Reasons for Learning Jiu Jitsu

The only way to stay out of harms way is to be prepared. You could use mace to defend yourself, however this takes to long to take out and use. That is why Jiu Jitsu is the best defense.

Jiu Jitsu is an old Japanese form of martial arts that uses a combination of ground grappling along with punches, kicks, throws as well as weapons. One of the keys to Jiu Jitsu is leverage so a smaller person can use it to defend themselves.

There are other benefits to Jiu Jitsu other than for defending yourself, studies have shown that learning a martial art such as Jiu Jitsu can help to increase balance as well as coordination, in addition to building self confidence and self discipline and reduce stress.

Jiu Jitsu is also a wonderful form of exercise that will help to build endurance, flexibility, muscle tone and strength.

Jiu Jitsu can also be used to help attain fame, once you learn the technique like Royce Gracie did to win the first four Ultimate Fighting Championships.

Anyone can learn Jiu Jitsu regardless of age, parents who enroll their child in a Jiu Jitsu class will notice an improvement in their child’s self confidence. This is due to the help of the instructors and students that all help to teach in a non completive environment. Two of the most important values that are taught are patience and self control, as it will teach the student to yield as opposed to resist.

Adults will get the benefit of stress levels being reduced, which will aid in conflicts being resolved in a rational manner. It has been proven that the most effective method to dealing with conflict is to do so in a calm relaxed frame of mind.

No matter how old you are a person who learns Jiu Jitsu is less likely to be in a violent situation.

Now that you have learned all of the benefits that Jiu Jitsu has to offer you are now ready to find a class to enroll in. you can ask your friends if they know of a place that offers classes, or you can try to find a place online. After you have found a place, find out if you can attend one class to make sure that Jiu Jitsu is right for you or not. In most cases the gym will offer the first class for free so this is a great way to try it before you buy it.

There are certain rules that have to be followed when it comes to wearing the proper attire as well as addressing the instructor and behavior in the class environment, all of this is to show respect and to prevent somebody from getting hurt.

A student who practices on a regular basis can move on the next color belt at any time so long as they achieve all the requirements, if a student fails to move on they need to practice where they failed at and retake the test.

Jiu Jitsu is not meant as an offensive tactic instead more of a defensive in order to protect oneself, however sometimes bodily injury to an attacker is unavoidable.

Introduction to Jiu Jitsu

When people hear the words Jiu Jitsu they automatically think of Bruce Lee. But in actually the art of Jiu Jitsu is a Japanese form of martial arts that is made up of grappling along with striking moves. The art of Jiu Jitsu dates back to before 750 AD and reached its peak in the early 1600’s when Japan was united.

Many people may wonder as to why Jiu Jitsu became so popular, well the reason for this was because in those days people were no longer allowed to carry weapons. With this ban on carrying a weapon this meant that the only method of defense was to use hand to hand combat. In the years that followed the police and even the army was taught this method of defense.

Jiu Jitsu is sometimes spelled jujitsu; however no matter how it is spelled in the English language it means the art of gentleness. This is only achieved by executing the proper timing and leverage, in doing so you are able to grab a hold of your opponent and execute a few blows that will render the opponent a non threat to you.

In addition to learning self defense you will also learn other values such as patience, surrender along with yielding. All of this training will change you as a person allowing you to become more calm and focused.

Some schools that offer Jiu Jitsu will teach you fighting techniques using a variety of weapons while others will teach you techniques for healing such as giving another person a massage. Others tend to put a heavy emphasis on the study of philosophical or spiritual concepts.
With the birth of Jiu Jitsu came the advent of other martial arts, the first of these was judo, which many people have compared to freestyle wrestling. Judo tends to focus more on the self defense techniques which will enable a person to throw his opponent off balance allowing them to strike their opponent.

Another form is Aikido which focuses on hand techniques to redirect the opponents force. Once this has been accomplished you will be able to apply various painful hold techniques until they surrender. If your opponent refuses to submit then their elbow joint will be dislocated or they will be rendered unconscious.

Unlike Karate or tae kwon do Jiu Jitsu is not a sport, therefore there are no competitions. However the Brazilian form which was formed using a form of judo does have competitions. The IBJJF or International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation is the major governing body for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. They host some of the biggest tournaments in the world including the Pan American along with the European Championships.

Although the art of Jiu Jitsu is old itself the techniques are visible in other forms of martial arts. One of the best examples of this is the Ultimate Fighting Championship which has seen a rise in its popularity since the early 1990’s Royce Gracie used Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to win the first four championships of this tournament.

