HISTORY OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU
WHAT IS BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU (BJJ)?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (also known as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu) is a devastating fighting and grappling art developed by the Gracie Family of Brazil, originally formed from the traditional ground-based techniques of Judo from Japan. Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and Judo champion Mitsuo Maeda (aka Conde Koma, or Count Combat in English) traveled to Brazil in 1914 to help establish a Japanese immigration colony. Maeda was a Jiu-Jitsu/Judo expert, and was sent to spread the art around the world. Gastao Gracie, a Brazilian businessman helped Maeda get established in Brazil. As a show of gratitude, Maeda taught his ancient self-defense techniques to Carlos Gracie, Gastao's eldest son. Carlos then taught Maeda’s techniques to his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao, Jorge and Helio. In 1925 they opened their first Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Over the years, the Gracie family refined the art of Jiu-Jitsu, modifying it through countless challenge matches and street fights. Through the adaptations and teachings of Carlos and Helio Gracie, Brazilian jiu-jitsu came to be its own art. The many additions, modifications, and refinements to the art made by the Gracie family were tested against other martial art styles with great success, propelling Gracie Jiu-Jitsu into the martial arts world and creating a tradition that lives on today.
Translated as "the gentle art", Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a versatile martial art whose varied applications include a highly effective self-defense system, a competitive sport, a proven realistic fighting style, and a fun and healthy recreational activity. While it contains many stand-up throws, takedowns and self-defense techniques that can finish a fight, it is most famous for its extremely effective ground fighting techniques. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was developed to allow the smaller person to defeat the larger person through the application of leverage and submission holds such as joint locks and chokes. Because of its versatility, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is without question, the most effective martial art in the world.
Although Brazilian jiu-jitsu was developed and made popular in Brazil for over 70 years, the rest of the World had not seen the effectiveness of the art. Rorion Gracie, the eldest son of Helio Gracie, moved from Brazil to Los Angeles, California (USA) in the late 70's, hoping to showcase his family’s fighting system to America. He taught the art out of his garage for many years, but had trouble proving the art's effectiveness to the American public. Rorion wanted to open the eyes of American martial artists to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu’s simplicity and effectiveness and concluded that, despite his tireless and constant efforts, he needed a more powerful and visible way to demonstrate the superiority of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu over all of the other martial arts. To accomplish this, he created the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The UFC enabled challengers from various martial arts disciplines to battle each other in an effort to prove the credibility of their sport, and illustrate their martial art as the best. The first UFC took place on November 12, 1993, in Denver, Colorado. This was the first sanctioned Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event in the United States. Rorion selected Royce Gracie, his younger brother, to represent the family at the event. At 6’1” and only 178 lbs., he was the smallest fighter in the tournament. However, Royce shocked the world by defeating three opponents in the same night to become the first ever UFC champion. His victory proved, once and for all, that leverage and technique can overcome size and strength. Royce submitted all of his opponents, and barely threw any punches or kicks. The Martial Arts World was shocked at the results, but Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was introduced to the rest of the World. As a result Royce's success, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become one of the fastest growing martial arts in the world, and is trained for self defense, sport grappling tournaments (gi or no gi), and is a crucial part of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition.