Investigation of the sports history of Jiu-Jitsu fighters

Abstract

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a self-defense method and combat sport, is becoming increasingly popular as a Brazilian cultural product. With this growth, the importance to research the effects of the practice in its members grow as well. This study's objective is to investigate the fighter's perception of the choice of this modality and its influence on their self-control expression. The effects of the jiu-jitsu practice in the exerciser subjective well-being and life quality will also be investigated. Ten jiu-jitsu fighters with more than one year of practice and at least one competitive experience participated in this study. The signing of the Informed Consent Form was consolidated the participation in the research. A semi structured interview guide about the following topics has been used to gather data: interest and purpose in the sport, perception about behavioral changes, use of technics outside sport's context, use of the practice as a intimidation method, awareness of positive personal changes provided by the jiu-jitsu training. The interviews were conducted individually. The data analysis will be performed from the breakdown of the emerging indices from the categories listed beforehand in the interview script. It is believed that the results from this study may broaden the view about the effects of continuous jiu-jitsu practice on the perception of aggressive behavior and quality of life of practitioners.