Edmunds talks about a female student who was being picked on at school by a group of girls. She came to train at Fusion Academy and when she first arrived, her confidence was lacking. After spending time training and picking up some of the moves and nuances of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the girl's confidence was beaming. When the girls finally came at her, she was prepared and used jiu-jitsu to defend herself. It's safe to say those girls are no longer a problem.

It's not rare to find female students training jiu-jitsu. Edmunds says you can find much diversity among his trainees. He's got students from Poland, Brazil, Germany and Bulgaria, as well as the United States. He's got kids, adults, Ph.D.s and law students. He boasts about the variety of people who have come to learn and better themselves, and with a newly opened Cottonwood location he expects that wide range of people to grow even wider.

As UFC becomes progressively more popular, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is reaching a bigger audience and is starting to appear on more people's radars.

"The UFC has been a huge marketing tool, but I tell parents I'll teach their kids the martial art first, then strikes (if they approve)," said Edmunds.

So, mention Brazilian jiu-jitsu to someone and the most likely response won't be, huh? Maybe they will know exactly what you're talking about.

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E-mail: nstorey@desnews.com