Jiu Jitsu is an art that anybody can learn, for this reason it is taught in so many self defense classes, so that anyone who is under threat can defend themselves.

How to score in Jiu Jitsu

One of the most popular forms of Jiu Jitsu is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, this form of martial arts formed from the Japanese version. There are numerous tournaments held each year and the scoring system in place determines the winner of the end of the tournament.

When one of the following is achieved one point is awarded.

A fighter delivers a clean strike using the hand or foot to a legal area on the body, a strike to the head is permitable so long as it is a light strike or touch contact.

When contact is made to the inner or outer thigh using a roundhouse kick resulting in light or medium contact the same applies.

If a strike looks potentially dangerous or injurious a point is awarded.
If multiple strikes are launched a judge at his or her discretion may award multiple points.

Only during a five second period are multiple strikes allowed after which time the fighters are separated and the match resumes.

If you are able to execute a controlled kick to the head resulting in light contact to the head gear area multiple points may be awarded.

You can also get multiple points if you execute a legitimate hold down position during ground time.

The color of the belt determines the points during this ground time, a black belt is awarded two points for every ten second up to thirty seconds at a time. Lower colored belts the points are 1 point for every 5 seconds with a 15 second time limit.

The hold down time is started at the referees signal. Where as in boxing a fighter can be saved by the bell that does not happen here so the point goes to the person who started the hold down.

There are other ways to score such as if you execute a half throw which causes the opponents feet to leave the mat. The last way to score points is through the use of submission.

A referee can deduct points if they feel that excessive contact was used, examples of this include the use of an illegal fighting technique, running out of bounds to avoid contact, or attacking illegal areas on the body. Other infractions may include disrespect to an official, refusing to stop after being ordered to stop and just general unsportsmanlike conduct.

A referee may disqualify a fighter by giving them a minor or major disqualification. A minor means that you cannot compete during the rest of the competition, a major means that you are banned from competing in future competitions for a certain amount of time.

Atypical match in Jiu Jitsu consist of two one minute rounds allowing for the fighters to rest between rounds for thirty seconds, also giving the referee time to see who is leading among the two fighters. After the thirty second break both fighters will be given the signal to start the second round. For black belts the rules are the same except that there are two rounds consisting of two minutes.

Scoring in Jiu Jitsu is pretty much the same as in all other contact sports the ref will add up the scores and announce the winner.

Equipment for Jiu Jitsu

Equipment for Jiu Jitsu is important. It is something that must be worn to ensure the safety of not only yourself but your opponent as well. This is the reason why judges will inspect both fighters before they begin their match.

When begin competitions in Jiu Jitsu, you might wonder what equipment you will need. Well, you won’t need a lot of things that’s for sure. Just make sure that you do have all of your equipment before you begin in order to be prepared.

The first piece of equipment you will need is the Gi which is the traditional uniform used in martial arts. It has sleeves that are no more than a fist distance from the arm to the wrist. This enables you to prevent your opponent from grabbing onto you to and scoring a point for grappling.

If bloody or torn your Gi must be replaced or you will risk losing the match. If you plan to spar, you will also need equipment as well. This includes gloves and foot protectors that will prevent serious harm to you and again your partner. During sparring, you will make full contact so you need to be prepared with the proper boxing gloves.

Boxing gloves can be purchased in both closed and open palm designs. To be certified however, the glove must have at least a half of inch of soft foam. Another important part of your equipment that will protect your mouth is a mouth guard. To protect the groin area, you must also get a groin protector.

For women, you will want to invest in a good sports bra that is not thick. It is important for women to feel comfortable and not be too embarrassed to show off skills of grappling or to also prevent their bra from accidently falling off during a grappling move.

To practice your moves when out of the ring, you will want to invest in a punching bag that is pretty heavy. The ideal ones will weigh close to 100 pounds and will stand as tall as 6 feet. When you are not sparring you will be able to use what you have learned on the bag for more practice.

When sparring, you must also be equipped with a helmet if you are under the age of 16. The helmet has padding that will protect your head, and your ears as well as your eyes and forehead in the event of a strike to that area.

Jiu Jitsu is best used in the ring however you can learn tricks from watching videos. The videos are of other people. Learn from the video to sharpen your techniques. Then when you enter the ring, you can sharpen them even more.

