What is BJJ?
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a martial arts System that originated in Japan. Mtisuyo Maeda introduced Jiu Jitsu and Judo to Brazil in the early 1900’s. The ground fighting component of Jiu Jitsu was further developed and made famous by the Gracie Family. To differentiate their style of Jiu JItsu from the original marital art, it was called Gracie Jiu Jitsu and then later became more popularly known as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Whatever it may be called, It has been proven to be one the most effective martial arts in the world, and it has become a major component of Mixed Martial Arts.
Striking based martial arts such as Karate or Taekwondo primarily focus on using punching and kicking techniques to defeat an opponent. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu however, is focused on preventing an opponent from striking, bringing the opponent to the ground, and quickly ending the fight by the use a choke or joint lock to disable the opponent.
BJJ is an intricate martial arts system that is composed of take-downs, ground positions, submissions, escapes, guards (defensive positions), sweeps and guard passes. All students learn the basics of the art and overtime find out what techniques work best for them.
IS BJJ DANGEROUS?
There is a certain amount of danger in playing any sport, or training any Martial Art, but when taught by a competent instructor BJJ is very safe.
Professor Rinaldo has been teaching BJJ to men women and children for over 20 years.
what IS a typical class like?
At Carlson Gracie Central Florida our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class is a one hour long class that is broken up into 3 parts.
The first part of the class is warm up that includes calisthenics, strength exercises, joint mobility and stretching exercises.
The second part of the class is focused on learning and drilling a specific BJJ technique, an example of this would be learning how to escape from someone who is on top of you.
The third and most exciting part of class is live sparring. During sparring sessions you are attempting to submit your opponent, and your opponent is attempting to submit you. If a person gets caught in a submission that they are unable to escape from then they repeatedly smack the mat (tap out) to let their training partner know to stop, and they continue sparring.
Most classes are taught wearing the BJJ Gi. No-Gi classes are typically done once a week if the team is not preparing for a BJJ competition.
what equipment do you need to train bjj?
To train BJJ at our Academy you must have a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi, a mouth piece, and a athletic cup. It is not required but knee pads are also recommended. Please note that a good Gi can be expensive, but is well worth the investment, because a good Gi will last for many years if it is properly cared for.
If you have trained BJJ before then feel free to use the Gi you already have. All that we require you to do, is to place the Carlson Gracie Central Florida patch on the back of your Gi..
How are STUDENTS RANKED?
We use a belt system to rank students. All students start with a white belt, and then progress through different colored belts. The goal for most students is to achieve their black belt. In BJJ there are belts beyond black, but they are reserved for BJJ practitioners who have dedicated their life to the art and sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Children have a different belt system than Adults. Similar to the adults their belt system begins with white but then they then progresses as follows : grey/white, grey, grey/black, yellow/white, yellow, yellow/black, orange/white, orange, orange/black, green/white, green, and green/black. After the age of 15 they continue to progress according to the adult belt system.
The Adult belt system begins with white and progresses as follows; blue, purple, brown, black, red/black, red/white and red.
We award belts the traditional way, which is based upon skill and
not the number of classes taken. Belts are awarded at belt ceremony, which takes place once a year. Getting a black belt typically takes between 7-10 years.
The Carlson Gracie Central Florida BJJ Academy is registered with the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation. This allows students to compete in IBJJF Tournaments and it provides serious students with an opportunity to become national and internationally ranked competitors.
