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Woman in brazilian jiu jitsu bjj training judo kimura attack arm lock from the guard posit

WHAT IS JIUJITSU?

Jiujitsu and in particular the practice of Brazilian Jiujitsu, which was introduced to the world in 1993 with the broadcasting of the Ultimate Fighting Championships is the fastest growing martial art and has been for the last thirty years.

Jiujitsu is a combat sport that is played by two individuals.  It is a grappling/wrestling contest.  The game of jiujitsu is played by trying to force an opponent into a physical position which either causes pain due to large/medium joint manipulation or a strangulation hold. Due to this practice jiujitsu players utilize the "tap" to communicate being "submitted"  To "tap" in jiujitsu is to lightly hit with an open palm  hand the opponent applying a painful joint manipulation or strangulation to oneself.  This lets by the physical feeling of being "tapped" your opponent know to release the hold and let you go.

This allows the players to practice nearly to the point of injury but remain uninjured and safe.  Trusting our partners to respect the "tap" and let go is paramount to the practice of jiujitsu.  If people keep getting seriously injured, there would be no one to play with.  It sounds like a strange way to promote peace and community but it works!

Nearly all aspects of training in Jiujitsu have positive impacts on people.  Jiujitsu is practiced in a social environment with adults or kids of all types.  Practice in jiujitsu isn't limited by a person's race, belief system or sexual orientation.  There are people with physical impairments and handicaps who practice.  There are ESE kids and people on the autism spectrum who can have a wonderful time training jiujitsu.  People of all ages practice, from 2-3 year old toddlers to individuals in their 80s.  

The melting pot of people invariably fosters closer social skills and understanding and openness to all the different perspectives we share in life as humans.  Life long friendships are created by meeting people on the mats.

Jiujitsu requires your body to become strong.  Pushing and pulling another human around is tough work!!!!  In classes of jiujitsu you will very often hear instructors talk about "The Jiujitsu Lifestyle"  Jiujitsu is also a form of exercise.  Many people begin to change bad lifestyle habits in order to  become better at playing the "game."  Some people give up smoking.  Some give up eating fast foods, sodas or other highly processed, sugary  foods to eat healthier so their bodies are stronger.  This changes your body and makes your body healthier and increases its immune response. Jiujitsu forces your cardiovascular system to get stronger.  A jiujitsu match is usually anywhere between 5-10 minutes long.  A match can be very intense with lots of powerful, explosive movements.  It is very easy to run out of breath in a jiujitsu match.  Now imagine having to do three or more matches each time you train!!!!  You get into really great physical condition!!

Jiujitsu trains your mind.  It requires focus to learn the techniques and practice them correctly with partners.  Sometimes jiujitsu is like a complicated puzzle.  In jiujitsu there will be people who are really skilled at "playing."  They can be very difficult to win against.  You will have to find the best techniques and strategies to defeat these players.  However, because jiujitsu is practiced safely by trusted partners all it takes is a "tap" and you get to try again.

These are some of the many reasons why jiujitsu is so good to practice.  In the end its just a fun thing to do and make new friends with. 

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