The Leesburg Yamasaki Academy offers a complete Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instruction program that incorporates excellent technique, live sparring, competition training, and fitness. Although our classes are intense and utilize a vigorous exercise program, our instructors recognize that each student is an individual with unique goals and progresses at his or her own level according to his or her athletic and martial arts background and level of fitness. Come and try one of our classes FOR FREE and you will see why our program is the best!

Mitsuyo Maeda was a martial arts prodigy who eventually became one of the greatest fighters in history. He settled in Brazil and opened an academy of "Jiu-Jitsu.” One of his students was a young man named Carlos Gracie. After studying with Maeda for several years during the 1920's, Carlos opened his own academy in 1925. Carlos and his brothers established a solid reputation by issuing the now famous "Gracie Challenge." All challengers were welcome to come and fight with the Gracies in no-holds-barred (NHB) matches. The Gracie fighters emerged victorious against fighters of all different backgrounds. The Gracies continued to develop the strategies and techniques they learned from Maeda, honing their skills with the realities of real fighting.

Several members of the Gracie family began to immigrate to the United States in the late 1980's. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) became world famous in the mid 1990's when Royce Gracie won a string of victories in the early Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitions. Shortly after, Royce's brother, Rickson Gracie, went undefeated in similar events in Japan, and other members of the Gracie clan were equally as successful in no-holds-barred events around the world. It became quickly apparent that fighters versed only in punching and kicking lost virtually every time they faced a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu trained opponent. At present, all fighters in open rules events (now popularly called "mixed martial arts" or MMA) train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The emergence of the Gracies and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, with its time tested and proven effectiveness in challenge matches and MMA fights, has had a major impact on martial arts worldwide.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is proven to contain the most effective self-defense techniques in the world. No other martial art provides the level of skill, training, and knowledge necessary to immobilize any opponent of any size and shape. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu uses proper positioning, leverage, and technique to allow a variety of chokes, joint locks, or even strikes to submit your opponent.

Since most real fights end up on the ground, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's primary focus is taking the fight to the ground using simple takedown techniques, controlling and neutralizing your opponent’s aggressiveness, then manipulating him into a vulnerable position for a finishing technique.

Because of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's unmatched success in events such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and countless of other No-Hold-Barred (NHB) events across the world, many law enforcement agencies and military branches have adopted it into their programs. Today, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies, associations, and clubs are cropping up all over the country.