost all fights, when there were limited or no rules, ended up being contested on the ground. In Rio de Janeiro, real fighting meant going to ground; and the BJJ stylists were the undisputed champions of that particular arena in a relatively safe form competition. This in turn, forced the art to further evolve, and during the last thirty years of the 20th century, undergo a phase of technical development that has thrust it to the forefront of the ground-based fight arena.

The Machado Brothers (cousins of the Graices) have developed their system of jiu-jitsu over the last 25 years. The jiu-jitsu they learned in Brazil has been refined by their clan into a modern and unique style which is increasingly popular in the United States. Emanating from Brazil, their family has demonstrated the effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in many "no rules" tournaments. They have demonstrated their superiority on the mat, winning numerous Brazilian championships and national and world titles in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Russian sambo and even western wrestling. The system is rooted in one-on-one ground fighting, achieving superior position for joint locks, chokes and strikes.

The Machados' philosophy is not to prove or impose their system onto other styles or martial artists. Their main concern is to share what they have, always with their minds open for new ideas. This attitude has helped the Machados to establish themselves in the martial arts community and given them many friends and followers. Their attitude of balance is reflected not only in the way they fight, but also in the healthy lifestyle they have adopted since childhood.

Leverage not Strength

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one martial art form that advocates defence without violence.  It's fascinating watching two people wrestle on the ground, each trying to out-manoeuvre the other and applying chokeholds to bring the other into submission.  As savage as it may sound, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art form that requires skill and efficiency, not brute strength which is built on the principle that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger assailant using proper leverage and technique. 

While BJJ is often compared to judo, there is one major difference between the two: in judo (and most other martial art forms) the goal is to bring your opponent to the ground. In BJJ, the fight really begins once you get down on the ground.

The aim of BJJ is to get your opponent to submit, which is BJJ-speak for surrender.  To achieve this goal, you have to use a variety of manoeuvres such as chokes, strangles and locks while executing other moves (such as mounts and guards) to gain a dominant position to defend yourself.  To concede defeat, the fighter who is overpowered has to tap his opponent.

You can train in BJJ for self-defence or for sport (to enter competitions). You can, of course, also treat the martial art form as a workout. In competitions, there are rules to follow to ensure the safety of players and uphold the integrity of the martial art form.

BJJ can be divided into three broad categories: self-defence (where you learn unarmed striking techniques to fight an armed opponent), Self Defence, Sport BJJ and Mixed Martial Arts (free fighting form).  In cases of abduction or rape, they always end up on the ground.  BJJ also has techniques that teach you how to fight on your back, commonly perceived as a weak position to be in. It’s not as easy as it sounds though. Learning to move on the ground takes a lot of hard work and practice.

The most important thing to master is leverage – it negates the significance of physical strength.

The BJJ Belt system

White to Brown: 6 months of consistent training, based on twice a week, between each stripe

 

BJJ Times & Locations

Ultimate School of Self Defence (Sydney)

WPH Community Centre View Street
(George Thornton Park) West Pennant Hills, NSW 2125
Phone: 0418 608 688
Contact: George Adams

Timetable:
Wed: 6pm - 7pm
Sat: 10.45am - 12pm

BKJ Martial Arts & Fitness Centre (Roselands/Lakemba/Belmore)

Level 1, 925 Canterbury Rd, Roselands 
Phone: 0418 608 688
Contact: George Adams

Timetable:
Tues & Thurs: 7.30pm - 8.45pm
Fri: 6pm - 7.30pm (MMA/No Gi)

Other Locations inlcude:
ACT & Rainbow Beach, Qld

Training under Norton & Will

Regular visits by John Will and Richard Norton ensure our students receive the best quality instruction. We have now introduced MMA (mixed martial arts) which is the fusion of stand-up and ground fighting skills.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Rankings (active students only)

Black Belt 4th Degree
Kyoshi Richard Norton (trained and graded by Jean Jacques Machado)

Purple Belt
George Adams
Chris Tsolakis
Darren Grieve (Qld)

Blue Belt
Damien Philpott (ACT)
John Ellis
Timothy Ellis
Herbert Tomaschett

White Belt (4 stripes)
Peter Asimakopoulos
Peter Tziliaskopoulos
Terry Phun
Tim Smith
Jim Hughes
Chris Wilson
Feras Suwan

White Belt (3 stripes)
Antoine Halabi
Joshua Gabriel
Michael Halabi
Raden Wijoyo

White Belt (2 stripes)
Robert Martin (Qld)
Jason Griffin (Qld)
Sinan Acar
Nadir Degirmenci

White Belt (1 stripe)
Mark Szalajko
Alex Asimakopoulos
Roland Winter
Jamie Billio
Kathy Taylor
Tim Gwan
Donahue D'Souza