What's BJJ?
What's Brazilian jiu-jitsu? It is both a martial art and a sport that focuses on grappling control in order for you to beat your foe.
Lots of the moves were taken from judo and jiu-jitsu. Picking up how to perform the actual move permits even a smaller and more frail person to subdue a person that is stronger which is why it is also used in self-defense classes.
BJJ developed as early as in the 20's. It recently got world fame when Royce Gracie was victorious at the Ultimate Fighting Championship several times after it was founded in the 90's. Due to the domination, various academies are now teaching this martial art.
You can most likely say that the popularity as a sport is second after football. There are tournaments held often such as the European Championships, the Mundials and the Pan Am Games
If you desire to be successful in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, practice makes perfect and the sole way you can do that is through training and rolling. This means fighting against a live and resisting partner under realistic conditions while at the same time being careful not to cause any serious injuries.
During sparring and tournaments, grapplers are required to don the gi. It looks very similar to what you would have on when you train judo. The difference is that the uniform has tighter cuffs on both the jacket and pants.
Submissions in bjj are achieved either through chokes or joint locks. Choking as you well know involves constricting the windpipe so the opponent is not able to breathe. Apart from that, there is also what is known as strangling which collapses the carotid. A choke is less efficient than a strangle and may cause permanent damage or even death which is why the second is used more often during tournaments.
As for joint locks which are probably more safe, what you are doing is generating a fulcrum with the body position which will force the joint to move past its normal range of motion. This is better known as hyperextension and since there's no way out of it, the enemy has no other choice but to submit.
Everybody can be taught bjj. As you get better, you are promoted to the next belt level. Beginners start with the white and progress their way to the red belt. For those who are below 15 years old, you work your way from white to green belt.
How quickly you grow depends on the amount of time the person dedicates and how rapidly they learn. To obtain the elite class for example, it takes at least 10 years or even more.
With BJJ making its mark on the world scene, you won’t have a hard time discovering a gym that is offering classes. The only thing you have to do now is use your time properly since this is done in a group setting and you are just one of many that are learning the ropes of this sport. As a newbie, you don’t have to get a kimono so just come in wearing a shirt and shorts. If you are trying to find a bjj blog that doesn't take it too seriously, you should check out doyoubjj.com.