In Brazil, the art is still called
"Jiu-Jitsu". When the Gracies went to the United States to spread their art,
the system became known as "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu" and "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu."
"Jiu-jitsu" is an older romanization that was the original spelling of the
art in the West, and it is still in common use, whereas the modern Hepburn
romanization is "jūjutsu." Other common spellings are jujitsu and ju-jitsu.
The art is sometimes referred to as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, but this name is
trademarked by Rorion Gracie and specifically refers to the style taught by
him and his selected teachers. Other members of the Gracie family often call
their style by personalized names, such as Charles Gracie Jiu-Jitsu or Renzo
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and similarly, the Machado brothers call their style
Machado Jiu-Jitsu (MJJ). While each style and its instructors have their own
unique aspects, they are all basic variations of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Today
there are three major branches of BJJ from Brazil: Gracie Humaita, Gracie
Barra, and Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Each branch can trace its roots back to
Mitsuyo Maeda and the Gracie family.
Submission
The majority of submission holds can be grouped into two broad categories:
joint locks and chokes. Joint locks typically involve isolating an
opponent's limb and creating a lever with the body position which will force
the joint to move past its normal range of motion.[3] Pressure is increased
in a controlled manner and released if the opponent cannot escape the hold
and signals defeat by submitting. Opponents can indicate submission verbally
or they can tap out (i.e. tap the opponent, the mat several times. Tapping
one's own body is dangerous because the opponent may not be able to tell if
his or her opponent is tapping.) A choke hold, disrupting the blood supply
to the brain, can cause unconsciousness if the opponent does not submit soon
enough.
A less common type of submission hold is a compression lock, where the
muscle of an opponent is compressed against a hard, large bone (commonly the
shin or wrist), causing significant pain to the opponent. These types of
locks are not usually allowed in competition due to the high risk of tearing
muscle tissue. This type of lock often also hyper-extends the joint in the
opposite direction, pulling it apart.
Joint locks
While many joint locks are permitted, most competitions ban or restrict some
or all joint locks involving the knees, ankles, and spine. The reason for
this is that the angles of manipulation required to cause pain are nearly
the same as those that would cause serious injury. Joint locks that require
a twisting motion of the knee (called twisting knee locks or twisting knee
bars, or techniques such as heel hooks, and toe holds) are usually banned in
competitions because successfully completing the move nearly always results
in permanent damage that requires surgery. Similarly, joint manipulations of
the spine are typically barred due to the inherent danger of crushing or
mis-aligning cervical vertebrae. Leglocks are allowed in varying degrees
depending on skill level, with straight ankle locks being the only leglocks
allowed in the beginner division, or white belt level, straight kneebars
being allowed in the intermediate division, or blue belt level and toeholds
with the pressure applied inwards are allowed in the advanced division
(purple, brown, black).
However, most joint locks involving the wrist, elbow, shoulder or ankle are
permitted as there is a great deal more flexibility in those joints and
those locks are safe to use under tournament conditions. Also, some fighters
practice moves whose sole purpose is to inflict pain upon their opponent, in
the hope that they will tap out. This includes driving knuckles into
pressure points, holding their opponent's head in order to tire out the neck
(called the "can opener" or kubi-hishigi) and putting body weight on top of
the sternum, floating ribs, or similarly sensitive bones. These moves are
not true submission moves - they are generally only used as distractions
mostly in lower levels of competition. They are avoided or aggressively
countered in middle to upper levels of competition.
Chokes and strangles
Chokes and strangles (commonly but somewhat incorrectly referred to as "air
chokes" and "blood chokes" respectively) are a common form of submission.
Chokes involve constriction of the windpipe (causing asphyxia.) Strangles
involve constriction of the carotid artery (causing ischemia.)
Air chokes are less efficient than strangles and may result in damage to the
opponent's trachea, sometimes even resulting in death. By contrast, blood
chokes (strangulations) cut the flow of blood to the opponent's brain,
causing a rapid loss of consciousness without damaging any internal
structures. Being "choked-out" in this way is relatively safe as long as the
choke is released soon enough after unconsciousness, letting blood back into
the brain before oxygen deprivation damage begins. However, it should not be
practiced unsupervised.
The prevalence of the more dangerous "air" chokes has led to the banning of
choke holds by some United States police departments.
Training methods
Sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's focus on submissions without the use of strikes
while training allows practitioners to practice at full speed and with full
power, resembling the effort used in a real competition. Training methods
include technique drills in which techniques are practised against a
non-resisting partner; isolation sparring, commonly referred to as
positional drilling, where only a certain technique or sets of techniques
are used against and full sparring in which each opponent tries to submit
their opponent using any legal technique. Physical conditioning is also an
important part of training at many clubs.To find more information of other
sports in Rio go to
Sport Rio |
