What Is Jiu-Jitsu?
JAPANESE JUJUTSU (the traditional style/name)
origins are traced to Buddhist monks of India, in its modern form Jujutsu comes from Japan and was used on the battlefield by Samurai. Jujutsu was developed to allow them to fight effectively in the event they were disarmed and on foot. They found it difficult to fight hand to hand due to restrictions in mobility caused by their armor, Jujutsu evolved to include throwing, joint-locks and strangles, along with striking. By the mid-1800’s Jujutsu split into different styles. Their techniques varied from style to style and incorporated aspects of hand to hand combat including strikes, grappling and weapon-based attacks and disarms. In the 1880’s, Judo had evolved and is now one of the most widely practiced sports in the world. Judo was developed by Jigoro Kano, who developed Judo as his own ryu which was based around ‘randori’ and was a deviation from the partner practice.
Then came…
(BJJ; Portuguese: jiu-jitsu brasileiro) is a self-defense system, martial art, and combat sport system that focuses on grappling with particular emphasis on ground fighting. Brazilian jiu-jitsu was developed from Kodokan judo ground fighting (newaza) fundamentals that were taught by a number of Japanese individuals including Takeo Yano, Mitsuyo Maeda, Soshihiro Satake, and Isao Okano. Brazilian jiu-jitsu eventually came to be its own defined combat sport through the innovations, practices, and adaptation of judo.
BJJ teaches that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themself against a bigger, stronger, heavier opponent by using leverage and weight distribution to take the fight to the ground, and then applying joint locks and chokeholds to defeat the opponent. BJJ training can be used for sport grappling tournaments and in self-defense situations. Sparring (commonly referred to as “rolling” within the BJJ community) and live drilling play a major role in training and the practitioner’s development. BJJ is considered a martial art, a sport, a method for promoting physical fitness and building character, and a way of life
Geo Omori opened the first Jiu-Jitsu / judo school in Brazil in 1925