| Jiu-Jitsu in BrazilEventually, in Japan many different | | | | example of Judo's influence on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and |
| variations of the art (Jiu-Jitsu) took shape, including | | | | that Helio Gracie did not invent it. The Gracie family |
| Karate, Aikido, and Judo. But these arts were missing | | | | developed the art of Judo into a more effective |
| essential pieces of what the complete art of Jiu-Jitsu | | | | rules-free style. While in Brazil, I learned about a Grand |
| originally held. Soon the day of the Samurai came to | | | | Master named "Fadda," who learned Jiu-Jitsu from a |
| an end, the gun replaced the sword, and new sportive | | | | man named Luis Franca. Like Carlos Gracie, Franca |
| ways to practice martial arts were developed. This | | | | also learned Jiu-Jitsu (Judo) from Meada. Fadda took |
| lack of reality created years of confusion in the martial | | | | the Jiu-Jitsu he learned from Franca and started his |
| arts community, a confusion that legendary Bruce Lee | | | | own school of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil. His popularity is not as |
| would later refer to as the 'classical mess'. The 'sport | | | | great as the Gracie family, but nonetheless, he is an |
| arts', such as Judo and Kendo were wonderful in the | | | | example of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu being refined and |
| way of offering their practitioners a safe way to | | | | practiced outside the Gracie family. His students |
| realistically train the techniques of their system, but | | | | compete in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments and consider |
| often limited their practitioners with too many rules to | | | | their art separate from both Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and the |
| maintain effectiveness as a combative style. The | | | | older styles of Jiu-Jitsu in Japan. This stands as |
| more traditional combat schools were simply practicing | | | | evidence that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is |
| techniques no longer suitable for modern day combat, | | | | not the same thing.In 1967, the first federation of |
| and with no way to safely test them, practicing these | | | | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was created by Helio Gracie, and the |
| arts became like swimming without water. It wasn't until | | | | system of belts as we know it was developed (white, |
| the sport art of Judo and the combat art of Jiu-Jitsu | | | | blue, purple, brown, and black). Around the time the |
| were introduced to the Gracie family in Brazil that the | | | | Carlson Gracie team was born in the early 1970's, the |
| real art of Jiu-Jitsu would be brought to life again. | | | | Gracie family made their first split. Carlson Gracie was |
| Japanese Jiu-Jitsu (practiced as Judo) was introduced | | | | the son of Carlos and a very reputable Vale Tudo |
| to the Gracie family in Brazil (@ 1915) by Esai Maeda, | | | | fighter. He claimed many victories while defending the |
| who is also known as Conde Koma. This name came | | | | Gracie family name, including avenging one of Helio's |
| about when Maeda was in Spain (1908). While in Spain, | | | | very few losses. There were now two sides of the |
| Maeda, having some financial troubles, used the | | | | Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Family, students under Helio and |
| Japanese verb "komaru", meaning to be in trouble, to | | | | students under Carlson. Helio's side would argue that |
| describe himself. Maeda decided this didn't sound right, | | | | Carlson's style of Jiu-Jitsu involved too much strength |
| so he dropped the last syllable and changed it to | | | | and that it was Helio who developed the technique |
| "koma." The word "conde" comes from the Spanish | | | | further due to the fact that he was much smaller than |
| language, meaning "Count." Later in his life, Maeda | | | | his brother Carlos, who taught it to him. The fact |
| would be given the Brazilian title of "Conte Comte," or | | | | remains that it is basically the same Jiu-Jitsu with a |
| Count Combat.Maeda was a champion of Judo and a | | | | few natural variations in teaching methods in the actual |
| direct student of its founder, Jigoro Kano, at the | | | | application of techniques. Robson Gracie created a |
| Kodokan in Japan. He was born in 1878, and became | | | | new federation in 1988 and Carlos Gracie Jr. created |
| a student of Judo in 1897. In 1904 Maeda was given | | | | the Confederacao Brasiliera in 1993. Carlos Jr.'s |
| the opportunity to travel to the United States with one | | | | federation is the most active one worldwide and is |
| of his teachers, Tsunejiro Tomita. While in the U.S. they | | | | responsible for the development of the World |
| demonstrated the art of Judo for Theodore Roosevelt | | | | Championships. The idea of the Mundial (World's) is to |
| at the White House, and for cadets at the West Point | | | | attract foreign competitors in hopes of making Brazilian |
| Military Academy. This is an exert from Roosevelt's | | | | Jiu-Jitsu an Olympic sport. This was all done around the |
