Gracie Jiujitsu is an art of self defense, in which a smaller, less fit person is given a chance to defend himself and survive an attack by a bigger stronger person. The basis of the art is that the perfect defense not only beats the offence but also allows you to rest, remain calm and conserve energy while forcing your opponent to spend his energy in his attacks until he tired and slow down, allowing the smaller person the opportunities to either escape or even submit his assailant or his opponent.

Submission Grappling Throughout your growth in the grappling arts and especially in Gracie Jiujitsu you are introduced to a series of techniques, some of them are directed to gradual advance (sweep or takedowns) and some of them are directed towards finishing your opponent via a submission. Of all the techniques that you learn, none have a more magic or more mystique than the finishing hold, as they give you the power to end a fight with your opponent conceding defeat without appeal as he decides to quit because he faces superior technical knowledge. Brazilian Jiujitsu is an individual and a social activity. Unlike a team sport, you face. Your opponent alone, both in training and competition. This forces one to become self-reliant. Thus the student grows in terms of individual responsibility.

Brazilian Jiujitsu is a social activity insofar as you cannot succeed without a group of training partners upon whom you depend for your development. The study of Brazilian Jiujitsu is a great way to develop virtues of character that will stand one in good stead in a wide variety of contexts. It teaches perserverance, since it takes great time and effort to develop your skills to the bestow your ability. Perhaps the most important lesson afforded by the study of Brazilian jiujitsu is that of tackling problems through the use of strategy rather than brute strength and aggression. In order to succeed in training and competition you must overcome the myriad problems created by an opponent who is doing everything in his power to frustrate your efforts and succeed with his own.

There is tremendous sense of problem solving in the sport. For every problem in a grappling situation there is a rational solution. You may often fell that the battle is as much intellectual as physical. You must employ strategy and tactics to overcome practical problems.

-Professor Mikko