What Even Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
First off, what IS karate, and how is it related to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (hint, it’s the purpose of this blog). Karate is what my family and skinny-fat friends call Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to my face. You all know the scenario, you’re at Thanksgiving dinner loading up on your fourth plate of stuffing because you have a weight-cut starting in December and hate yourself already, when Uncle Keif (he can’t say his real name, Keith, because he lost his two front teeth in a fight his mouth couldn’t cash) asks you loudly and proudly (knowing damn well it is not karate), “So, Michael, how’s that whole mobile karate thing-a-mabobber going?” at which point I mentally Kata Guruma him through the spinach souffle. Having a business reputation on the line in front of friends and family meant kindly smiling and replying, “Whistle.”
When people ask me if I do karate, I tell them, “No, but I do do karazy.” Karazy is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the supreme martial art, as proven countless times in cages throughout the world. It is the springboard to which wrestling, judo, and sambo all comfortably coexist. Jiu jitsu welcomes all styles, and accepts their contributions to its Swiss Army Knife of submissions. Jiiu jitsu is a Rubix Cube of killing. It is a living entity that evolves as time passes, sometimes regressing, other times making leaps and bounds in just a single year.
Origins of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or BJJ
Karate is a martial art originating from the beautiful Japanese island of Okinawa. Jiu Jitsu originated in Japan as well, going by many names such as ju jutsu. It was the Gracie family in Brazil that adopted and adapted the fighting style of Japanese grapplers and made it their own. From there, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu took off like a Falcon Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral. The Gracie family then spread their chokes and armbars to the United States and abroad. Helio and Carlson Gracie are universally recognized as the founders of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and two of the most important martial artists of all time, alongside Bruce Lee, Gordon Ryan, Miyamoto Musashi, and Al Iaquinta.
The Gracie family also created the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the early 1990s. They showcased their martial art to the world by pitting their unassuming Royce (pronounced adifa;kdjjhfahhe) against the likes of tiger-claw wielding Keith Hackney and the solo-boxing gloved champion of our hearts, Art Jimmerson. After systematically dismantling each opponent for several of the first handful of competitions, Royce took his place alongside Renato Laranja as one of the most significant grapplers of all time.
Mobile BJJ Training Comes to the Space Coast
The martial art of jiu jitsu is evolving just as is the business side of jiu jitsu. Gone are the days of middle-age working professionals getting steamrolled by some D2 wrestler on summer vacation eating 7500 calories a day from his mother’s kitchen and burning each one of them. Middle-age professional working men no longer have to rush out from work to make an evening class. They can go home, kiss the spouse, dog, cat, and kids, and have the dojo come to him.
That’s right, the concept of a mobile dojo is a reality. Michael Cragholm of Space Coast Mobile Jiu Jitsu is very well the first athlete in America to create a mobile jiu jitsu limited liability company. As a retired US Marine infantryman and jiu jitsu black belt, he noticed a gap in the market for potential jiu jitsu students. Fortuitously, Space Coast Mobile Jiu Jitsu, LLC was born on 7 August 2023, National Purple Heart Day.
The goal of mobile jiu jitsu is two-fold: 1) to provide a solution to a demographic of men who are on jiu jitsu’s periphery, specifically working professional men who have family obligations and do not want to get power-bombed by the local surfer kid who is also a D3 All-American wrestler, and 2) to provide jiu jitsu black belts with entrepreneurial spirits the strong opportunity to supplement or earn a living income. The movement is altruistic. By expanding the collective awareness of jiu jitsu to the ‘satellite’ audience of working professional men currently not training, we can influence the hearts and minds of some of our greatest thinkers and innovators today. Teaching jiu jitsu is a source; it changed my life for the better and it can for you, too.
If you would like to explore the idea of opening your own mobile jiu jitsu business, reach out to Michael at 321-477-4504 or michael@spacecoastmobilejiujitsu.com. He is eager to share this outstanding opportunity with all who see its value.
