Questions and answers

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that puts the emphasis on using leverage and on ground work. Assuming the person attacking me is bigger and stronger than I am, I do not want to get into an exchange of blows with him, so instead I use technique that lets me compensate for the physical difference. In class you learn techniques built on joint locks and holds on the body's joints, on controlling your opponent, and on achieving a dominant position. The system was, and still is, the single most significant foundation of MMA.

MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts. MMA is not a martial art, it is a sport. It is a competitive combat sport originating in Brazil — originally Vale Tudo, Portuguese for "anything goes" — in which the fight can be conducted across several dimensions. In boxing you use punches. In Muay Thai you use punches, elbows, kicks and knees. In judo the focus is on throws and grappling pins. In an MMA bout you are effectively allowed to use all of the above, and the fight can take place standing or on the ground, with strikes, joint locks, holds and chokes all permitted. You cannot really "learn" MMA — you drill the techniques taught in the regular classes: jiu-jitsu and striking

MMA broke into public awareness after Rorion Gracie, eldest son of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's developer Helio Gracie, wanted to show the world how effective the system was and founded the UFC, today the leading MMA league in the world. An MMA fighter can come from one of two backgrounds: striking or grappling. A fighter coming from a striking background will fill in jiu-jitsu so that he can handle himself on the ground. A fighter coming from a grappling background will fill in striking. A good fighter will hold a high level in both dimensions. Today there is no top-level professional MMA fighter who does not train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu regularly.

Grappling — from "to grapple" — is the umbrella term for the wrestling styles: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, judo, wrestling, sambo and so on. The aim in grappling usually involves controlling your opponent through takedowns and pins, and then submitting them with joint locks and chokes. Grappling disciplines generally do not include strikes. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu differs from the other grappling disciplines because it addresses self-defense situations in which my attacker can hit me and I need to protect myself from strikes

Striking — from "to strike" — covers the styles in which you hit. Classical boxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing and so on. Karate, taekwondo and kung fu are also considered striking disciplines, but they are less relevant to MMA. In striking training you can use punches, elbows, kicks and knees. In these styles you generally cannot take down, pin, choke or manipulate joints as you do in the grappling disciplines. Striking training is done with protective equipment: gloves, shin guards and a mouthguard.

There is a women-only group, of course. But beyond that, and perhaps more importantly, every mixed class has 25% to 50% women. Mixed classes come from the understanding that in a real situation an attack is likely to come from a man, so the drilling needs to be done with men. The drilling is of course done carefully, and to this day no man has been hurt during a session with a woman.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is above all a system for self-defence. The sport is an excellent tool for improving fitness, burning calories and drilling technique, but above all you learn techniques that will help you protect yourself against an attacker bigger, stronger and more aggressive than you.

Most systems focus on self-defense standing up and neglect the ground element. Beyond the fact that most violent confrontations end up on the ground, every attempted rape takes place on the ground or lying down. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gives you the tools to deal with what happens the moment an attacker has put you on your back — a critical element in attacks on women, and in general.

Intelligent physical activity that is never boring. The most effective self-defence in the history of the universe. Serious calorie burn. A family atmosphere and a friendly one — because when did you last make new friends?

1. Control of range — if I can control the distance between me and my attacker, I neutralise his effectiveness. From a distance he cannot hurt me; if I close in tight, the effectiveness of his strikes drops dramatically.2. Control of position — position before submission. Controlling your opponent while restricting his movement through weight distribution, leverage and control of his limbs.3. Converting the control — once I have control of the attacker, I neutralise his physical advantage by taking him to the ground, where I can decide whether to strike him, use a joint lock, or use a choke to apply moderate pressure to his joints or to his airflow and bring the attack to an end. If I have ended up on the ground against my will, I work to escape the inferior position where I am exposed to attacks, achieve a dominant position, and return to standing while controlling the attacker on the ground.

No prior knowledge or experience in any martial art is needed. All of our classes are suitable for beginners with no experience.

Training is done in a controlled way with maximum emphasis on safety. This is a martial art, not a dance class, but nobody is going to hit you in an uncontrolled way or without protective gear.

Certainly. Because the techniques are not built on special physical abilities, you can train even if you have some physical limitation — as long as you have clearance from a doctor, of course.

Classes are run for learning and practice, self-improvement and enjoyment, building capability and a lifestyle. They are not structured as a competition squad.

If you choose to compete in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or MMA, at amateur or professional level, we will set you a dedicated training program and prepare you as well as possible.

We train in order to learn and improve, not in order to collect belts. But if it genuinely interests you that much — it takes around 10 years to reach black belt. Some will take longer and some less. To progress you need to train and to persist, and yes, talent plays a part, but no more than persistence does.

Classes are taught in Hebrew, but our instructors speak fluent English and a large part of our members are English speakers. On Saturday nights we run a class taught in English by Philip Paul.