| letters to his children on wrestling and Jiu-jitsu (note the | | | | time Royce was winning the first UFC (early 1990's) |
| spelling is Jiu-jitsu, not Jujutsu due to the fact that it is | | | | and giving America its first prominent taste of Brazilian |
| before 1950):White House, Feb. 24, 1905. | | | | Jiu-Jitsu. Members of the Gracie family are not the |
| Darling Kermit: | | | | only ones to operate federations and associations of |
| "... I still box with Grant, who has now become the | | | | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who may organize tournaments or |
| champion middleweight wrestler of the United States. | | | | give rank within the art. In an interview with Andre |
| Yesterday afternoon we had Professor Yamashita | | | | Pederneiras, a fifth degree black belt in Brazilian |
| (Yamashita was Roosevelt's Jiu-jitsu instructor before | | | | Jiu-Jitsu and founder of the Nova Uniao team, he was |
| Meada and Tomita had arrived there in the U.S.) up | | | | asked about his involvement in the promotion of |
| here to wrestle with Grant. It was very interesting, but | | | | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and organization of the art's first |
| of course jiu jitsu and our wrestling are so far apart | | | | tournament. He stated that he had organized the first |
| that it is difficult to make any comparison between | | | | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in 1993, then the following |
| them. Wrestling is simply a sport with rules almost as | | | | questions were asked:"What is the difference |
| conventional as those of tennis, while jiu jitsu is really | | | | between the first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament you |
| meant for practice in killing or disabling our adversary. In | | | | created and the BJJ Confederation (Carlos Jr.'s) |
| consequence, Grant did not know what to do except | | | | Tournament?""Price for one. In my tournament, I |
| to put Yamashita on his back, and Yamashita was | | | | charged competitors ten dollars per person and Carlos |
| perfectly content to be on his back. Inside of a minute | | | | Gracie Jr. charged thirty dollars. I only charged ten |
| Yamashita had choked Grant, and inside of two | | | | dollars, but I held the event in an expensive place called |
| minutes more he got an elbow hold on him that would | | | | Club Hebraica. At the time his tournament was held as |
| have enabled him to break his arm; so that there is no | | | | the Clube Guanabarra and I know he paid nothing for |
| question but that he could have put Grant out. So far | | | | this place.""Did you collaborate on this event with the |
| this made it evident that the jiu jitsu man could handle | | | | president of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Confederation, Mr. |
| the ordinary wrestler. But Grant, in the actual wrestling | | | | Carlos Gracie Jr.?""Of course not. The confederation |
| and throwing was about as good as the Japanese, | | | | did not exist yet when I was putting this tournament |
| and he was so much stronger that he evidently hurt | | | | together. After my idea, Carlos Gracie created the |
| and wore out the Japanese. With a little practice in the | | | | Brazilian Confederation and started to make the other |
| art I am sure that one of our big wrestlers or boxers, | | | | Brazilian tournaments." |
| simply because of his greatly superior strength, would | | | | "So basically he made a much greater profit than you |
| be able to kill any of those Japanese, who though very | | | | did?""Exactly. I created the tournament so that all |
| good men for their inches and pounds are altogether | | | | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters could compete and have a |
| too small to hold their own against big, powerful, quick | | | | good time, not to get rich. Our priorities are were just |
| men who are as well trained."Theodore Roosevelt | | | | different."(from interview for August 2001)JJ Machado |
| (1858-1919) | | | | on the Gracie Family's influence: |
| (Theodore Roosevelt's Letters to His Children. 1919. | | | | "Carlos Gracie Jr. was our teacher from the beginning. |
| NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1919 | | | | When you say Jiu-Jitsu you have to link it to the |
| NEW YORK: BARTLEBY.COM, 1999)Maeda | | | | Gracie family. That's the family that started our Jiu-Jitsu |
| eventually parted ways with Tomita, and settled in | | | | style and we're just one part of that clan. I think that |
| Brazil. Maeda was staying in Sao Palo City to help | | | | everyone today that knows Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu learned it, |
| establish a Japanese Immigration colony. At this time | | | | directly or indirectly, from a member of the Gracie |
| Brazil held the largest population of Japanese people | | | | family. I think everyone should be grateful to them for |
| outside Japan. He was aided in Brazil by Gastao | | | | that."A good example of how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is truly |
| Gracie, a Brazilian of Scottish decent, who's first | | | | a mixed martial art and not developed PURELY by |
| experience with Jiu-Jitsu was most likely through | | | | Gracie family members is illustrated in a question from |
