Being home to 130+ Crore people and many martial art forms, it’s hard to believe that almost no one has heard about Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and it has only recently started to take off in India and produced its First Black Belt.
Arun Sharma, Founder and Head Instructor of BJJ India and Jeet Kune Do Athletic Club India, recently earned his BJJ black belt after 13 years of training in the Art, from multiple times world champion and a 4th Degree Black Belt Rodrigo Teixeria from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu is a form of martial art that was developed by the Gracie family in the early 1910s. It is also known as The Gentle Art of Self Defense as it teaches its students to defend themselves without hurting the assailant by relying on techniques that are based on leverage and principles of physics, which also gives the smaller person to defend themselves against a bigger attacker without relying on speed and strength.
BJJ is also the fastest growing sport around the Globe. It is already a mainstream sport in the American and European countries and India is catching up with the rest of the world rapidly.
Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu can be practised as an art of self-defence, a sport or as a part of fitness regime. Some people also do it as an activity to socialise as worldwide BJJ community is known for being welcoming and friendly.
In the past 13 years, Arun has taught more than 150 free seminars in the rural areas of the country. His vision is to spread the art of Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu in India and he plans on doing it by making 1000 instructors which will allow people to see it as a viable career path as well.
Arun’s journey in martial arts started at the age of 12 after he witnessed two of his friends getting killed with a knife. He started with Shaoling kung fu, Jeet Kune do (JKD) and Filipino Kali before ultimately finding that his true self and passion lied within Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu.
There weren’t any Jiu-Jitsu Instructors in India when he started training. In 2004, the internet was not readily available in India so he used his father’s work computer to watch videos of BJJ. That changed when Rodrigo Teixeria started visiting India from Brazil to give Arun private training without charging any fees.
Arun has been training the Indian special forces and NSG along with various other Military and Law Enforcement Agencies since he was 18 years old.
“Jiu-Jitsu for me is self-improvement every day and exorcising the demons within. Jiu-Jitsu has made me calmer, it has given me the skill of understanding that you can defend yourself without hurting the aggressor. It has taught me that you can be anywhere in the world and still help people by spreading the art. “I was an introvert and shy kid in school and it has really helped me out to bring out my personality, of helping people out and of making my passion, my career" said Arun.
Arun’s Martial arts academy BJJ India, located in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, has now over 200 students enrolled with them. His students have participated in numerous tournaments and have accumulated over 15 Gold medals so far in the Nationals and International tournaments and now he hopes and envisions to spread the art in the upcoming times in India.