Popular Brazilian Martial Arts

The world of martial arts has grown significantly over the years. Especially over the past fifteen years. Back in 1993, the world was introduced to the wonders of the Brazilian martial arts. Primarily the art known as Gracie Ju Jitsu. This style has literally revolutionized the game of empty hand combat. Suddenly martial artists of reputable styles such as Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Muay Thai were challenged with opponents that were taking them to the ground. Unfortunately these well-known martial arts fail to incorporate a significant ground game. In other words, countless fighters had no idea how to react when this innovative style known as Gracie Ju Jitsu arrived.

MMA or mixed martial arts is one of the primary events where you'll witness Brazilian martial arts such as Gracie Ju Jitsu. In fact, Joyce Gracie dominated the UFC scene for the first few years. This started back in 1993 and a lot of fighters simply did not know how to defend against his Brazilian martial arts style. With arts like Gracie Ju Jitsu there is a focus on ground fighting. This is due to the fact that the founder of this style felt that most fights end up on the ground; therefore it's wise to practice and study techniques that work well on the ground. Brazilian martial arts like Gracie Ju Jitsu incorporate techniques such as one and two-legged takedowns, guillotine chokes, arm bars, rear naked chokes, leg locks, ankle locks and various other submissions.

While Brazilian martial arts are certainly a major aspect of today's empty-hand fighting game, it's imperative to remember that no one style is the be-all end-all to martial arts. Hence the popularity of MMA (mixed martial arts). Combining great ground styles like Gracie Ju Jitsu with quality stand-up styles like Muay Thai is ideal. This has been proven time and time again in the octagon. If you're curious and wish to learn more about excellent Brazilian martial arts like Gracie Ju Jitsu, be sure to visit their official Gracie website for further details. You may be able to train under one of the Gracies themselves, depending upon where you live.