Last night, after a very hard and "very hot" training session, I was promoted to blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by my Instructor Chris Rees of the Gracie Barra Chris Rees Academy. The promotion came as a bit of a surprise but the feeling of getting to the next grade is always great! This is only the first step on a very long journey to Black Belt but I'm happy to say that all the hard training has paid off and that with dedication and hard work you can always achieve your dreams!
It is now time to train even harder and work towards the next level.
For those of you who do not know what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is, here is a quick explanation followed by a demonstration video:
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art focusing largely on grappling, ground fighting and submissions. It utilizes natural body leverage and proper technique to obtain dominant control on the ground and, as a result, provides greater position for striking or submission holds.
BJJ has been proven, when used properly, to be an effective method for dealing with bigger and stronger opponents and has become increasingly popular due in part to its great success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It can be trained for self defense, sport grappling (gi and no-gi) and mixed martial arts competition and has found its way into the training regiment of nearly every successful martial artist worldwide.
Translated as “the gentle art,” Brazilian jiu-jitsu focuses on using strength and technique in the most efficient way possible to control and overcome opponents of greater size, strength and aggression.
