Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting with the goal of gaining a dominant position and using joint-locks and chokeholds to force an opponent to submit.  The system developed from a modified version of pre-World War II Judo including some techniques from Japanese Jujutsu, which came via those techniques being incorporated into Kodokan Judo and with a focus on ne-waza (ground technique).  It promotes the principle that a smaller, weaker person using leverage and proper technique can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger assailant.  BJJ can be trained for self defense, sport grappling tournaments (gi and no-gi) and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition.  Sparring (commonly referred to as 'rolling') and live drilling play a major role in training and a premium is placed on performance especially in competition.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is primarily a grappling martial art with techniques and strategies deeply rooted in the science of ground fighting. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner will attempt to bring his opponent to the ground and then obtain a dominant position there. Once in this dominant position, the Jiu-Jitsu practitioner can choose from a wide arsenal of joint locks, chokes and strikes with which to subdue his attacker.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu began to receive international attention when Royce Gracie won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 1993. The UFC pitted martial artists of various styles in no-holds-barred competition to settle the age old question, "Which style is the best?" Despite being the lightest competitor, Gracie went on to win three UFC championships and is the only competitor in UFC history to win four fights in a single night. Today, there are few martial artists in the world who have not heard of the Gracie family. Their unique style of grappling, called Gracie-style Jiu-Jitsu or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is based upon two simple assumptions:

1. Your opponent will be bigger, stronger and heavier than you

2. A great majority of all REAL FIGHTS will end up with the combatants in a clinch and eventually onto the ground

Working from these simple assumptions, the Gracie family have developed a system of fighting that has revolutionized the martial arts world. Unlike most martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is relatively new. The Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy first opened its doors in 1925, and for more than 75 years, the Gracies have practiced, fought and refined their Jiu-Jitsu in their native country of Brazil. However, it has only been within the last 10 years that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has received major international recognition from the martial arts community.

The techniques of Jiu-Jitsu are based upon the effective use of leverage, which enables a fighter to lift a great amount of weight and generate tremendous force using minimal energy. Only by utilizing leverage and technique can a smaller, lighter and weaker person hope to defend himself against an attacker who is larger, heavier and stronger. Time and again, Jiu-Jitsu representatives have shown the efficiency of the art by dominating fighting tournaments such as The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). That almost every professional mixed martial arts competitor now cross-trains in Jiu-Jitsu is a testament to its effectiveness both inside and outside the ring.

U.S. Martial Arts Academy is a fully accredited member of Gracie Barra Orlando under Professor Marcio Simas, a 4th degree Black Belt. Professor Simas has close to thirty years experience training, competing and teaching Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the birthplace of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Marcio trained with legendary jiu-jitsu fighters like Rolls, Rickson and Carlos Gracie, Jr. Over the years, Marcio has produced Local, National and World champions in Sport BJJ, Submission Grappling and Vale Tudo events.

We, at The U.S. Martial Arts Academy are very proud to be affiliated with Gracie Barra Orlando and under Professor Marcio Simas’s training curriculum.