North Vancouver Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Champions Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) in North Vancouver is much more than a martial art. It is a highly effective method of self-defense and fitness that builds a strong body, mind, and character. Jiu Jitsu is a grappling art (ground fighting) that gives you the power of leverage over a larger and stronger aggressor or bully. 

Our curriculum was created and is monitored by 6 time world Champion Saulo Ribeiro.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         We invite you and your family to visit our school, meet our friendly instructors, and enjoy the experience of Champions North Vancouver Jiu Jitsu with a FREE Private Jiu Jitsu Lesson - click here.


Check out one of our instructors, Giacomo Zanini's highlights

       

Champions Jiu Jitsu in North Vancouver offers you...

• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for Men & Women - find out why people just like you are embracing Champions Jiu Jitsu as a fun, safe and healthy part of their lifestyle.
• Kids Jiu-Jitsu - for tots to teens. Let your child develop confidence, discipline, self-control, concentration, defend against bullies and predators, and more.

At Champions Jiu Jitsu North Vancouver we strive to help students get the most out of their training. For students with consistency and dedication, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu becomes a life-style and students can readily enjoy all the benefits of the Jiu-Jitsu or the “Gentle Art”. With a convenient location at the foot of Lonsdale by Lonsdale Quay, over 10,000sqft of premium matted floor space, and have been serving the community for over 25 years, Champions Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in North Vancouver is the premier Martial Arts school in the Greater Vancouver Area.

Vancouver Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a beautiful art and everyone is capable of learning it and enjoying its many benefits. Champions Jiu Jitsu North Vancouver Programs reflect more than twenty (25) years of martial arts teaching experience and has succeeded in improving the quality of life, self-esteem, discipline and health of thousands of individuals in Canada and around the globe, as well as building some of amazing BJJ practitioners and instructors living around the world.

History of Jiu-Jitsu

Historians of Jiu-Jitsu say that the origins of “the gentle art” can be traced back to India, and was practiced by Buddhist Monks. Concerned with self-defense, these monks created techniques based upon principles of balance and leverage, and a system of manipulating the body in a manner where one could avoid relying upon strength or weapons. With the expansion of Buddhism, Jiu-Jitsu spread from Southwest Asia to China, finally arriving in Japan where it developed and gained further popularity.

In the last days of the 19th century, some Jiu-Jitsu masters emigrated from Japan to other continents, teaching the martial arts, as well as competing in fights and competitions. Esai Maeda Koma, also known as “Conde Koma,” was one such master.

After traveling with a troupe which fought in various countries in Europe and the Americas, Koma arrived in Brazil in 1915, and settled in Belem do Para the next year, where he met a man named Gastao Gracie. The father of eight children, among them five boys and three girls, Gastao became a Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast and brought his oldest son, Carlos, to learn to fight from the Japanese master.

For a naturally frail fifteen-year old Carlos Gracie, Jiu-Jitsu became a method not simply for fighting, but for personal improvement. At nineteen, he moved to Rio de Janeiro with his family and began teaching and competing in the martial arts. In his travels, Carlos would teach classes, and also proved the efficiency of the art by beating adversaries in competitions who were more physically strong. In 1925, he returned to Rio and opened the first school, known as the “Academia Gracie de Jiu Jitsu.” Since then, Carlos started to share his knowledge to his brothers, adapting and refining the techniques to the naturally weaker characteristics of his family. Also, Carlos taught them his philosophies of life as well as his concepts of natural nutrition. Eventually, Carlos became a pioneer in creating a special diet for athletes, “the Gracie diet,” which transformed Jiu-Jitsu into a term synonymous with health. Having created an efficient self defense system, Carlos Gracie saw in the art a way to become a man who was more tolerant, respectful, and self-confident. With a goal of proving Jiu-Jitsu’s superiority as well as to build a family tradition, Carlos challenged the greatest fighters of his time, as well as managing the fighting careers of his brothers. Fighting opponents fifty or sixty pounds heavier, the Gracies quickly gained recognition and prestige