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Leverage is the principle at the heart of Jiu Jitsu. Masters like Royce Gracie and Rolyer Gracie have demonstrated that principle in the cage and on the competition mats against much larger and stronger opponents. For many women practitioners of Jiu Jitsu, training against larger and stronger men at the academy is the only option. This reality can be challenging for many women in this traditionally male dominated sport. Times have changed though. Over the last 10 years we&rsq ... [ READ MORE ]

With the proliferation of jiu jitsu competitions, an increasing number of rules have cropped up, along with complex scoring systems that leave decisions in the hands of the referee. Although it would be ill-advised to ignore competition completely, there is a point at which a tournament can become so specialized that it begins to lose its relevance. Exactly where that point lies is difficult to establish, but there are certain habits which most would agree are detrimental out ... [ READ MORE ]

You hear the term “cross-training” quite a bit in the fitness world—but what does it mean, exactly? And how can it help? Essentially, cross-training means exercising in a way that is complementary to the training you do for your primary sport or activity (assuming you have one). That can mean lots of different things: you might run marathons and strength train concurrently to maintain your muscle mass; alternatively, you might rock climb in the summer and t ... [ READ MORE ]

The core muscles of a jiu-jitsu athlete predominate. Why is this true? Imagine doing pilates, yoga, kayaking and rock climbing at the same time, but within one fluid training session. That's jiu-jitsu. Let's say you superset dumbbell rows with pull-ups to strengthen your arms, traps, back and core muscles. That traditional strength training approach has value, but it makes you accustomed to a specific tension and release sequence in two specific planes. Whether you're rowing ... [ READ MORE ]

By Can Sönmez The origins of jiu jitsu can be difficult to pin down: even the spelling leads to some confusion. Typically it is romanised as ‘jujitsu’ or ‘jujutsu’, a term which can be reasonably dated to 1532CE, when Hisamori Takenouchi founded his Takenouchi-ryu in Japan. During the Meiji period (1868-1912) there was a sharp decline in the reputation and popularity of jujitsu, which by that time had become seen as thuggish and anachronistic. Fo ... [ READ MORE ]