AJJ is about much more than fighting. Its origins are creative and expressive of the dynamic thought patterns of some of the world's most elite fighters. Many fighting styles have developed over the years. Forms of striking, wrestling, and martial arts have been around since the dawn of time, developing concurrently with the formation of early societies and communities.

The identity of these societies always found powerful expression in their respective forms of combat. Fighting does not always concern violence; it deals with art forms, our conception of the world, and the values we hold to maintain a meaningful life.

  It is to this wider cultural and historical pattern of martial arts that AJJ acquires its brand and identity. Attaching its brand of fighting to the term “American” is no accident or cheap attempt to gain relevancy. As a martial art, it is characteristically American. It embodies the values and principles its founder, Jake Shields, believes are universal expressions of American character as reflected in the great men and women who have defined our nation’s past and continue to shape its future.

The We group identified a unique perspective with regards to AJJ. AJJ has the power and potential to speak to the average consumer not simply as a product, but something unprecedented. AJJ is a cultural form; a space where individuals learn through bodily expression what it means to be American. Our participation in AJJ is not a decision to buy, but an opportunity to learn.

The branding of AJJ is more than the branding of a martial art, it’s the branding of America and its values, its character, and its origins. The ancient Greeks once remarked during the course of the Peloponnesian war, that a city is not defined by a physical space, but by the men who occupy it. America is not defined by the North American landmass; America is defined by its values, its way of life. America is defined by AJJ.

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