There are more equipment available from stores around the country including sparing mitts, shin guards, and boots. All of this equipment comes in a variety of sizes and designs to you will find whatever is that you like and are comfortable with.

As a rule, equipment used for Jiu Jitsu must be free of any metal or plastic if the equipment is going to be used in the ring or in sparring. This is a contact sport so you need to be careful not to want to inflict serious injury to your opponent. Being a good Jiu Jitsu fighter is not an easy task but with practice you will eventually win a tournament. Gain advice from your instructor about things you can use to benefit your game.

Disadvantages to using Joint Locks in Jiu Jitsu

In Jiu Jitsu there are many ways to make a person submit, one of these methods is called the joint lock. This is a method that involves manipulating an attacker’s joint in a way that the joint reaches its maximum degree of motion. There are mainly 5 different types of locks, arm, leg small joint manipulation, spinal locks and wristlocks. The bad news is that most people don’t do these the right way, making their attack useless and the are the reasons why.

The most common reason is poor mechanics, in order to keep this from happening you will have to learn the basics of this technique as to be able to apply your strength in an effort to know where to apply your strength.

The joint lock can be ineffective if the person it is being applied to is flexible, although this is rare there are cases of a person being able to bend their arm to the point that it reaches a 90 degree angle, another reason that the lock might be useless is if your attacker can withstand a high level of pain. This means that even if you execute the lock perfectly that your opponent might not be affected by the pain, if you find this to be the case your opponent might be deranged or high on drugs.

If you find yourself in this position then you will have to resort to another move such as a chokehold to render your opponent unconscious.

A good example of this type of move is called the Rear Carotid Restraint, this is executed by reaching deep towards the front of your opponent and wrapping your bicep around the sides of his neck. You will then want to squeeze your arms so that it is pressing against the sides of his neck while you press his downward toward his chest, hold this position until his body goes limp.

Another possible reason that your lock doesn’t work is that the person may have suffered an injury to the same area previously or as mentioned before they may just be extremely flexible.

The last reason that this is ineffective could be any combination of the fore mentioned reasons. However of all of the reasons mentioned the most common reason is lack of proper mechanics, and this is the only one that you have any real control over. All of the other reasons are in your opponents hands. If you find yourself in a situation you can’t handle run and get help.

Jiu Jitsu is the only martial arts used that employs the use of joint locks to make a person submit, the only way to make sure you get this right is to constantly practice this in the event that you may need to use it.

Three Basic Jiu Jitsu Moves

Jiu Jitsu is a martial art developed in Japan that is quite useful when you are in close quarter combat, the following are three basic moves that you can use when confronted by a threat.

The first move is referred to as the Clinch, in most cases people attack by punching and/or kicking when they have the proper range to accomplish this feat. The easiest way to avoid this is to stay out of the persons range, or be close enough as to prevent them from getting an effective punch in.

In order to make this happen you need to get your head against your opponent’s chest, now you need to get your hands up to you forehead as to avoid a punch to the head. You can close the gap by delivering a kick to his leg and distract him that way.

You can now sweep your hands to block his biceps; you trap his arms by hooking your hands over the triceps and can control his arms by using your forearms. By keeping your forehead buried in his chest and pulling on his arms, you can limit his punching power and limit his movement.

To complete this move reach around the back of the attacker with one of your arms and move your body to that side. Now make sure that his other arm is kept tight under your armpit so that your face is still protected by keeping your face buried in the bicep of the trapped arm. Also make sure you keep your legs in a way as to prevent him from turning and kneeing you in the groin.

If the attacker has overpowered you there are still options available to you to allow you to attack him. You can use a move called the Closed Guard to protect yourself. For this move to work you need to be on the ground facing the attacker, you can then wrap both of your legs around him so that his body is between your thighs.

Once you have accomplished this use your lower body to gain a tight grip on your attacker, try and trap one of his arms, ideally the arm to trap is the one they use to punch with.

Try and hold his head down using your other arm, as this will limit his ability to sit upright, allowing you to use a head butt, this can be done by holding the back of his head or neck.

Where the first move allowed for you to not be hit this move does not protect you from punches so use your elbows and knees to protect yourself from punches.

If your attacker is either too big or too strong then the closed guard will not work, instead try to use the open guard. To accomplish this move it involves thrusting both of your knees into your attacker’s chest.

With the back of your head on the ground, cover your face with your hands while arching your back and pushing the person as far back as you can. If your attacker should stand up then use you feet on his hips.

