Brazilian jiu-jitsu has turned the martial arts world upside down by emphasizing real-life situations and results over the dramatic kicks and throws of formal competition, making it also one of the most effective self-defense techniques for non-athletes. This guide to the self-defense techniques taught in the classes of Royce Gracie, one of the biggest figures in the world of jiu-jitsu, provides lessons that anyone—regardless of strength or size—can learn to neutralize an attacker in seconds. It offers a variety of defenses to use against knife and gun attacks, as well as escapes from headlocks, choke holds, and other situations that attackers use on the street. Advice on practicing, falling and rolling, and following a specific diet make this book the next best thing to taking the classes that are popular with the United States military, police academies, and women's self-defense schools.

About the Author
Royce Gracie shocked the world when he entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship (the largest pay-per-view event at that time) in 1993 as a 170-pound unknown—easily the smallest man in the competition—and defeated much larger opponents in record time. He went on to win two more UFCs and now runs the Gracie Academy in California.

Charles Gracie, a jiu-jitsu champion in Brazil, is the winner of martial arts Superfights in the United States and teaches at Charles Gracie Academy in San Francisco.

Kid Peligro is a martial arts journalist and a black-belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu who has twice won the World Masters title.
They all live in California