Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Gentle Art

I am in absolute love with the martial arts.  I believe a submission, knockout or just a good technical fight that comes from the marital arts are just that...art. Now, the artistic aspect of fighting is apparent when watching people like Anderson Silva or Muhammad Ali fight, however less enthusiastic fans consider a ground fight to be “boring”. Though others call a ground fight “boring”, I view it as an in-depth chess match where two individuals are at war. No martial art is like that of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art that teaches its students to control resisting opponents in ways that force him/her to submit. Generally, gaining this control is easier on the ground than in a standing position. This is why much of the techniques in BJJ are centered around the skill of taking an opponent to the ground and wrestling for dominant positions, rendering the opponent harmless. The main principals behind BJJ are to control and overcome the obstacles of greater size, strength and aggression. This is done by utilizing superior leverage, grip, and position upon your opponent. Students gain a deep understanding of the workings and limits of the human body. The knowledge can be used to subdue and control an opponent with whatever level of severity the student chooses.

  BJJ and other grappling arts are unique in a few ways:

1) BJJ can be safely practiced under conditions of 100 percent resistance and, therefore, any doubts or illusions about its effectiveness can be removed. Striking-based arts can also be performed under full resistance, of course, but not safely (because getting repeatedly hit in the head is bad for your health.)

2) There is uncertainty when learning a striking art, while when a choke is properly applied there is only 1 certainty. Tap or Nap. Whatever the intensity of training, it is difficult to remove uncertainty from the striker’s art: Not even a professional boxer can be sure what will happen if he hits an assailant squarely on the jaw with a closed fist. The other man might fall to the ground unconscious, or he might not—and without gloves, the boxer might break his hand on the first punch.

3) BJJ can be practice by all ages, genders and bodytypes.  Due to BJJ being technique based and not strength based it accomates the helpless girl to defend herself against a bigger stronger oppenant. It gives a small boy or an old man confidence.  It teaches us how to swim when we are sinking.

4) By contrast, even a novice at BJJ knows beyond any doubt what will happen if he correctly applies a triangle choke. It is a remarkable property of grappling that the distance between theory and reality can be fully bridged all while learning and being safe.

I am currently a student at the renowned Gracie Sports Academy and I am proud to call them my family. I train under Marcio or Marraro Stambowsky, "Macarra BJJ is focused around excellence; we are determined to give our best in order to help you achieve your best. By joining Macarra BJJ you will be joining one of the strongest and most respected BJJ teams in the world. Master Marcio “Macarrao” Stambowsky is a black belt under the legendary Rolls Gracie Sr. Master Marcio is the only 7th degree coral belt in the north-east. With a heritage as deep as ours, you will get to experience firsthand authentic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu right from its source." Here is there website http://www.graciesportsusa.com/

I will leave you in the words of a man far more intelligent than I...

"Whether you are an expert in a striking-based art—boxing, karate, tae kwon do, etc.—or just naturally tough, a return to childlike humility awaits you: Simply step onto the mat with a BJJ black belt. There are few experiences as startling as being effortlessly controlled by someone your size or smaller and, despite your full resistance, placed in a choke hold, an arm lock, or some other “submission.” A few minutes of this and, whatever your previous training, your incompetence will become so glaring and intolerable that you will want to learn whatever this person has to teach. Empowerment begins only moments later, when you are shown how to escape the various traps that were set for you—and to set them yourself. Each increment of knowledge imparted in this way is so satisfying—and one’s ignorance at every stage so consequential—that the process of learning BJJ can become remarkably addictive. I have never experienced anything quite like it." - Sam Harris