You've probably seen Jiu Jitsu before. It's used in the octagon in UFC when the fight goes to the ground. More commonly it is being used in action movies and fight scenes. But what is Brazilian Jui Jitsu? Jiu Jitsu is the art of ground fighting. It utilizes grappling and leverage to submit an opponent. These submissions can come in the form of joint locks and chokes. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a relatively modern martial art, though it does have it's roots in Japan. Judo has a ground fighting fundamental portion called Newaza. Mitsuyo Maeda brought Judo to Helio and Carlos Gracie, and through practice and experimentation, those ground techniques were studied and elaborated upon. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu became known as it's own art and continued to grow as Helio Gracie taught it to his extended family. Jiu Jitsu is known for the use of leverage. This means that even a smaller opponent can defeat a larger one by utilizing proper technique. Because of this, practitioners are often able to continue training and gaining skills no matter what their size or age. Judo was separated from the older Japanese Jiu Jitsu by removing the deadly techniques. This allowed the art to be used in a sport-like setting against an unwilling opponent. This philosophy was passed down to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as well. Getting a technique to work on someone who is fully resisting isn't easy, but it also shows the effectiveness of Jiu Jitsu on a regular basis.
