Hilltoppers have created a new student organization on campus, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club. Last semester, the club started giving small training courses, but has now begun to host full classes twice a week in the Alumni Gym. The club is a beginners course on the martial art of Brazilian jiu jitsu, or BJJ.

Traditional BJJ is a combat sport centered around controlling and submitting your opponent on the ground. You may be familiar with the sport if you are an avid fan of the UFC and fighters such as Anderson Silva, Charles Olivera, Nate Diaz and, of course, Royce Gracie, all BJJ black belts.

“It’s become so popular because it works and it’s foundational,” instructor Aaron Hines said. “If you get into something like MMA, jiu jitsu has become like one of the pillars of what you essentially need to know.”

Strength is a necessary component in grappling, but instead of muscling your way into a position or submission, technique is a more crucial aspect for success in BJJ. Hines makes sure that this extends to the practices, where people are able to practice combining strength and technique in a safe, controlled environment. Walking into practices and seeing somebody getting choked out can turn you away, but we are all training and having fun. If we ever do feel in danger, we can simply tap out and start again.

There are also countless real-world applications to BJJ. Of course there is the self-defense aspect that other martial arts don’t give you. Having the ability to manipulate someone’s body and control them gives you an advantage in any physical altercation. There are other sports that fall under the grappling umbrella, yet they lack techniques where you can force opponents to submit, giving you the ability to end a fight.

Speaking from outside of a fighter’s perspective, classes are just a fun workout. Classes aren’t on a rigid schedule, and are more of a free-flowing environment. They consist of us drilling a choke or a move on a partner, and then ending the session with some live rolling, where we essentially practice a fight with our opponent.

BJJ is a sport that requires you to use your body’s full strength, engaging your core, shoulders, back, forearms and even your legs at any given time, or all at the same time. So even if you are just looking to break a sweat, BJJ openly invites you to give it a try.

Hines, the club instructor, has eight years of experience. He is currently training as a brown belt under B-Team Jiu Jitsu, a world-renowned professional gym located in South Austin. His main goal in starting the club on campus is to spread the influence of BJJ, while at the same time getting students actively involved on campus. Having access to free BJJ training is something that you don’t find too often, especially in a city like Austin that has openly invited the BJJ culture in recent years. You will find the average gym membership in the city can sit anywhere from $150 to $400.

“We’re trying to offer a program where students don’t have to pay an exorbitant gym fee,” Hines said. “So to get a world-class jiu jitsu education for free, I think that’s a hard thing to pass up.”

Personally, I love that there is no fee to join the classes. Although it is a combat sport, BJJ culture is very laid-back compared to other martial arts. I loosely follow professional jiu jitsu, so I had an idea of where Hines trained and the high level of competition inside that gym. Coming from a boxing background, I’d always wanted to expand my martial arts skill set, so having access to such high level training was really a treat. I especially like that attendance and the overall environment is chill. As long as you remain respectful, you can come and go as you please, you can choose to join in on a drill and all of our training partners are awesome. In the time I’ve been a part of the club I’ve enjoyed rolling with everybody and learning from Hines.

Classes are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the spin room at the Alumni Gym, but locations may change. You must fill out the IMLeagues forms before attending class. You can join our GroupMe to be updated and find us on Instagram at seubjj. If you are looking to join a new and growing club, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu might just be for you.