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Known as the ‘gentle art’, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art that allows people to successfully defend themselves against a larger, stronger attacker. BJJ focuses on position and control to defeat their opponent by applying chokeholds or joint locks .

Due to the fact that control is generally easier on the ground than in a standing position, much of the technique of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is centered around the skill of taking an opponent down to the ground and wrestling for dominant control positions.

HISTORY OF BJJ

In 1915, a world famous Japanese judoka, Mitsuyo Maeda, arrived to Brazil, where he began teaching and giving demonstrations in jiu jitsu and judo, . Maeda’s first students went on to become the founders of what is known as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: brothers Carlos and Helio Gracie. These early pioneers contributed to the development of what is today known as Brazilian jiu jitsu, by maximising the effectiveness of existing techniques, creating new ones, and giving rise to a distinct martial art.

It wasn’t long before the Brazilian style of jiu jitsu started to spread to other countries and continents. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu arrived to the United States in the early 1970s, but grew relatively slowly until the 1990s, when the UFC brought mixed martial arts – and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – to the mainstream public. In 2002, Carlos Gracie, Jr. founded the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, which began holding organised jiu jitsu competitions world-wide. In the last decade, jiu jitsu has boomed, and today, many of the world’s largest and most prestigious tournaments are held in the United States.

GRACIE BARRA

Gracie Barra was founded in 1986 by Carlos Gracie Jr., a son of Carlos Gracie, one of the founders of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Gracie Barra has turned into a worldwide organisation with over 1000 schools. Gracie Barra currently has regional divisions in North America, Australasia, Europe, Japan, and Brazil.