BJJ is a martial art that focuses on grappling and ground fighting. This fight system empowers a smaller, weaker person to defend themselves from a bigger, stronger opponent by using technique and leverage, and by taking the fight to the ground, where positional control, chokeholds, and joint locks can be used to neutralize the opponent. For these reasons, BJJ is the best martial arts system for self-defense. BJJ is also known for its sparring ("rolling") and live drilling which helps students sharpen their instincts and test techniques against a resisting opponent.
BJJ has been developed over the past century by incorporating elements from different schools of judo. It entered the world stage when Royce Gracie won the first, second, and fourth Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) against a variety of martial artists, from boxing to wrestling to muay thai. Since then BJJ has become a core element of mixed martial arts (MMA) and continues to evolve today. BJJ can be practiced in the gi, a kimono-like uniform with a belt, or no-gi, usually a rashgard, spats, and fight shorts. These two approaches offer different kinds of strategies, and BJJ students tend to form a preference for one or the other.
The fundamentals class cycles through 36 foundational techniques that form the basis for a capable and competent BJJ practitioner. The program is very self-defense oriented, and is designed to give students the reflexes, techniques, and confidence to control a bigger, stronger opponent, as well as a supportive environment to begin a potentially intimidating martial art. To facilitate this, students do not roll right away — rather, they perform live drills that combine old and new techniques, and familiarizes students with common self-defense situations. Students come away from the course with a solid foundation of techniques, are better-prepared to participate in live rolling, and are well on their way to a blue belt. Ryron and Rener Gracie developed these techniques and use this program in their BJJ schools to great success, as their schools have one of the highest BJJ academy retention rates.
BJJ HQ: This site sells one item for 24 hours, then switches to the next one. Advantage: they tend to be cheap because they buy one item in bulk. Disadvantage: they have a no-returns policy. But, this site is a great way to test out new stuff, or to find new brands to check out through their own sites.
93 Brand: A solid BJJ gear company for relatively cheap. Some of their gis are less than $100 but they’ll last a long time. They have a nice aesthetic, too.
Raven: Slightly more expensive, but they have awesome designs (especially for no-gi stuff) and high-quality gear. Their rashguards and spats in particular are super comfortable.
Origin: Cool company based in Maine. All hand-made, and for not that much more than Raven gear. Their Everest BJJ Gi is super lightweight — perfect for the sweltering wrestling center and for lugging around without hurting shoulders.
