July 2016 – Fitness Fight Club, Bangalore

Mixed martial arts, or MMA is a full contact sport that combines striking and grappling arts, and has fighting techniques from various styles of fighting. Undoubtedly one of the best aspects of MMA is the sheer variety of techniques that fighters can use during a match and this is what makes it so exciting and different from every other combat sport.

There are dozens of submissions and strikes that can end a fight and some of them have repeatedly been proven effective time and again.

Choke

A finishing hold that cuts off the blood and/or the oxygen to a mixed martial artist’s brain. A player who does not tap to a well-executed choke will pass out. There are different kinds of chokes, some that use the forearms or biceps to put pressure on the arteries in the neck and/or the windpipe, and others that use the legs around the head and arm.

Clinch

A position where competitors try to control each other’s bodies by wrapping their arms around one another, fighting for good arm and hip position, frequently as a precursor to a takedown attempt. Although a clinch looks a bit like hugging, rest assured it is not at all affectionate.

Elbow Strike or Elbow

A blow to the opponent’s body or head using the point of the elbow. Elbow strikes are painful, and they can also open cuts. The use of elbows is generally heavily regulated. For instance, a competitor may not raise his elbow straight in the air and bring it straight down upon his opponent. Elbows must come in at an angle.

Ground and Pound

A strategy where a competitor takes his opponent to the ground and unleashes a flurry of punches and elbows to try to finish a fight.

Kicks

They are strikes that involve the legs, knees, feet or toes. Depending on the intention of the practitioner, his power and/or speed, simple kicks, like the front, side, back or roundhouse kick, can generally be performed one of two ways. First, the practitioner can deliver the kick with a quick snap of the knee and hips. Second, he can deliver it with a powerful hip thrust in which he locks his knees to deliver a focused straight-leg kick. Advanced kicks require better balance, speed and flair on the part of the practitioner for successful delivery.

Strikes

Characterized as a physical hit with any part of the body or an inanimate object, strikes are meant to cause pain, injury or death to an opponent. For martial artists, striking usually involves hitting with the legs or arms. For the legs, the practitioner strikes with his foot or knees. He also can stomp. For the arms, the practitioner uses his elbows, wrists, fists or fingers in a variety of ways. Finger strikes can be executed by individual fingers or in combination for soft-tissue and vital strikes. Sometimes the practitioner will hold his hand in a claw like grasp to rip at flesh or grab at soft tissues and vital points.

Closed-hand techniques include punches and hammer fist strikes. Various open-hand strikes like the spearhead aim at the soft-tissue areas. Open-hand strikes like the knife hand, chop, cupped hand and palm strike instead attempt to bludgeon larger areas with powerful hits.

Submission Hold

A submission hold is applied with the purpose of forcing an opponent to submit out of either extreme pain or fear of injury. Submission holds are used primarily in ground fighting and can be separated into constrictions (chokeholds, compression locks, suffocation locks) and manipulations (joint locks, leverages, pain compliance holds). When used, these techniques may cause dislocation, torn ligaments, bone fractures, unconsciousness or even death.

Takedowns

In this technique, a practitioner off-balances his opponent to take him to the ground. The practitioner aims to gain control of his opponent through a take-down manoeuvre by landing in a position of power when both combatants end up on the ground. Commonly used techniques include leg trips (or leg sweeps) and a wide variety of single- and double-leg takedowns.

Throws

Throws refer to a method when a practitioner off-balances his opponent to throw him to the ground. The practitioner typically remains on his feet during throws. Commonly practiced throws in martial arts include leg throws like reaps and trips, sacrifice throws and shoulder throws.

Wrestling

Wrestlers bring more to the table than just their physical skill. Typically they have been competing for far longer than other fighters. Therefore wrestlers often have a competitive mental edge as well as a familiarity with what it takes to prepare for competition.

There are two main styles of wrestling you will see in MMA – Freestyle and Greco-Roman. Freestyle is similar to the collegiate style most people are familiar with, whereas Greco-Roman is a style of wrestling which focuses on the upper body. You cannot use the legs at all to score points, so the emphasis is on upper body engagement. Because of this, a fighter with a Greco-Roman background brings something unique to the game of MMA.

Wrestling has two main uses in MMA – controlling the opponent and taking the opponent to the ground. Wrestling is not a submission art, but can put a fighter in position to go after submissions, and wrestling defense is essential for strikers wishing to keep the fight standing. Therefore, wrestling and wrestling defense can be the linchpin for a fighter trying to keep the fight in their domain.

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Jiu Jitsu, or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as it is commonly named outside Brazil, is a martial art, combat sport, and a self-defence system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting. It is unlike many other ground fighting styles, particularly in the way that it teaches practitioners to fight from their backs.

