Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the premier grappling and ground fighting art in the world, and a must for self defence and mixed martial arts competition (UFC). Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a sophisticated martial art that allows a person to control a larger opponent in a real life confrontation using clinches, take downs, holds and submissions while relying on leverage and technique rather than strength.
Southern Fitness & Martial Arts Centre is affiliated with the World Brazilian Jiu jitsu Association and teaches their curriculum. Students will be training in gi (grappling uniform) and no-gi (mma shorts and shirt) depending on the technique being taught. You will also receive a step by step DVD for your own training, participate in local competitions and take part in regular seminars by our international Machardo & Gracie instructors and guest MMA competitors including Elvis Sinosic & Anthony Perosh from SPMA Sydney. Anthony & Elvis are now our head instructors and will oversee all seminars & gradings.
We will provide a large, separate training area for these classes which will be starting soon and running before our Muay Thai classes to allow those wanting to do MMA to stack these essential classes. Also inquire as to how you can receive a massive discounts on these to classes if you choose to combine them.
Tuesday, Thursday » 6.00pm – 7.30pm,
Saturday 9.30am – 11am (all classes Gi or No Gi)
Saturday 9.30am – 11am (all classes Gi or No Gi)
More on BJJ
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is primarily a ground-fighting art. Most techniques involve both fighters on the mat. There is a heavy emphasis on positional strategy, which is about which fighter is on top, and where each person’s legs are. Positions are stable situations, from which a large variety of techniques are available to both fighters.
The primary positions include:
- Guard: The person applying the guard is on the bottom with his back on the ground; his legs are wrapped around his opponent’s hips (who is said to be “in the guard”)
- Side control: Chest-on-chest but without the legs being entangled.
- Mount: On top of his opponent (who “is mounted”), sitting on his chest, with one leg on either side of his torso.
- Back mount: Behind his opponent, with his feet hooked around his opponent’s hips and upper thighs.
Specific techniques taught are designed either to improve one’s position (for example, to “pass the guard”, by going from being “in the guard” to getting around the opponent’s legs, resulting in side control); or else as a finishing submissions. Most submissions are either chokes (cutting off the blood supply to the brain) or arm locks (hyper-extending the elbow, or twisting the shoulder).
Belt ranks start at white belt, and progress through blue, purple, brown, and then black. It generally takes about 2-3 years of training multiple times per week to be promoted to the next belt rank. However, there is no formal rank test. Instead, rank is about the ability to apply jiu-jitsu techniques in a competitive match. A student generally needs to be able to reliably defeat most other students at a given rank in order to be promoted to the next rank.
Given the jiu-jitsu roots, and the interest in competition, occasionally related techniques are taught. In each case, other specific martial arts focus on these sets of techniques more than BJJ, and they generally just receive passing mention and rare practice in BJJ training. For example, take downs tend to be similar to Judo and western wrestling; leg locks (such as in Sambo) are not encouraged but sometimes allowed. Some schools teach street self-defense or weapon defense as well; this instruction tends to be much more like old-style Japanese jiu-jitsu with partner practice, and rarely impacts the day-to-day grappling training. Also, many dedicated BJJ students are also interested in MMA competition, and attempt to practice their techniques without a gi, and sometimes with adding striking from boxing or Muay Thai.
