What is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)?
BJJ is a form of Japanese jujitsu that evolved into a unique, evolutionary fighting style developed and popularized by the Gracie family that emphasized (1) ground submission grappling; (2) concept of positional hierarchy; (3) effective and efficient fighting from non-dominant positions (e.g., guard); (4) safer but effective training methods; and (5) competition rules that reward moving into dominant positions or finishing with a submission, but otherwise minimally restrictive. The Gracies felt that since most real fights go to the ground, the secret to winning a fight was to master groundfighting. Their primary strategy consisted of taking opponents to the ground, gaining a dominant position, and then striking them and/or submitting them (depending on the rules). Based on these five elements, BJJ fighters were able to dominate early mixed martial arts (MMA) competition (e.g., the early Ultimate Fighting Championships). As strikers learned BJJ and wrestlers learned submissions, BJJ alo
