How to Learn Brazilian Jujitsu

Brazilian Jujitsu is a martial art and combat sport featuring ground fighting and grappling, originally based on Japan's Judo. The techniques within this discipline take more precedence than the size and strength of the participants, allowing smaller fighters the ability to compete fairly against much larger and stronger opponents. Learning Brazilian Jujitsu takes time, patience and desire.

Things You'll Need

• Mixed martial arts gym membership
• Instructional DVDs or videos
• Practice partner

Instructions

1. Find a mixed martial arts gym. You cannot fully learn Brazilian Jujitsu techniques by yourself, you must practice them with a partner.

2. Plan to practice at least three times a week for 2 hours per session. The drills, maneuvers and techniques can be tricky to learn.

3. Make friends with others that are training in Jujitsu. There's no such thing as too much practice, and training away from the gym can sometimes lead to greater success.

4. Buy instructional DVDs and videos. These are often times fairly pricey, but the step-by-step demonstrations are well worth the cost.

5. Watch Jujitsu events on TV or in person. Watching other fighters perform techniques will allow you to see how certain moves are done.

6. Do not get frustrated if you do not catch on quickly. Experience is a huge factor in Jujitsu. Just because you are strong and athletic does not mean you will automatically have success at this complicated martial art.

Tips & Warnings

• Find a gym where the instructors teach respect and discipline. If you walk into a gym and they put you in the ring with an experienced fighter the first day, you may want to reconsider your membership. Mixed martial arts is not something that you can learn in a short period of time, so you should not be thrown to the wolves immediately.

• Mixed martial arts gym membership fees are generally higher than a normal weight or physical fitness gym. They can be very expensive, depending on whether you want individual instruction or a class setting.

• Be ready for injuries. Brazilian Jujitsu is all about inflicting pain and damage on your opponent. It is difficult to practice for a long period of time without sustaining some type of injury.