Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
LIMA TAEKWONDO ACADEMY was the first martial arts center in the Culver City area to offer BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU (BJJ), in the 90s. Today the program is extremely successful.
The classes are safe and structured in a way that beginners concentrate more on the basic techniques of self-defense rather than sparring; the atmosphere is friendly and stimulating. Students in class normally wear a “GI” (uniform or Kimono), but “NO GI” training is also offered.
The program is conducted with high professional standards and attracts a high number of students, from the average person that wants to get in shape, while learning self-defense to high level professional Mixed Martial Arts fighters.
BJJ is an extraordinarily efficient self-defense and grappling system, developed in Brazil as a variation of Japanese Jiu-jitsu. Jiu Jitsu first came to Brazil in the beginning of the 20th Century when Master Matsuyo Maeda (also known as Conde Koma), a Japanese emigrant settled down in the city of Belem (north of Brazil) and started to teach the art. The Gracie family learned from Master Maeda and with time started to modify the movements and eventually originating the Brazilian way.
The founders: Master Carlos Gracie and Master Helio Gracie are primarily responsible for the development of Jiu-jitsu in Brazil in the beginning of the 20th century (circa 1915).
The Gracie Family and Machado Brothers are responsible for the initial development of the art in the United States by forming the first generations of American black belts that went on to open schools all across the country. One of these black belts is Taekwondo Master Andre Lima who started BJJ in Brazil during the 80s and continued with the Machado Brothers since 1992.
The popularity of BJJ is particularly big these days because this style is the precursor of the most recent martial arts revolution called Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). The MMA era started in 1993 when BJJ Master Rorion Gracie created the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) giving worldwide visibility to this style. The Lima Academy had sporadically been visited by some of the biggest MMA celebrities like: Lyoto Machida, Dan Henderson, Rob Kaman, Thierry Sokoudjou, Hong Man Choi and Ricco Rodriguez and etc…as well as some well-known figures of the Martial Arts world like Dan Inosanto (Bruce Lee student), and Black Belt in BJJ.
The technique in BJJ is divided into different categories, such as takedowns, arm locks, leg locks, and chokes. Falls, another important aspect of it, are almost a mandatory part of warm-ups. Classes normally last 1½ hour and learning the basics will normally take less than a year of training, which is also the time necessary to earn a promotion from the white belt to the blue belt. Unlike Taekwondo and Karate, which normally require about 3-4 years of study to earn a black belt, BJJ usually requires 5-7 years of study to earn a black belt. It is a sport that requires a good deal of commitment. But, ask anyone who has mastered the system and they’ll tell you it’s well worth the effort, and the waiting!
If you are serious about learn BJJ you should take the first step and schedule a FREE TRIAL CLASS by calling (310) 391.4950 (Culver City) or (310) 530.0777 (Harbor City).
