Why Jiu-Jitsu Is The Best Martial Arts For Self-Defense
Jiu-Jitsu is, hands down, the best martial art for self defense. Why? The reason is simple: it's real world tested and proven. Jiu-jitsu has been around for over a 1,000 years in one form or another, and it has an unbroken lineage of masters who have passed down their skills from generation to generation, and even nation to nation, with the express purpose of teaching students how to defend themselves against bigger and stronger opponents. In this article, we'll go over some of the things that make jiu-jitsu such an effective form of self defense.
Introduction
Jiu-Jitsu is, hands down, the best martial art for self defense. Why? The reason is simple: it's real world tested and proven. Jiu-jitsu has been around for over a 1,000 years in one form or another, and it has an unbroken lineage of masters who have passed down their skills from generation to generation, and even nation to nation, with the express purpose of teaching students how to defend themselves against bigger and stronger opponents. In this article, we'll go over some of the things that make jiu-jitsu such an effective form of self defense.
Realistic Self-Defense Roots
One of the best parts about jiu-jitsu is that it’s grounded in reality and designed for praceical self-protection. It was created by professional warriors of the past, and is still used by the professional warriors of our modern age. There is no martial arts more widely practiced by police, military, security professionals, bouncers, and other professionals whose lives are on the line each day and face conflict for a living.Although most people are familiar with modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, its roots go back centuries, tracing all the way back to feudal Japan, where warfare was a way of life for the Samurai class. Through the ages, Japanese Jujutsu evolved through many iterations. As the age of the Samurai came to an end, Judo arose, preserving the techniques best suited to unarmored, unarmed, practical self defense. When these Judoka made their way to Brazil, in order to fight in the no-holds-barred Vale Tudo competitions, their teachings were quickly embraced by the Gracie family, and others, who adapted them into the Jiu-Jitsu most know today.
TRUE SELF DEFENSE IS ABOUT SURVIVAL
Some people think that self defense is about winning a fight or overwhelming your opponent, but those shouldn't be our top priorities in a real-world self-defense scenario. You don't need to hurt someone else; you just need to survive and remain uninjured.Jiu-Jitsu teaches you how to use leverage, timing, and strategy to clinch, take down, and control your attacker on the ground, where you can maximize pressure and deplete your opponent's energy. From the ground, an attacker's ability to strike effectively is completely removed, and your leverage and control are maximized.
Level The Playing Field
Helio Gracie is widely considered one of the primary creators of modern Jiu-Jitsu. He learned Judo and Japanese Jujutsu from his older brother Carlos, who had trained with the ground-focused Kosen-style Judo fighters from Japan. As a child, he was so frail that his mother told him he wasn't allowed to train in martial arts. Helio didn't listen, but he did need to adapt the Jujutsu / Judo techniques to his small frame. As he tested his newly evolved art in combat sport, he regularly defeated fighters 100 pounds or more heavier than him. Today, Jiu-Jitsu is widely practiced by women, kids, and those with a smaller stature. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was popularized when the first UFC competitions produced a small, Brazilian champion by the name of Royce Gracie. He defeated many larger, stronger opponent's easily using Jiu-Jitsu.
A legacy of real-world success
The best martial arts for self-defense have a long and storied history of real-world applications. Jiu-Jitsu has been used for many years as a form of self defense, with a wide range of successful applications across all types of situations. Many people have used jiu-jitsu to defend themselves, their families and even their property.
Jiu-Jitsu has been proven effective at the highest levels of combat sport, military conflict, law enforcement, and security. Today, Helio's son Rorion, along with his sons Ryron and Rener, preserve the self-defense roots of Jiu-Jitsu with their Gracie Combatives system. It teaches the 36 most effective Jiu-Jitsu techniques for a real-world street fight, and gives students of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu an incredibly powerful foundation in practical self-defense.