The Combat room was created to share the expertise of experienced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners and to pass on the benefits that come with learning a martial art. There are sessions each day and every level of experience is represented in the club.
Whether you're after a new sport, a fitness challenge, or some techniques to improve your self defence, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the Combat Room is a great place to start! We also have women's specific classes every Tuesday and kids classes on Saturdays.
History of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Mitsuyo Maeda, was a Japanese student of the Sumo and Kodokan Judo ground fighting disciplines. As one of the top practicing judokas in the Kodokan school, he was sent overseas to spread the martial art around the world by challenging fighters from different fighting arts. In 1917, Carlos Gracie watched a demonstration by Maeda and asked to become his student. Carlos eventually passed on his knowledge onto his brothers who then adapted and evolved the discipline into the modern sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
The System
Hélio Gracie, one of Carlos Gracie's brothers, is credited as transforming Brazilian Jiu Jitsu into it's modern form. At the age of 16 he taught his first lesson and, because of his size, he recognised that some of the movements were impossible for him to successfully execute. This lead to Hélio developing simpler and more efficient movements that created greater leverage so that a smaller opponent could use to subdue a larger opponent.
Sport vs Self Defence
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is often viewed as two separate practices; as sport and self defence, with various techniques crossing between the two disciplines. The sport of Jiu Jitsu is ever-evolving and currently enjoys a huge popularity, in part following the success of Royce Gracie in the first Ultimate Fighting competitions in the early 90's. However it's roots as a self defence system make it an excellent choice for people who want to improve their confidence and self reliance.
