jiu-jitsu is a martial art form and self-defense system that mainly centers on grappling techniques and ground fighting. Unlike striking-based martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do, Karate Wholesale Usc Trojans Hats , Muay Thai and boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu puts greater emphasis on groundwork fighting techniques that focus on taking the fight to the ground, where the strengths of physically larger, stronger opponents are mitigated. It takes its roots from the parent art of Kodokan Judo, and it first came into practice in the year 1914 through its main creators Mitsuyo Maeda and Helio Gracie.

To better understand the premise upon which most Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighting styles rests on, it is important to note a theory about physical combat formulated by master Mitsuyo Maeda, one of the pioneering groundwork experts taught by judo’s founder himself Wholesale West Virginia Mountaineers Hats , Kano Jigoro. Maeda explains that physical combat could be divided into distinct phases, which include the striking phase, grappling phase, and ground phase, among others. To the wise fighter then, the key to winning the fight is to keep it in the combat phase best suited to his own skills and strengths as a fighter.

This fundamental premise is what heavily influenced the development of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. When Maeda was sent by Jigoro overseas to spread the art of judo to the world, he staged demonstrations in various countries. Carlos Gracie Wholesale Wisconsin Badgers Hats , the eldest son of a businessman who partly owned the American Circus in Brazil where Maeda did some of his demonstrations, watched Maeda and decided to learn judo under him. Carlos learned judo from Maeda and eventually passed on his knowledge to his brothers.

Carlos’ youngest brother, Helio Gracie, was naturally frail and following a doctor’s recommendations, he spent many years limited to watching his brothers practice the martial art. Eventually, Helio Gracie was able to develop a softer adaptation of judo that did not require much direct opposition to the opponent’s physical strength—a martial art that came to be known as Gracie jiu-jitsu, also referred to as Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Gracie jiu-jitsu fighting techniques work to offset the physical strength Wholesale Alabama Crimson Tide Shirts , superior reach and more forceful strikes of larger and stronger opponents by getting these opponents to the ground and then implementing submission holds such as chokeholds and joint-locks to force the opponent into submission using mechanical strength instead of relying on physical strength alone.