Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu: The Importance of Preparation By Daniel R.
Did you know that Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu coach Paul Bratslavsky is a professor at the University of Connecticut assisting Jim Hughes in teaching Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA? We are proud of our college students. Below is a great example the good work they do learning self defense.
Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu: The Importance of Preparation. By Daniel R.
Gracie Jiu Jitsu emerged when Helio Gracie, a man who was considered too small to participate in martial arts, decided to create his own form of jiu jitsu. His new form relied not on the size, strength, or athletic ability of the fighter, but leverage and timing. This would allow smaller fighters, like himself, to have a better chance of defending themselves from larger opponents.
Helio’s sons, Rorion, Rickson, Royler, and Royce began an academy to teach this successful form of self-defense in California in 1989. The strategy of Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu stresses to always be prepared. You should always be aware of how to escape if you suddenly find yourself in a bad situation, such as knowing where the exits are located in the case of a fire. Practicing Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu’s techniques of self-defense is crucial to our preparation as repetition enables one to efficiently defend oneself by having a fluent fight plan. It is always beneficial to be prepared for whatever conflicts may arise.
The fight plan of Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu can begin two different ways. The first option is to run away from the fight, hoping you avoid the fight altogether or come back to the fight on terms that are more to your advantage. The other option is to avoid harm by getting closer to your attacker, because he or she will be unable to throw powerful punches of kicks from a close distance, and follow that by wrapping your attacker’s arms to prevent harm and especially to prevent the possibility that your attacker is trying to reach for a weapon. One should attempt to tire his or her opponent, force the opponent to the ground, and end the fight with a submission hold. The idea is often to end the conflict without hurting one’s opponent because it can prevent the situation from escalating, which often occurs when someone gets physically hurt.
Self-defense is very important in today’s society, especially on college campuses. As I approach the end of my final year at the University of Connecticut, I’ve seen countless fights off-campus, been at parties where stabbings have occurred, read about the recent murder of Jasper Howard on-campus, and heard of attempted rapes in the UConn community. One of these rapes was prevented because the woman knew a form of self-defense and was able to fight off her attacker and find an exit. Still, this university is regarded by many as a relatively safe environment, which proves how important it is to know self-defense as the world can be a very dangerous place. Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu is a very effective form of self-defense that doesn’t rely on size or strength, which allows anyone to benefit from its teachings.