Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Romulo Barral attempting a triangle choke on Gabriel Vella at the 2009 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Also known as	BJJ, Gracie jiu-jitsu, gi/nogi jiu-jitsu, submission grappling Portuguese name: Jiu-jitsu brasileiro Japanese name: Burajirian jūjutsu (ブラジリアン柔術)
Focus	Ground fighting, submission grappling
Hardness	Full contact
Country of origin	Brazil
Creator	Mataemon Tanabe, Senjuro Kataoka, Taro Miyake, Yukio Tani, Geo Omori, Mitsuyo Maeda, Takeo Yano, Soshihiro Satake, Tokugoro Ito, Jacintho Ferro,[1] Donato Pires dos Reis,[1] Hélio Gracie, Carlos Gracie, George Gracie, Oswaldo Gracie, Luiz França,[2] Oswaldo Fadda
Famous practitioners	See full list
Parenthood	Kodokan Judo, Jujutsu, Wrestling

Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; Portuguese: jiu-jitsu brasileiro [ʒiw ˈʒitsu bɾaziˈlejɾu, ʒu -]) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds. BJJ is primarily a ground-based fighting style and focuses on taking one's opponent down to the ground, gaining a dominant position, and using a number of techniques to force them into submission via joint locks, chokeholds, or compression locks.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu was first developed around 1925 by Brazilian brothers Carlos, Oswaldo, Gastão Jr., and Hélio Gracie, after Carlos was taught a hybrid fighting style of traditional Jujutsu and Kodokan judo by a travelling Japanese judoka, Mitsuyo Maeda, in 1917. Later on the Gracie family developed their own self-defense system which they named Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

BJJ eventually came to be its own defined combat sport through the innovations, practices, and adaptation of Gracie jiu-jitsu and judo, and became one of the essential martial arts for modern MMA.

BJJ revolves around the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger opponent by using leverage and weight distribution, taking the fight to the ground and using a number of holds and submissions to defeat them. Sparring, commonly referred to as "rolling" within the BJJ community, and live drilling plays a major role in training and in the practitioner's development. In contrast to some other martial arts BJJ can be practiced both using a gi uniform or not which is know as 'no-gi BJJ', for this purpose specific rash guards are used. BJJ can also be used as a method of promoting physical fitness, building character, and as a way of life.^[3][4]