Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the United States

Royce Gracie in the Ultimate Fighting Championship is credited with making Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu famous in the United States, even though it has been around for quite some time. Gracie brought this style of martial art to prominence with his dominance of the UFC against opponents of many other styles and weight classes. The art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became very interesting to people once they saw how quickly and powerfully Gracie could dominate his opponents.

There are very little stand up skills in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as it relies heavily on grappling. Most of the techniques for this marital art are actually executed while on the ground. The techniques, not the stylists strength, are what make these moves so effective. A stylist who weights less than 100 pounds is capable of quickly bringing someone two to three times his size under submission using the skills and techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not very effective against multiple fighters, although it is highly effective in the ring. A stylist will have a real challenge trying to execute the choke holds or arm locks against multiple attackers, although they will be able to dominate in one to one fights. Against multiple fighters you simply do not have enough time to execute the moves.

There are many options available to the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylist from the ground. There are dozens of techniques he can use to disable his opponent, including leg locks, arm locks, and choke holds. He can wrap his legs around his opponent when he is one his back with an opponent on top of him, this is referred to as the guard. While it may look like the stylist is down, there are actually dozens of effective techniques he can use from the guard position.

Along with the guard, the mount, side control and back mount positions are central tools of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylist. He can punch or execute a submission hold from the mount position, which is where he is on top of his attacker on the ground. An arm lock is very effective in a side control position, where the stylist is laying on the opponents chest. The most dangerous position is the back mount position, where the stylist is on the opponents back. The stylist has the opportunity to take advantage of his opponents lack of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experience from this position.

Like many martial arts, the highest belt ranking in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is black. The rank begins with white, and then moves through blue, purple, and brown before black is obtained. It takes about two to three years of dedication and practice to move through each belt level. While it can take more than ten years to reach a black belt, once a student it there he can begin sharing his skills with other students.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a very effective form of martial art. This is especially true for ground fighting tournaments. Since ground grappling is becoming increasingly popular being a well rounded stylist is even more important. Many people choose to study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since it can simply not be matched when it comes to ground grappling effectiveness.