What is Jiujitsu?

Jiujitsu, as was modified and taught by the Gracie family, is the most complete martial art under the sun. It would be fair to say that every technique that relies on leverage to augment your chances of survival and winning in a physical altercation can indeed fall under the jiujitsu umbrella.

When asked what jiujitsu is, I often use the following clip by masters Rickson Gracie and Royler Gracie where they aptly demonstrate the complete range of techniques within the art:

Jiujitsu has a strong sparring element to it where practitioners test their capabilities against the full resistance of their peers. This is often referred to as "rolling" or simply "training". This can be done in the following formats:

1. With strikes (what is nowadays referred to as MMA sparring)
2. Without strikes

The latter has grown into an international platform of competition where various organisations hosts multiple events throughout the year. This has lead to the misunderstanding that that's all there is to jiujitsu. Nonetheless, practicing jiujitsu to any extent will enrich your life to no end. You can catch a glimpse of that from the video below by BJJ documentary filmmaker Mr Stuart Cooper: