The word "jiu jitsu" derives from the Japanese "Jū" meaning "gentle" and "Jutsu" meaning "art"; essentially, jiu jitsu is the "gentle art".
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a predominantly ground-based martial art, using the principals of leverage, angles, pressure and timing, as well as knowledge of the human anatomy, in order to achieve a non-violent submission of one's opponent. Unlike other martial arts that focus on strikes and/or kicks, jiu jitsu focuses on close-contact "grappling" holds and techniques, and the application of chokes and joint-manipulations.
The Brazilian style of jiu jitsu resulted from the import of Japanese jiu jitsu and judo to the South American continent in the early 1900s, and its transformation into a new martial art style by a core group of Brazilian pioneers.
Then in 1915, a world famous Japanese judoka, Mitsuyo Maeda, arrived to Brazil, where he soon began teaching and giving demonstrations in jiu jitsu and judo, which at the time were not seen as separate disciplines. Three of Maeda's first students went on to become the founders of what is known as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: brothers Carlos and Helio Gracie, and Luiz França. Each of these early pioneers contributed to the development of what is today known as Brazilian jiu jitsu, by maximizing the effectiveness of existing techniques, creating new ones, and giving rise to a distinct martial art.
Here in the Cordilleras, we are privilege to have the first Igorot Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt in the person of Prof. Gibran Langbayan from the famed Baguio Brazilian Jiu Jitsu who is very passionate in sharing his knowledge, skills and expertise to his students and the community.
It is becoming a very good way to bond with our kids and shoo them away from excessive use of gadgets. Just recently, we've seen a father and son compete at the ASJJF Baguio International Jiu-Jitsu Championship- Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and lawyer Atty. Daryll Lobchoy and his son Daryll Lobchoy II who both garnered Silver medals. In his facebook post, Atty. Daryll has this to say- "Notwithstanding my age (33), I pushed to compete in order to keep my son interested in sports. We rallied and gained silver medals. After the competition, I was surprised when my professor promoted me to blue belt. It was a beautiful memory for my family to cherish."
