Gracie Barra Chelmsford

Special Offer in . Click here to book a free class.
MEMBERS
Menu

07429 300021

Facebook Instagram

MEMBERS

BOOK A FREE CLASS

Menu

What Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)?

What is Jiu Jitsu?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling and ground fighting.
The philosophy of BJJ is to develop the hand to hand combat skills to subdue a resisting opponent using grappling in ways that force them to submit without unduly harming them. Unlike in the striking arts such as western Boxing or Muay Thai; an attacker doesn’t have to be knocked unconscious in order to be subdued. The BJJ student gets to choose how much damage to inflict on an opponent using joint locks, chokes and strangles.
The techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) are focused on the skills required to take an opponent down to the ground. From there, students aim to gain a controlling position from which an opponent can be defeated.
This is achieved using knowledge of the human body to gain the upper hand. A combination of superior leverage, grip, and dominant positions can be used to overcome your opponent.

Where does BJJ come from?

BJJ was developed from the Japanese martial art of Judo. It became popular worldwide because of its effectiveness against opponents who are often much larger than its practitioners.
It began when an expert in Kodokan Judo, Mitsuyo Maeda, travelled to Brazil. There Maeda trained with the Gracie family, whose patriarch, Carlos Gracie Sr. (then 15 years old) witnessed Maeda defeat much bigger opponents in challenge matches.

Carlos Gracie Snr trained under Maeda along with his brothers. He and Hélio provided key contributions to the style and development of BJJ. This style was to become known as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and enabled a smaller weaker person to overcome a bigger and stronger opponent.

brazilian jiu jitsu near me
brazilian jiu jitsu in chelmsford essex

Discover more about Gracie Barra’s history here.

BJJ and MMA

Most of our students find out about Jiu-Jitsu through the popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA) tournaments such as the UFC, Cagewarriors and One FC.

MMA fighters perform BJJ techniques regularly in matches and Jiu-Jitsu provides the core of much of the grappling exchanges that take place in these bouts.

The history of MMA is intertwined with that of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Several members of the Gracie family were involved in the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), now a household name in Mixed Martial Arts. The Gracie Family used the events to showcase the effectiveness of Gracie Jiu Jitsu against all other martial arts.

brazilian jiu jitsu in chelmsford essex

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is different from MMA. The core concept of BJJ is to perform safe grappling techniques that can be used to defeat a striking opponent. These can be performed safely with no more risk of injury than other contact sports.
In fact, studies have shown that martial arts such as Taekwondo, Judo, wrestling and MMA have a much higher incidence of injuries.

What are the benefits of BJJ?

Whilst physically and mentally challenging, the benefits can be enormous and life-changing:
brazilian jiu jitsu in chelmsford essex
  • Increased physical fitness and weight loss
  • Better problem-solving abilities
  • Improved self-awareness of mind and body
  • An ability to think clearly under discomfort and stress.
  • Self-confidence
  • Strong friendships can be formed as you develop skills whilst having fun in your classes.
  • Achieve something only a few attain in BJJ – get from white belt to black belt!

Why Gracie Barra?

essex bjj

Gracie Barra is a world-renowned name in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is the biggest team in the world; fast approaching one thousand academies. The team was founded by Master Carlos Gracie Jr whose life is dedicated to jiu jitsu.

Gracie Barra Chelmsford has been awarded Gracie Barra premium school status. This status is checked and awarded annually, meaning it has been deemed to be holding classes at Gracie barra Chelmsford that conform to the highest standards of teaching methods developed by Carlos Gracie Jr. Gracie Barra Chelmsford is the largest Chelmsford BJJ academy.

This includes all instructors having DBS and Gracie Barra instructor certification program accessed..

Gracie Barra academy members have free access to train at any other Gracie Barra school’s classes.

Rob Simpson
Rob is founder of Gracie Barra Chelmsford and Gracie Barra Maldon jiu jitsu academy.
He is a Judo Black Belt and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt under Braulio Estima & Victor Estima.

Scroll to Top