Richmond BJJ opened in January of 2002. Eric Burdo, a Black Belt under Julio "Foca" Fernandez, is the head BJJ instructor. Feel free to visit RichmondBJJ.com for news, pictures, and more info.
Richmond Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Self-Defense Academy offers classes in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai Kickboxing. We offer a free introductory class in both BJJ and Muay Thai. Please call (804) 249-6509, write us an e-mail at [email protected], or stop in to set up an intro class.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU...
In the early 1900's, a Japanese man named Maeda went to Brazil on a diplomatic mission to establish a Japanese colony in Brazil. Gastao Gracie, a man with clout in local politics helped Maeda in his mission. As a show of appreciation and friendship, Maeda taught Gastao Gracies' sons the art of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. Gracies' sons refined the techniques and changed the art to work with leverage and technique, not strength, speed or size.
In the decades following, the Gracie family continued to advance and test their techniques through open invitation challenge matches. The two Gracies that stood out in the earlier days were Helio Gracie and Carlson Gracie. During their primes, both men weighed less than 150 pounds, and would routinely test their skills against men of different arts, often weighing more than the Gracies. Time and time again, the Gracies would leave victoriously.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is based upon the fact that over 90% of street fights will end up on the ground. BJJ uses specifically designed techniques to control your opponent on the feet, and on the ground, if the fight goes there. The techniques of BJJ allow you to control your opponent, and decide the outcome of a physical altercation. It will give you the tools that increase your chances of skillfully escaping situations with minimal damage. BJJ places great emphasis ..ling a dominant situation, so that you can strike, apply various joint locks, chokes, or escape a bad situation.
