Jiu Jitsu: The Gentle Art of Self-Defense

Jiu Jitsu, which means “gentle art” in Japanese, is a form of martial arts that focuses on using an attacker’s force against them rather than directly opposing it with your own force. With roots going back to feudal Japan and samurai warriors, Jiu Jitsu has evolved over centuries into both a modern sport and a practical self-defense system.

A Rich History: From Samurai Roots to Modern Competition

The origins of Jiu Jitsu date back to feudal Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). At this time, the samurai warrior caste developed unarmed fighting skills to be used if they ever lost their weapons in battle. These battlefield martial arts involved throws, joint locks, chokes, strikes, and grappling techniques designed to subdue armed opponents.

Over the centuries, these fighting systems were refined into traditional schools of Jiu Jitsu taught across Japan. Practitioners wore lightweight martial arts uniforms known as keikogi or “gis” for short. As firearms made classical weapons obsolete, Jiu-Jitsu evolved from primarily a battlefield fighting style into more of a general system of self-defense and physical conditioning.

In the late 19th and 20th centuries, various styles of Jiu Jitsu were introduced internationally and blended with other martial arts like Judo to develop even more Eclectic self-defense and competitive systems. This led to the rise of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, developed by Carlos and Helio Gracie starting in the 1920s. It focuses heavily on ground fighting tactics and is now a major modern sport.

Whether you’re interested in jiu-jitsu for traditional self-defense or recreational reasons, the core principles established by ancient samurai on Japanese battlefields still hold true today.

Core Principles: Technique Over Strength

Rather than using muscular strength or aggression to overwhelm an opponent, Jiu Jitsu relies on proper body positioning and the precise application of leverage principles to gain a tactical advantage. Here are some of the core concepts:

• Positional dominance: Jiu Jitsu ground fighting tactics focus on controlling an opponent through dominant positioning. Positions like full mount, side control, and back mount restrict the opponent’s movement and ability to attack while setting up submissions for you.
• Submissions: Carefully applied submission holds such as armbars, triangle chokes, or leg locks use the arms and legs as levers to put pressure on joints and muscles, forcing an opponent to concede defeat by tapping out before serious injury occurs. Proper body alignment is crucial when applying these leveraged maneuvers.
• Sweeps and transitions: Bridging, shrimping, and other coordinated body movements allow you to transition between positions smoothly or reverse things to gain the upper hand in a ground fight through sweeping motions. Having fluid transitions and being able to escape inferior positions is key to maintaining the upper hand.
• Pressure control: Pins, grapevines, cross-body holds, and other tactics are used to keep an opponent weighed down and immobilized so that you can set up submissions or strikes. Bodyweight pressure into an opponent replaces the need for muscular strength once you achieve dominant positioning.

Rather than flailing around wildly, every motion in Jiu Jitsu is precise and controlled to employ leverage for maximum efficiency. Coordinating your positioning with proper timing is what allows a skilled practitioner to control opponents who may be far larger and stronger physically.

The Benefits of BJJ: More Than Just Self-Defense

While Jiu Jitsu remains an effective system for realistic self-defense, especially against larger untrained opponents, training has many physical and mental benefits beyond combat applications:

• Improved fitness: Rolling – sparring that involves free-flowing transitions between positions – is an intense full-body workout incorporating aerobic conditioning, core strengthening, flexibility development, and overall physical resiliency similar to gymnastics training. Jiu Jitsu builds functional fitness that is applicable both on and off the mats.
• Increased confidence: Knowing you can control larger, stronger opponents through position and technique rather than size or strength is incredibly empowering. This confidence boost, along with confronting intense “live” sparring scenarios, leads to reduced stress and anxiety in everyday life.
• Stress relief: Similar to yoga, hitting the mats for some intense rolling in Jiu Jitsu releases built-up mental and physical tension from daily stresses. Training becomes like meditation in motion.
• Discipline and respect: Proper etiquette on and off the mat is strictly enforced in Jiu Jitsu academies, with senior students helping guide beginners to develop patience, self control, and mutual respect through training under expert instructors.
• Community: Spending hours drilling techniques, sparring, and advancing together through the belt ranking system breeds an intimacy between training partners not often found in other sports. Lifelong friendships are commonly built on the mats.

The tactical musts combine to make Jiu Jitsu much more than just an efficient self protection system — from recreational rolling for exercise to competitive matches, Jiu Jitsu becomes a way of life for enthusiastic practitioners.

Getting Started on Your BJJ Journey

If you’re interested in trying Jiu Jitsu after reading about the many benefits listed above, here are some steps you can take to get started:

• Find a BJJ academy: Search online directories for a certified Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school with fundamentals classes near you. Reputable academies often offer free intro sessions.
• Invest in a Gi: A sturdy cotton Jiu Jitsu uniform with a jacket and pants will properly allow you to train while keeping cool. Top-ranked BJJ Gis maximize durability, comfort, and style without restricting movement.
• Focus on the fundamentals: Before advancing, learn proper breakfall techniques, shrimping motions, and foundational positions like closed, half, and open guard, along with basic submissions like cross-collar chokes and straight armlocks.
• Show up and train consistently: Attend regular classes to drill essential techniques hundreds of times until they become muscle memory. Consistency breeds competence on the mats.
• Tap early and tap often: Know your limitations, check your ego at the door, and tap out of submissions or bad positions early to avoid injury as a beginner. There is no shame in recognizing a superior position and living to fight another day by tapping and resetting. Safety first.

Jiu Jitsu takes consistent dedication over months and years to develop real skill, but the journey itself – full of sweat, struggle and small victories along the way –proves incredibly rewarding even early on at the beginner level. Just take that first step onto the mats at your local academy.

Conclusion

With ancient samurai roots adapted into modern training halls across the globe today, the gentle art of Jiu-Jitsu continues evolving while still adhering to core principles of leverage and efficiency developed centuries ago on Japanese battlefields.

Beyond being an effective self-defense system against larger opponents, Jiu Jitsu offers improved fitness, stress relief, and a tight-knit community where discipline and mutual respect are ingrained.