Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Brazilian jiu-jitsu, commonly abbreviated BJJ, is a self-defense system, martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting and submission holds. Practitioners take an opponent to the ground, gain a dominant position and force a submission with joint locks, chokeholds or compression locks. It was developed by the Brazilian brothers Carlos, Oswaldo, Gastao Jr. and Helio Gracie around 1925, after Carlos was taught judo in 1917 by either the travelling Japanese judoka Mitsuyo Maeda or one of his students, Jacyntho Ferro. The Gracie family first called their system Gracie jiu-jitsu, and it later became a distinct combat sport that is considered essential to modern mixed martial arts. Its core idea is that a smaller, weaker person can defend against a bigger, stronger one through leverage and weight distribution. Training centers on live sparring, called rolling, and drilling, and can be done in a gi or in no-gi clothing such as rash guards.