Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the most popular martial arts around the world. This art consist of self defense and offense. Even though, this art practically focused its trainings on the offensive and defensive techniques, the benefits of this art are significantly countless. BJJ can help you improve your physical and emotional development. If you are training this art, certainly you will develop respect, discipline and self confidence. To explain in detail, here are the benefits that you can gain, just by training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has already proven its effectiveness when it comes to self defense. Many martial artists around the world are using the techniques of this art. Mixed martial art has adopted most of its techniques from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The reason is that, the techniques which are present in BJJ are realistic and effective when it comes to fighting.
Certainly, if you train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you will improve your body fitness. Trainings in BJJ are consists of soft and hard methods. In the hard method, you will be training for your body. The condition of your body is very important when it comes to fighting. You need to train your body on how to absorb the impacts of your opponent’s strike. In the soft method, you will be focusing on your mind reflexes. Training your mind is very important, because your mind is the key that gives the signal to your body. When your mind is perfectly conditioned, then you can perfectly execute the techniques that you have trained for so long.
The training in BJJ includes meditation. As we all know, meditation is a training which can help you program your mind. As you program your mind, you are increasing the chances of getting a better result, when it comes to execution of techniques. Moreover, meditation helps you calm your mind. Having a calm emotion is certainly essential for all the martial artists. Make sure that your mind is at ease before you sent yourself into the battle.
In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you must also consider the aspect of self discipline in order for you to improve your fighting skills. All of the BJJ practitioners are taught to control their emotions and behaviors. In ancient history, BJJ masters improved their discipline as a factor to help them develop the spirit of a real martial artist. Through enhancing self discipline, you can develop greater respect towards other martial artist.
Now that you have learned the benefits of BJJ, it is time for you to train this form of martial art. Gain the heart of a true fighter and practice the right techniques. However, you can only achieve these benefits if you are willing to exert efforts on your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu trainings.
Benefits of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:
Physical Conditioning
Jiu jitsu training is more rigorous than many other martial arts, owing to the intensely physical nature of grappling. A typical session includes cardiovascular training, stretching, breathing work and a resistance workout; the latter is derived from working with a resisting opponent approximately your size. These sessions build your strength and endurance, and increase flexibility.
Falling Skills
Jiu jitsu students throw, sweep and trip each other dozens of times during every class. To make it through training without injury, beginning students learn how to fall down without getting hurt. This training translates easily into life outside the dojo. “You’re unlikely to ever have to use self defense techniques on a bad guy, but there’s a good chance that you’ll fall down at least once this year,” writes martial arts instructor Jason Brick in the February, 2011 issue of “Black Belt Magazine.”
Self-Defense
Battlefield techniques form the basis of all jiu jitsu training. What you learn in this martial art is applicable if you are ever attacked. Skilled jiu jitsu practitioners are capable of defending themselves — and those they love — from a dangerous assailant. Acquiring such skill requires long years of practice, but it is one of the benefits that most strongly attracts people to the martial arts.
Patience and Discipline
An impatient jiu jitsu player is an unsuccessful jiu jitsu player. This is because timing and rhythm are vital to the physics behind jiu jitsu technique. Executing a lock or throw at the right moment feels effortless; forcing one at the wrong time is next to impossible. Practicing in this context builds patience and self-discipline, and helps reduce stress.
Fun
A typical jiu jitsu session includes exercising to near exhaustion, becoming frustrated with complex techniques and accumulating a moderate collection of dings and bruises. Despite this — or perhaps because of it — jiu jitsu is fun. “Doing things you enjoy can extend your lifespan, and make your life more worth living,” says Dr. Mehmet Oz in his book, “You: The Owner’s Manual.”
Our Lineage:
Westcoast Taekwon-Do’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program is lead by BJJ Brown Belt, Multi Style Black Belt, MMA Fighter and International Competitor Chad Bellwood and assisted by 4th Degree Black Belt Taekwon-Do, Close Combat, Filipino Arnis Instructor, BJJ Blue Belt and founder of Westcoast Taekwon-do Master James Tosoff.
Our program is under the tutelage of and certified by Carlos Santos and Marcelo Motta of Colorado Springs USA. Both professors come from Carlson Gracie lineage and are former members of the Brazilian Top Team.
Professors Carlos and Marcelo mastered the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in their native country, Brazil. This priceless opportunity to learn from top-level Brazilians is not offered anywhere else in Colorado Springs.
