LU’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club combines learning and camaraderie in weekly meetings

The Liberty University Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club attracts people of all skill levels to come to learn the ropes of Jiu-Jitsu and build a sense of community with other students. Students attend club meetings where they practice and learn the fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu and then spend time together afterward. 

Jiu-Jitsu (Brazilian) is a martial art that originates from Brazil and emphasizes grappling on the ground and escaping different holds done by the opposition. While often confused with wrestling, it is far different, because it focuses on putting the opponent in submission, rather than taking them down and pinning them to the ground. This means that the sport is less about strength and size and more about technique and timing. Therefore, it can be more accessible to all body types and sizes. 

Jiu-Jitsu’s popularity has been increasing all across the U.S. due to both the fitness benefits and camaraderie. President of the club and mechanical engineering major, Kaden Unroe, said the club helps many who attend “reach towards their potential.”

“There’s a lot of people that walk in the club and … they have no confidence. (They are) kind of unsure about everything,” Unroe said. “We have plenty of people that go there and they … get a sense of confidence (and) self-worth.” 

Many of the more experienced members and leadership are working to provide additional structure to the club and to increase the opportunities of competing as a unified Liberty team Some members already compete independently and would like the opportunity to continue that with their fellow club members alongside them. 

Members benefit from having the opportunity to not just participate but also teach other newer members about Jiu-Jitsu. 

“Trying to now explain something that I have been doing for a long time and trying to teach (and) show them and educate them has, in its own way, (helped me) because now I’m learning to articulate it,” Collin Pentifallo, a club member, said. 

Pentifallo, a pastoral leadership major, believes that Jiu-Jitsu provides him with a place to build relationships with others who honor Jesus. 

“They kind of play together,” Pentifallo said. “It gives a good place to fellowship with other people, and the Bible certainly doesn’t talk about us being weak or anything like that … we’re supposed to have strength.”

The club meets Mondays and Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 3 to 5 p.m. in the LaHaye Recreation and Fitness Center. For more information, visit this website.

Freund is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on X