Rolling With The Champs

Step out of our comfort zone to see what Brazilian jiu-jitsu is all about? Why not, when we have SEA Games BJJ champs Paul and Noah Lim to take us through the moves?

- Syed Zulfadhli

I am always game to try out new fitness activities, but I draw the line at contact sports. The idea of grappling, punching and wrestling with strangers has never appealed to me. But there is also a cool factor to combat sports, and you must admit that they do offer a challenge few other activities can. I decided it was time to step up and bite the bullet, never mind the risk of bruises or injuries. It’s a new decade, after all, and I was getting bored of jogging, yoga and even cardio boxing.

After some research, I decided that Brazlian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) might be a good place to start. From what I’ve read, the sport is focused on groundwork, and incorporates wrestling and self-defence techniques. It seemed like a safe enough introduction to martial arts compared to Muay Thai or MMA. Also, a 2017 Sports Medicine Open research concluded that regular BJJ practitioners typically have physiques that are low in body fat. New skills? Weight loss? Lean muscles? Sign me up, please.

BJJ Origins

BJJ is a fairly modern sport, but its origins stretch all the way back to ancient Japan. It started off as jiu-jitsu, a martial art practised by samurais. Should they find themselves unarmed – or disarmed in a battle – they could at least fight with techniques such as throws, locks and chokes.

Over time, various styles of the art developed. One watershed moment occurred in 1882, when Jigoro Kano developed judo by extracting the most efficient jiu-jitsu techniques from it.