Twice a week, I attend evening Jiu-Jitsu classes at the Gracie Barra West location. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a form of martial arts that focuses on ground fighting, grappling and self defense. In my own words, I describe BJJ as a combination of Judo and Wrestling.

Just as I put my belt on my Gi, I am required to bow before I get on the mat just like everyone else. Class starts with about five minutes of warm ups which includes various stretches and technique drills led by our Professor. After that, the professor begins his lesson. We attentively listen as the professor demonstrates new moves and skills because we practice those new moves after he/she is done. This takes up the majority of class time. Jiu-Jitsu requires a lot of endurance and is viewed as one of the most aerobic forms of martial arts.

Carlos Gracie, known as the founder of modern BJJ, used his teachings from a Judo master and modified it in Brazil with Helio Gracie, his younger brother. The modification was made because Helio Gracie was not a strong, muscular fighter and many Judo techniques were hard to execute against stronger larger opponents. As a result, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was designed so that smaller, and possibly weaker opponents, can be successful against larger opponents. Therefore, the Gracie Family’s style of Jiu-Jitsu is known as Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu.

My favorite part is during the last ten minutes of class when we do live sparring. We use the moves that we just learned as well as our overall skills to fight our opponent. I really enjoy Jiu-Jitsu because it’s so fun and the atmosphere is great. The professors are nice and friendly and the other students there are kind and welcoming. Even though I’m very exhausted after each class, it feels great because I get to practice a unique activity that has mental and physical benefits.