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From an outsider’s perspective, jiu-jitsu may look like a lot of grappling and complicated chokeholds. To the white belt who may have spent just finished their first week of classes, they may not feel all that different. Performing certain moves can require more than a dozen steps and learning how to employ these techniques fluidly and effectively can take years of practice. As one gains a greater appreciation for the amount of dedication, knowledge, and skill that goes into becoming a great fighter, one is likely to gain a greater appreciation for why jiu-jitsu is called a martial art.

Gracie Combatives is a program designed for adults who are new to jiu-jitsu. It teaches the essential techniques of jiu-jitsu through careful instruction, allowing students to develop their reflexes and learn how to incorporate moves while in a real-world fight scenario. What may come as a surprise is that students often take classes for months or even up to a year before they begin sparring.

Learning to be a student of principles starts with reading between the lines when you’re learning moves and technique. It means that you’re not just following the steps for each move like you’re putting together a piece of furniture. 

The core objective of jiu-jitsu is survival. More than beating your opponent or learning proper technique, jiu-jitsu is a form of self-defense that teaches practitioners how to survive a fight, whether it is during an MMA match or a street fight.

There has been a lot of discussion about what kind of role police should play in society.

Women Empowered classes at the Gracie Academy emphasize eight fundamentals of self-defense. They are:

Even before starting jiu-jitsu, just about everyone has a general idea of how the belt system works. In the most basic terms, belts symbolize skill level and rank. White belts represent those who are new to jiu-jitsu. As they develop as fighters and demonstrate their increased skill level on the mat, they are awarded new belts.

With the explosive popularity of group fitness classes like Pilates, yoga and spinning, women in New York City have a wide variety of classes to choose from.  Pugilistic sports like Boxing and Kickboxing have crossed over into this fitness category, boasting the benefits of fitness training while learning self-defense. 

One of the more interesting ways to think about learning Jiu-Jitsu is to think of it as learning a language.

Most educational programs are made up of different levels or grades. You begin at a low level, demonstrate your knowledge of certain material, and then move up (or graduate) to the next level. Jiu-jitsu is no different.

Most people who go to their first jiu-jitsu class are nervous. It’s difficult to walk into any situation wearing your inexperience on your sleeve, especially when this inexperience concerns your ability to defend yourself physically.

Bullying is a major problem in the United States. It takes a massive toll on the physical and psychological wellbeing of kids from elementary school to high school and it can oftentimes lead to extremely violent and tragic events.

We typically think of martial arts training that is something incredibly beneficial for children – and rightfully so, but those benefits are not exclusive to children as adults often stand to gain for more from martial arts training than children actually.

There is no doubt that the growing popularity of jiu-jitsu, especially Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Apart from it becoming more common among mixed martial arts fighters, it’s also gaining a following among normal people who merely want to learn how to defend themselves.

On part 1 of this article we examined the two approaches to training Jiu Jitsu in NYC – the Sport focused and Street Self-defense focused approach.  It’s not a question of which approach is better, but more so a question of which suits the individual’s needs.