About Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art and combat sport that emphasizes ground grappling, with free sparring being an important training method. The aim is to use a variety of grappling holds to advance in positioning and to finally obtain a submission hold. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is usually practiced in a gi very similar or identical to a judogi, but no-gi training is also part of the training regimen in many BJJ schools and is sometimes referred to as “submission wrestling”.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became internationally prominent in the martial arts community in the 1990s, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Royce Gracie won several single elimination martial arts tournaments called Ultimate Fighting Championships against sometimes much larger opponents who were practicing other styles.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s emphasis on joint locks and maneuvering rather than strikes means that one’s technique can be practiced at full speed and almost full power, resembling the effort and technique used in a real fight. Training partners can resist and counter just as they would in an actual fight, providing valuable real-world experience should the techniques ever need to be applied in an actual fight. This practice of live training, officially called Randori but commonly known as “rolling” in BJJ circles, is considered by many BJJ practitioners to be the major factor differentiating combat sports (ex. BJJ, Judo, Boxing, Wrestling) from traditional martial arts (ex. Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido).
» Full Article from Wikipedia on Alliance BJJ
» Full article from Wikipedia on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
ALLIANCE & ROMERO ‘JACARE’ CAVALCANTI
Jacare was born in 1952, beginning his jiu-jitsu training at age eleven, and eventually joined the famous Gracie school in Copacabana, Brazil, where he grew up. In 1982 he was awarded the rank of black belt from the legendary Rolls Gracie, later opening his own school, and eventually forming one of the most successful and respected teams in the world of grappling: Alliance. With his students collectively, including the likes of Fabio Gurgel, Alexandre Paiva, Leo Vieira, Roberto Traven, and Rodrigo Medieros, Alliance has won countless championships.
Today Jacare is a 6th degree black belt with his operations based out of Atlanta Georgia. In 2005 he was inducted into the Grappling Hall of Fame. There are representatives of the Alliance team stretching across the globe; The United States, Canada, England, France, Greece, Croatia, and of course, Brazil, and still more.
» Official Alliance Site for Jacare and Alliance Atlanta.
MARCELO GARCIA
Alliance superstar Marcelo Garcia is widely regarded as one of the best grapplers on the planet. But it wasn’t always the case. He wasn’t a natural, as they say, from the beginning. Under the tutilage of Alliance coach Fabio Gurgel, Marcelo dedicated himself to the art and little by little started dominating the competition. His big splash was at the 2003 ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships where he defeated the likes of Renzo Gracie and Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribiero. Since then Marcelo has won almost every match within his weight category, even defeating much larger opponents. Awarded the ‘Best Match’ of ADCC 2005, he tapped out Ricco Rodriguez, a former UFC & ADCC champ nearly twice his size. More recently, he won the Mundial (World Championships of BJJ) in Rio de Janiero. We’ve been lucky to have Marcelinho visit us at Alliance Canada numerous times. Not only is he one of the best grapplers on the planet, he is also an incredible instructor, known for his humble attitude and almost permanent smile.
Grappling Titles & Awards:
— Multiple time BJJ World Champion
— Multiple time Brasilero Champion
— 2003, 2005, & 2007 ADCC — Under 76kg — Champion
— 2007 ADCC — Openweight — Silver
— 2003 & 2005 ADCC — Openweight — Bronze
— 2003 & 2007 ADCC ‘Most Technical’ Award
— 2005 ADCC ‘Best Match’ Award
— 2X Arnolds Champion
— Many, Many, Many, Many More
» Official Site for Marcelo Garcia.