Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

At Carolina Martial Arts Academy, we're passionate about bringing the incredible art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to Forest City, NC, and Summerville, SC.

Whether you're 5 or 55, BJJ is a martial art that builds physical strength and mental resilience while learning practical self-defense skills that really work if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to use them.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu levels the playing field. Unlike other martial arts that rely heavily on size and strength, BJJ is all about technique, leverage, and strategy. This means our younger students can learn alongside adults in our classes, and smaller practitioners can effectively defend themselves against larger opponents. It's not uncommon to see a 12-year-old teaching a move to a grown adult.

So what is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or BJJ as we like to call it, is like "human chess".

Unlike Taekwondo, Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art that focuses on ground fighting, submissions, and positional control. Think of it as a puzzle where you're constantly problem-solving with your body and mind to overcome your opponent.

The core principle is simple: use technique and leverage to overcome brute force.

Instead of throwing punches or kicks, BJJ practitioners learn to control their opponents through holds, joint locks, and chokes. It's incredibly effective for self-defense because most real-world fights end up on the ground, and that's exactly where BJJ practitioners have the upper hand.

A brief history of BJJ

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu roots trace back to Japan but took a turn in Brazil.

In the early 1900s, a Japanese judoka named Mitsuyo Maeda traveled to Brazil and began teaching the Gracie family traditional Japanese jujitsu and judo techniques.

The Gracies, particularly Helio Gracie, were smaller in stature and found that many traditional techniques didn't work well for them. So they adapted and refined the art, focusing more on ground fighting and developing techniques that allowed smaller, weaker practitioners to defeat larger, stronger opponents. This became what we now know as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The art really exploded onto the world stage in the 1990s when Royce Gracie dominated the early UFC tournaments, proving that technique could triumph over size and strength.