Learn the Gracie Jiujitsu Principles

By Curtis Adams

Gracie Jiujitsu has been developed by the Gracie family, in particular through the work of Helio Gracie, over the past eighty years. Though several of the family members have since trademarked their different styles of this martial art, they all share a common history. Rorion Gracie, the son of Helio, had trademarked the style with the Gracie philosophy, which is probably the most well known of all the Gracie disciplines.

The first principle of Gracie Jiujitsu is about control. In a fight, this involves being the one who will dictate what happens during the fight. Part of this is in physically controlling your opponent and restricting his movements to what you want him to do; the other part is the self-control that you need to impose upon yourself so that you can make the best choices to win the fight. This is personal training at its best, and it is part of a healthy lifestyle. It is expected that you are able to exercise enough control to eat properly and take care of your health.

The next principle of Gracie Jiujitsu involves patience. This is particularly important for a fighter, since so much that occurs in a fight can depend on timing and whether enough patience has been used. Patience is often rewarded, as opportunities are more likely to appear. For those who rush, bad decisions are more likely to occur. This philosophy is instilled from the beginning and it is expected that if you can be patient on the mat, then you will display the same quality in your life outside of the dojo.

The final of Gracie Jiujitsu principles is efficiency. This is particularly important for a fight, since the foundation of this discipline is built on the assumption that you will be fighting someone stronger and bigger than yourself. Jiu jitsu schools will often promote the idea that you drain your opponent of his or her energy while conserving your own strength in order to finish the fight. This applies to daily living as well, with the idea that you are able to maximize your results through an efficient application of effort, whether it is in business or social situations.

These three principles are what separate Gracie Jiujitsu from other disciplines and from even other Brazilian jiu jitsu schools. As enticing as it would be to study under the Gracie system, you really need to embrace the philosophy as much off the mat as on it. An instructor would be looking for evidence that you live the way you approach your training, and an inability to adhere to the Gracie philosophy might limit how far your training will progress. - 31491

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