The run-of-the-mill American martial artist statistically is not a mixed-martial arts fighter. He is not a well-rounded fighter or one that can easily apply his knowledge to a real-world situation. In fact, in a world of cookie-cutter martial arts school, the average martial artist is either training a very specific, traditional art that has lost applicability and versatility, or is training a so-called extreme martial art, which in reality is an replacement to dance or gymnastics. The United States martial arts community has generated a culture in which many people receive their black belts before they master . With the increased popularity of mixed martial arts in the United States, but, many people are realizing that to be a truly well-rounded martial artist, they must train not only MMA, but its major components, including Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai, and boxing.

This leads many into a bind in which their own martial arts history can destroy their chance to learn, grow, and succeed. Before you wrap your black belt around your waist and swagger into the nearest MMA gym, take the following into consideration:

1) Rank does not carry over. Unless you have decided to only go to try to beat people up with your superior Rex Kwon Do skills, the reason you are walking into the gym in the first place is because you know you have something to learn. You may be a black belt in Karate, but you wear a white belt to your first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu class.

2) Find the right gym. If you have a choice of gyms, try them all out. If you get a feel for the program and people before you really choose a gym, you will probably be happier in the end. MMA fighters are of course aggressive and serious in the ring, but outside of the ring they can be your second family. Check out Brazilian Jiu Jitsu St Louis

3) Listen and learn the technique. If you are going to a decent MMA gym, someone there knows what they are talking about. Even if you have done traditional martial arts for 10 years, open your ears and accept that you might not know anything about what is going on. People that refuse to learn the techniques are not only considered thugs, but also, as in anything, get lapped by those who are paying attention.

4) Get ready to spar. Unlike some traditional martial arts, there are no katas. And, although work on a heavy bag or focus mitts is necessary and beneficial, a lot of your training will be sparring with someone else. For example, in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, you need a partner just to drill your technique.

5) Don’t be afraid to lose. Train with people that can beat you. The frustration and embarrassment can be turned into something productive and help your game progress. If you always train with those you can beat, you are not really pushing your body and mind to the next level.

6) Get ready to lose. If you are training with the right people, you are not going to be winning many matches at first. Fighters who have been training for a long time already have a strategy, usually know how to link moves together, and will be able to exploit the typical mistakes of new people coming into the gym. Not all is lost, however; you will understand good defense and position after that.

7) Relax. Mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jujitsu do not generally place the same value on structured classes, discipline and rank. Especially in smaller gyms, classes many times have a freer form, with questions and answers, brainstorming, and sharing.

Incorporate your strengths. Your martial arts background is not worthless in the MMA gym. Even if the movements, strategies, and techniques are different, you still probably have speed, power, flexibility and balance. You know how to control your body. Perhaps some of your basics, like footwork, work into a good MMA game plan. If you already have experience and skill in continuous stand-up sparring, it might only take a few modifications to fit it into your MMA game.

To sum up, transitioning from a traditional or “extreme” martial art to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is mostly about checking your ego at the door and honesty about your strengths and cons as an athlete and martial artist.

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The roots of today’s MMA stretch far back into history. Far away from the lights of Las Vegas, down to A Cidade Maravilhosa, or “The Marvelous City” of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where five brothers named Gracie (Carlos, Osvaldo, Gastão, Jorge, and Hélio) were practicing the knowledge passed on to eldest brother Carlos by Mitsuyo Maeda (a.k.a. Conde Koma, or Count Coma in English), an expert Japanese judoka and member of the Kodokan.

Imagine, if you will, a small, sweaty, matted room in the third most populous area in South America, where four of the five brothers train and give lessons in the sweltering heat. Very crowded and often quite dangerous, the city of Rio de Janeiro is known for its carnival celebrations, samba music, gorgeous beaches, and great surfing. It is also the country that gave the world the bikini, the thong and the 38M tall Christ the Redeemer statue. But that first scorching gym was also the birthplace of the martial art that was to change the course of modern athletic competition in the latter portion of the 20th century. It was there that Helio Gracie, a young man, small in stature but stout in heart, with a tremendous ability to reshape the judo he had learned from his oldest brother gave the world the gift that was to become known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

(In Brazil , the art is still called “Jiu-Jitsu”. When the Gracies went to the United States to spread their art, the system became known as “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu” and “Gracie Jiu-Jitsu .” “Jiu-Jitsu” is an older Romanization that was the original spelling of the art in the West, and it is still in common use, whereas the modern Hepburn Romanization is “ju jutsu.” Other common spellings are Brazilian Jujitsu Brazilian Jujitsu and Brazilian ju-jitsu.)

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu dropped a bomb on the international pantheon of sport in the 1990s, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Royce Gracie (Son of Grand Master Helio Gracie) won the first, second and fourth Ultimate Fighting Championships. The original UFC competitions were single-elimination, eight-man tournaments. Royce fought againsttremendously heavier opponents who were practicing other styles, including boxing, shoot-fighting, karate, judo, tae kwon do and wrestling. In fact the reason the UFC started was to demonstrate the efficiency of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

It is generally understood now that to be a well-rounded MMA fighter one must have a good grasp of several martial arts. Whether it is a mix of boxing, muay thai, wrestling, karate, Brazilian ju jitsu Brazilian Jujitsu or any combination of those, simply knowing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by itself is not sufficient to be successful. However, it has since become a staple art for many MMA fighters and is largely credited for bringing widespread attention to the importance of ground fighting. So, if you are among the millions of people watching MMA because you love seeing some of the top athletes in the world battle it out, try to remember that the fight you are watching started with a 145lb man in a small oven of a room in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil almost 90 years ago.

About Rodrigo Vaghi: Rodrigo started his Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 14, in the original Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro. Vaghi’s instructors were Grandmaster Helio Gracie and his sons: Rickson, Royce, Royler and Rolker. After many years of training with the Gracie Family, Rodrigo has become a close family friend and black belt instructor representing the undisputed champion of the Gracie’s: Rickson Gracie. Rodrigo Vaghi is the proud owner of Vaghi Martial Arts and head of its Brazilian Jiu Jitsu St Louis Brazilian Jiu Jitsu St Louis Program.