Yes. Jiu jitsu is the ideal martial art to empower a weaker, less athletic person to be able to successfully defend an attack from a larger, stronger assailant. The strategies and leverage behind Gracie jiu jitsu do not require athletic talent in order to be successful. That being said, there are physical attributes that can be helpful in making jiu jitsu even easier to use for self-defense. Although jiu jitsu gives us the ability to defeat opponents without being stronger than they are, there are benefits to certain types of athletic endurance. I will address a couple of them and offer some exercises that will help develop these … optional physical attributes. ANAEROBIC ENDURANCE High intensity cardiovascular exertion should be anticipated in a violent confrontation. The Gracie Combatives sequences are very effective at minimizing the work needed to prevail in a close quarters fight, but a fight is a fight....Read more

There are a great number of martial arts that teach practitioners to focus on striking an opponent to defeat them in a self-defense altercation. Strikes can be effective in self-defense. If the person defending themselves from a street attack can strike first and can hit harder than the assailant, these strategies can work. Martial arts like traditional karate, tae kwon do, kung fu, or sports like boxing are common examples of striking focused fighting styles. Let’s consider circumstances when striking based strategies are less likely to be a good solution in a self-defense confrontation. The attacker is stronger/ more athletic than the assault victim Optics and Video evidence The attacker has more experience in fist fights Close quarters do not allow enough space to use kicks or powerful blows Drugs/ alcohol or rage have reduced the attacker’s sensitivity to pain The victim injures their hand by throwing strikes Striking always...Read more

Authors Dr. Jamie Marich and Anna Pirkl have published an excellent book discussing the potential of how many trauma survivors may benefit from training in jiu jitsu. The title, Transforming Trauma with Jiu-Jitsu, was published in 2022 and is available in paperback and an audiobook. This book serves as an excellent introduction, not only for Gracie jiu jitsu instructors, but to any martial arts instructor or even fellow students seeking to be better trauma informed regarding sensitivities students may experience who have been victims of past abuse or violence. The authors open the book with a glossary of common jiu jitsu terminology that is very useful to readers who may not already have a jiu jitsu background. This opening courtesy demonstrates to the reader very early on that the authors wrote the book with a mindset considerate of readers from any background. This empathetic tone is the cornerstone of living...Read more

It is commonly stated that a person who has been trained in martial arts, particularly after they have earned a black belt, is a “deadly weapon” or that their hands are a “deadly weapon.” The short answer is that this is not true, but the path to that answer deserves some careful analysis. The Colorado criminal code 18-1-901 (e) defines “deadly weapon” as: 1. A firearm, whether loaded or unloaded; or 2. A knife, bludgeon, or any other weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, whether animate or inanimate, that, in the manner it is used or intended to be used, is capable of producing death or serious bodily injury. Clearly, there is no Colorado legal provision that elevates a person or their hands to the status of “deadly weapon” just by virtue of the knowledge of that person. Any person’s bare hands CAN be a deadly weapon though, based on...Read more

Although jiu jitsu techniques have the potential to be the most dangerous and destructive moves in all of the martial arts, the philosophical essence of jiu jitsu, paradoxically, is softness. “Softness” not necessarily describing the end-result on the opponent, but rather the amount of effort required to end a fight. If a combatant finds self-defense physically exhausting, or the moves they use in a fight require extraordinary athletic ability, they are not using jiu jitsu. The philosophy of jiu jitsu teaches the student to avoid directly clashing with opposing force. The principles of jiu jitsu can be applied before opposing physical force ever begins. A great example of this jiu jitsu principle was displayed by Bruce Lee’s character in Enter the Dragon (1973). In an early scene in the movie, Lee’s character is on a boat with several other fighters traveling to Han’s island. While traveling on the boat, a...Read more