Carlos Santos, 3rd degree black belt, is a three-time World Champion and also the founder of the Professional World Jiu-Jitsu Cup. Carlos Santos is to be credited with founding the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu program which has been implemented nation-wide in public schools. Marcelo Motta, 2nd degree black belt, is a three-time Rio de Janeiro State Champion and also a key player in developing the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu program to the international level it is today. Combined, the two have more than 40 years experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and love nothing more than to be able to pass that wealth of knowledge onto their students.
Carlson Gracie:
Carlson Gracie, Sr. (August 13, 1932 – February 1, 2006) was a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was the eldest son of Carlos Gracie, founder of the system with his uncle Hélio Gracie, and learned the art from his uncle and his father. He was a member of the legendary Gracie family
Carlson Gracie would later split from Hélio Gracie’s group. He founded one of top mixed martial arts teams, which spawned many champions. In 2000, following a financial dispute, many of Carlson Gracie’s students would split from him to form another MMA team, the Brazilian Top Team, which would remain respectful to the master.
Carlson fought a total of eighteen vale tudo fights, with only one loss to Euclides Pereira in a fight that was held in Bahia. His first fight was against Capoeira practitioner Luiz “Cirandinha” Aguiar in this March 17, 1953. Carlson won after over an hour of fighting. His second match was a draw against Wilson “Passarito” Oliveira in May 1953. Carlson had a rematch in March 1954 in the longest fight of his career, which he won in the fifth 30 minute round. Most notable are his four matches with Valdemar Santana, who had defeated his uncle Hélio Gracie in a fabled match in May 1955. He beat Santana in the first fight avenging his family. In October 1955 Carlson fought Santana to a draw in a Jiu-Jitsu match. In 1956 and 1957 Carlson won two fights and in 1959 they fought to a draw.
Carlson Gracie trained many top competitors such as Allan Goes, Murilo Bustamante, Mario Sperry, Wallid Ismail, Pablo Popovitch, Kevin Christopher, Andre Pederneiras, Julio Fernandez, Ricardo Liborio, Marcus Soares, Rodrigo Medeiros, Ricardo “Rey” Diogo, Marcelo Alonso and was also responsible for introducing and mastering Vitor Belfort into Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.[4] Carlson Gracie also trained Stephan Bonnar, a finalist in the UFC reality show The Ultimate Fighter 1. He was in Bonnar’s corner during his legendary fight against eventual The Ultimate Fighter winner Forrest Griffin. He is the author of a book on the subject of Jiu Jitsu titled Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: For Experts Only, which includes his student Julio “Foca” Fernandez.[5]
The oldest son of Carlos Gracie, who founded Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Rio de Janeiro during the 1920s, Carlson reigned as world champion for thirty years covering the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. During this time, he was also considered one of the preeminent teachers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the world; a reputation he holds to this day.
Carlson catapulted to fame at the age of 23 when he avenged the defeat of his uncle Helio Gracie. A former student of Helio’s, Waldemar Santana, had defeated the much older Helio during a match in 1955. That match lasted four hours and is still the longest in modern history. Carlson’s rematch with Santana in 1956 was a much shorter affair: four rounds of vicious vale-tudo combat came to draw.
Riding on his newly found fame, Carlson became the most sought-after Jiu-Jitsu instructor in Brazil. After teaching at his uncle’s academy for several years, he opened his own, where over the past thirty years many of the greatest names in Jiu-Jitsu and no-holds-barred fighters have trained as members of the famed Carlson Gracie Arrebentacao Team.
Helio Gracie’s academy taught only the most basic positions to outsiders, reserving the advanced positions for the family elite. Carlson opened up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the masses, and the masses responded, hungry to learn everything they could. To compete for students, the other academy was forced to offer all their positions as well. This good-natured competition breathed creativity and invention into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The Carlson Gracie system is known to be the best transition to MMA and his brand of juijitsu favored a ‘warrior style’ of Jiu-Jitsu that encouraged physical prowess and barraging your opponent with a series of attacks which was distinct from that being taught by Helio which focused on emphasized technical proficiency. Carlson opened up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the masses, and the masses responded, hungry to learn everything they could while Helio Gracie’s academy taught only the most basic positions to outsiders, reserving the advanced positions for the family elite. Carlson reigned as world champion for thirty years covering the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s and to this day his brand of jiu-jitsu is the most aggressive and is considered the best form of jiujutsu to this day.