History of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Over 400 years ago, Buddhist monks developed a method of grappling as a way to defend themselves as they roamed Northern India to spread Buddhism. It was this new practice of self- defence, which would eventually be known as Jiu-Jitsu, that allowed these monks to subdue attackers without killing them. It was the Japanese who improved this practice and meant to keep it a secret. However, in 1914, Esai Maeda, who was a Kodoku Judo master, came to Brazil and stayed with a man named Gastao Gracie, who helped Maeda with a business endeavor. As a token of appreciation, Maeda taught Gracie’s oldest son, Carlos, all he knew about the art of Judo and Jiu-Jitsu. Carlos then taught the art to three of his four brothers, Oswaldo, Gastao, and George, and in 1925, the first Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy was opened in Rio de Janeiro.

The fourth brother, Helio, was very small in comparison to his larger brothers, and was not included in the original instruction because of this. However, he diligently watched and learned from the side of the mat, developing his own modified techniques based on using leverage rather than strength. The brothers finally saw how imperative Helio’s new techniques were to the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The concept of techniques based on leverage, not strength, became the essential principle of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ. To prove the effectiveness of their art, the Gracies provided an open challenge to anyone who doubted the applicability of BJJ in a real fight. These challenges were known as “Vale Tudo” (Portuguese for “anything goes”) matches, and was similar to the type of combat we now know as today’s MMA.

Characteristics of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is divided into three broad categories, each mutually supportive of the others; self-defence (including striking techniques and unarmed techniques against armed opponents), free fighting competition (commonly referred to as “vale tudo” or “anything goes” events, now popularly called MMA), and sport grappling with and without the gi (matches that include a wide range of submission holds, but no striking).

BJJ promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger assailant by using proper technique, leverage, and most notably, taking the fight to the ground, and then applying joint-locks and chokeholds to defeat the other person. BJJ training can be used for sport grappling tournaments (gi and no-gi) and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition or self-defence. 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, in relation to progress and ascension through its ranking system.

Since its inception in 1882, its parent art of Judo was separated from older systems of Japanese ju-jitsu by an important difference that was passed on to Brazilian jiu-jitsu: it is not solely a martial art, it is also a sport; a method for promoting physical fitness and building character in young people; and, ultimately, a way of life.

Style of Fighting

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an art based in ground fighting but it also teaches takedowns, takedown defence, ground control, and especially submissions. Submissions refer to holds that either cut off an opponent’s air supply (chokes) or look to take advantage of a joint (such as armbars). Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters tend to feel very comfortable fighting from a position called the guard, if need be. The guard position– in essence, wrapping one’s legs around an opponent to limit their movement— is what allows them to fight from their backs so effectively, and is also something that separates their art from most other grappling styles.

Basic Goals of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters look to take their opponents to the ground. When on top they generally hope to escape their opponents’ guard and move to either side control (positioned across an opponent’s’ chest) or the mount position (sitting over their ribs or chest). From there, depending on the situation, they may choose to continually strike their opponent or set up a submission hold. When on their backs, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters are very dangerous. From the guard various submission holds can be employed. They may also seek to turn their opponent over in an attempt to reverse their fortunes.

The BJJ Rules

Few important rules that are followed in BJJ are:

“Queda” – Throw or Takedown: If both challengers are standing, and one initiates and succeeds at taking the other to the mat, he is awarded 2 points.
“Raspada/Raspagem” – Sweep: If your opponent is within your guard (any kind of guard) and you invert the position (you landing on top and your opponent on the bottom) you are awarded two points.
“Passagem de Guarda” – Guard Pass: If you are inside your opponent’s guard and manage to escape that position, still maintaining top position, you have improved your position and therefore are awarded 3 points.
“Pegada de Costas” – Back Mount: Regardless of where you are, if you manage to take your opponent’s back and place both feet around the inside of your opponent thighs (hooks), controlling him that way, you are awarded 4 points (you will need to place the hooks, body triangle will not score points).
“Montada” – Mount: On top position with both legs around the opponent’s torso with knees on the ground, 4 points.

Physical Benefits

The fact that Brazilian jiu jitsu will change your body cannot be denied. You can physically see your body changing with every day or week. BJJ teaches you how to use your body as one unit. Most of spent our day sitting, driving, or working at a computer, the body develops some strange and unnatural movement patterns. The body awareness that BJJ teaches you is priceless. With an increase in body awareness, strength and mobility will soon follow.

Mental Benefits

Beyond any physical improvements that come as a result of Brazilian jiu jitsu are the mental improvements that are often overlooked. The process of learning a technique requires as much mental activity as it does physical. One of the hidden benefits of BJJ is what the struggle of learning, drilling, and rolling does for you. Walking into a class after spending months learning a technique, attempting it, and being crushed by everyone is not a good feeling. What is a good feeling is walking in the next day and trying it again.