Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a self defense art that was developed in the early 1900s from traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. The movements in BJJ rely on technique and balance rather than strength and agility. These concepts allow a smaller individual to defend themselves against a larger opponent.

While BJJ is a form of submission wrestling, it is different in the fact that it is trained with a gi (kimono). The gi simulates a person’s clothing and can be used to control and submit an opponent. A knowledge of gi submissions can be a great advantage in a self defense situation.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a great way to get in shape both physically and mentally. Training BJJ offers the perfect combination of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning to both build strength and increase cardiovascular capacity. Additionally, BJJ has been called “kinetic chess” by many as it relies heavily on “outsmarting” your opponent.

A typical Jiu-Jitsu class at Summit contains a warm-up, technique drilling, a lesson with 2-3 techniques, and finally training. Our warm-ups generally consist of light calisthenics and stretching. During drills we review techniques in a controlled fashion where students focus on doing them correctly rather than quickly. Lessons involve the instructor teaching a technique and then breaking off into small groups to practice slowly with a willing opponent. Finally, we finish the class with live training where students practice the techniques at a reasonable pace with another student.

Submission Wrestling

Submission wrestling is heavily rooted in both BJJ and wrestling. It uses many of the same grappling techniques from BJJ, but without a gi.Grappling uses a combination of sweeps, escapes, joint locks, and chokes to engage opponents. In order to win a grappling match, one must make their opponent submit or “tap”.