These Jiu Jitsu moves should be practiced on a regular basis so as to keep your reflexes in top shape.

Basic Jiu Jitsu Etiquette

The art of Jiu Jitsu is an old timeless tradition, for a person to learn this art they must enroll in a class and follow basic etiquette.
Jiu Jitsu etiquette is practiced by everyone, with absolutely no exceptions. If you find yourself forgetting as what to do then the best advice is to do what the senior student is doing.

The first rule is that the proper uniform must be worn, if you have not been given one then until such time as you are given one just wear a t-shirt and shorts or sweat pants.

The second thing to remember is that during the class it will be hot so make sure you have a towel along with plenty of water to avoid getting dehydrated.

You are allowed to take notes during the class, that way you can review when you get home that evening. These notes should be turned over to your sensei. This is one component which you are graded on so that you can earn your next belt.

Your instructor no matter if they are male or female must be referred to as “Sensei” meaning the one that has gone before. Outside of the class environment you can call your instructor by their first names. If you are being taught by someone who is not an instructor you can refer to them as sir or ma’am.

In addition to calling your instructor sensei one must also bow which is the way to salute in Jiu Jitsu. Bowing is done before you work with a partner and afterwards, this is a way to show respect. To properly bow you need to stand with your feet together and both of your hands on the front of your thighs, it is important to maintain eye contact when bowing, along with sliding the hands down the thighs for a second before standing back up.

You should also bow when you enter or leave the mat or dojo, this is seen by others as a sign that you are there to practice with them. Also it tells others that you are there and not distracted by the worries you may have in the outside world, once the class is over and you bow you are ready to return to your outside life.

If the class is already in progress and you are leaving or entering the mat make sure your instructor knows this so they know where everyone is.

In a Jiu Jitsu class there is a seating arrangement. Brown belts will sit on the left of the instructor, blue on the right side and the beginners or white belts face the instructor.

Sitting during a class is also important, the proper way is to sit on your knees with you rear resting on your feet. Another way to sit is cross-legged; any other way can be looked upon as being disrespectful unless you are injured.

During a match one way to show submission is to tap either your opponent or the mat, when this is done the person must stop what they are doing. Jiu Jitsu etiquette is a must all the time as to avoid serious injury to someone, when in doubt ask the sensei or a senior student.

Fighting Modes in Quantum Jiu Jitsu

In Quantum Jiu Jitsu, there are three fighting modes: Out-Fighting, In-Fighting, and Ground Fighting. In order to become an expert in Quantum Jiu Jitsu,you must be efficient in all three.

Out-Fighting is a technique that requires combat before you even clinch. There are three combinations: defense, strikes and stance, and movement.

In offense, a person would use a combination of punches and kicks preventing the opponent to protect himself. For the combination to work, you have to make each combination count letting weight and momentum drive the power.

Opponents will naturally try to protect themselves. They will also try to throw punches at you as well. Because of this exchange in blows, you will have to defend yourself with blocks and other evasion techniques. Keeping your hands up preventing direct blows to the head is the most common form of defense.

Both defense and offense use movement. The idea is to stay on the ball of your feet which enable you to change directions and levels. It is best to stand in front of a mirror and practice along with music playing in order to pay attention to your rhythm. You will be able to use what you notice against your opponent.

Out-Fighting can be done with a combination of punches and strikes. It works best when you are able to perform a knock out. It can be learned by noticing a complex set of individual techniques.

Finally, the stance is just as important as any other part of your technique and training. Like boxers, you must be able to keep your heads up and your chin pointed down while at the same time maintains your stance and balance.

In-Fighting is slightly different. In this technique, combat comes after you clinch. It consists of clinching, defenses, shoots, strikes and finally throws and takedowns.

The foundation of In-Fighting is clinching. It allows you to control your opponent. After you are in control you can deliver punches and kicks from a straight posture. Your stance must be straight in order for this to be effective.

Strikes, throws and shoots are not the same in Out-Fighting. Different techniques are used when you find yourself in close quarters. When going for a takedown, you want to make sure you end up on top or in control of the position.

When defending yourself, you can always grip and change body position. The hips must be out in order to control you from getting placed in a bent position.

Finally, Ground Fighting happens when you are on the ground as the name suggests. This is fighting just as In-Fighting but of course with additional transitions. By learning to adapt to moves you will have control over your opponent.

Quantum Jiu-Jitsu can be learned by anyone. With practice using the tree modes of fighting, you will definitely have control over your opponent and win!