How To Jiu Jitsu - Episode 1: The Introduction
I have decided to dedicate much of my time on the Steemit platform to my love of Brazilian jiu jitsu. I hope that my posts on jiu jitsu and self-defense sparks interest in the art because it is truly life-changing...
I have been training jiu jitsu for about 5 years. I can honestly say that it has changed my life. The time and effort you put into any martial art is a great thing. The payoff is more than just learning martial arts and self-defense. When you join a local jiu jitsu gym, your training partners soon turn into a community of friends, and somewhat like family. I hope that you enjoy my posts on the art of Brazilian jiu jitsu and if you find it interesting, all it takes is a simple google search to find a academy near you!
So what exactly is jiu jitsu and how is it different from other martial arts?
Jiu jitsu can simply be described as a self-defense martial art that relies more on grappling rather than other stand-up martial arts like kickboxing, boxing, tae kwon do, jeet kun do, and karate. It also differs from other ground based fighting such as judo or wrestling because of the techniques and submissions used to defeat an opponent.
According to Wikipedia:
BJJ promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger, heavier assailant by using proper technique, leverage, and most notably, taking the fight to the ground, and then applying joint-locks and chokeholds to defeat the opponent.
That's not to say that some understanding of stand-up fighting is not necessary. You must have some understanding of stand-up arts in order to understand the distance between you and an opponent. In order to grapple and take the fight to the ground, understanding the distance is the first key to both your defense and your attacks.
One of the key points of fighting is that many, if not most fights, end up on the ground.
The main reason that jiu jitsu is so important is that because many fights go to the ground. I believe that all martial arts have value. However, I believe that it is very important to understand how to defend yourself on the ground, specially against an attacker who may be bigger, faster and stronger than yourself.
There have always been arguments on what the most important martial art is. Many would argue that wrestling may be the most important because you understand how to control whether the fight takes place standing or on the ground. The jiu jitsu curriculum also covers many takedown offensive and defensive scenarios. I believe that many people may not understand the amount of skill it takes to control takedown scenarios. While it is important to develop the skill level to influence where the fight takes place, you definitely want to know what to do on the ground once you are there.
In Closing...
I hope to share as much about jiu jitsu with the Steemit community as I can. I will discuss the history and terminology of jiu jitsu, show and discuss techniques, and will try to include as many featured instructors for knowledge, instruction and interviews as I can. I may not be the most qualified practitioner to give instruction on jiu jitsu, but I will try to bring those individuals to the Steemit platform!
I have some great ideas for future episodes and I hope to make this blog as interactive as possible with some ideas for future contests and some great surprises!
I'll leave you with this short video from a Navy Seal that discusses the importance of jiu jitsu.
@framelalife is a 2 stripe blue belt under Royce Gracie. I train at Three Rivers Martial Arts which is in the Royce Gracie Network. Three Rivers Martial Arts is very lucky to have a large staff of professional instructors including: Jason Hawkins, Eli Knight, Derik Perry, Jim Hemphill, Eric Romanak, Clay Mayfield, and Dustin Lynn. The primary focus of Three Rivers Academy is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu but also includes Jeet Kun Do, Judo, Silat, and Martial Arts Concepts.
I remember when my Dad brought home the VHS of UFC 1 I think I was 13 or 14. It was pretty much no holds barred fighting (for those who don't know UFC past). Seeing Royce Gracie this little 5 foot something guy win every match he was in with his holds astounded me. Then to go on and win the next 2 was awesome. I loved him and Ken Shamrocks rival. I studied all of his fights as a teen, wanted to learn BJJ so bad but have dislocated both knees before so that's a no no. Upvoted and followed looking forward to this.
Thanks @cyber-punk. It was the same for me. The first UFC's and watching Royce was a major impact. I hope to keep posting some interesting content.
Thank you for taking the time to bring this awesome topic to steemit! I am a MMA practitioner, and I see the value in this art!
That's awesome @apollomission! Huge MMA fan here. Such a tough sport. I hope to see some more mma & UFC content on here. I'm already following you so I'll keep an eye out for your posts! I've invited a lot of friends on here who train or are fans.