| managing an Italian boxer named Alfredi Leconti, who | | | | an Interview with Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti by Kid |
| fought a friend of Maeda in November of 1916.For | | | | Pellegro: |
| some time in Japan, Judo and Jiu-Jitsu were almost | | | | "You are one of the few Black Belts from Rolls |
| synonymous. Judo was known as Kano's Jiu-Jitsu. | | | | Gracie, what was it like learning from him?""It was |
| Regardless, this answers the question, "why do they | | | | spectacular, Rolls as the best of his time, besides being |
| call it Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and not Brazilian Judo?" | | | | a great instructor he was also an incredible person. I |
| Because they were essentially the same thing at the | | | | trained with him from '74 until '82 when he died. He |
| time, remember, the Gracie family was learning Jiu-Jitsu | | | | died on June 6th, '82 and I had received my Black Belt |
| and Judo while Kano was still struggling to show the | | | | in February. He would teach a lot of self defense, |
| difference between the two and popularize his art. In | | | | stand up, and ground fighting, with and without gi. It was |
| the early 1900's there was very little difference | | | | a very complete class. He had started to do wrestling, |
| between the two. In fact, Judo was merely a collection | | | | so he added a lot of the wrestling attacks, single leg |
| of Jiu-jitsu styles, whose strongest points were put | | | | and double legs takedowns. So Rolls revolutionized the |
| together to make what then became Judo. The | | | | Jiu-Jitsu with his new positions. As a matter of fact, the |
| Gracie family was introduced to Judo at a time when | | | | "Triangle" was invented by one of his students, Sergio |
| the Kodokan had recently suffered a great defeat to | | | | Dorileo, Sergio had been studying a Japanese book of |
| the grappling style of the Fusen Ryu. This can be | | | | positions and invented the Triangle. At that time |
| compared to the Ultimate Fighting Championship of the | | | | everybody would pass the Guard the traditional way |
| early 1990's, when most martial artists were attempting | | | | with one hand on the biceps and the other hand |
| to fight Royce Gracie standing. They would all | | | | between the legs and low, so all of a sudden, if you |
| eventually find themselves on the ground, where they | | | | would try to pass Dorileo's guard you'd end up in a |
| were at a loss as to what to do. Consequently, | | | | triangle. What was considered the right way didn't |
| grappling became very popular over the next ten | | | | work anymore. Can you imagine!!! Everybody had to |
| years and many styles began to incorporate grappling | | | | go back and rethink a lot. It was an incredible |
| techniques into their curriculum. Royce Gracie was | | | | experience, I learned so much from Rolls, even the |
| simply doing what had already been done in the early | | | | way he warm up the class was special. It was one of |
| 1900's by the Fusen Ryu to Judo practitioners of the | | | | the greatest losses in my life and it took me years to |
| Kodokan, so we can easily draw the conclusion from | | | | get over. I still get choked up, to this day, when I |
| the experience in our own time that when Meada | | | | reminisce."During the mid 1900's while Vale Tudo |
| arrived in Brazil, he was a student of a Kodokan that | | | | (free-style fighting) was developing in Brazil, there were |
| was adding "new" grappling techniques to its | | | | experts of Judo, wrestling, capoeira, and boxing mixing |
| system.To show gratitude to Gracie for his help in the | | | | together in these no-rules contests. It is impossible to |
| colonization, Maeda taught Gastao's son Carlos the | | | | think that as these competitions took place, the |
| basic techniques of Jiu-Jitsu. Carlos Gracie then taught | | | | participants wouldn't cross-train and "borrow" |
| his brothers Oswaldo, Jorge, Gastao, and Helio. In 1925 | | | | techniques from their competition. This interview, taken |
| the brothers opened their first school, and Jiu-Jitsu was | | | | from Black Belt magazine, illustrates this point:Black Belt |
| cultivated into a more effective martial art and sport | | | | Magazine: "At what point in your jujutsu training did you |
| known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. What made this version of | | | | decide that the art's techniques needed |
| Jiu-Jitsu more effective was the constant exposure of | | | | modification?"Helio Gracie: "I didn't invent the martial art. |
| its practitioners to real situations. Between their own | | | | I adapted it to my necessity-what I needed for my |
| schools, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu players would compete in a | | | | weight and lack of strength. I learned jujutsu, but some |
| sportive way to keep the techniques of their art sharp. | | | | of the moves required a lot of strength, so I could not |
| The Gracie family would issue a challenge to all others | | | | use them. I couldn't get out from some of the positions |
| to fight without rules. In these no rules or 'vale tudo' | | | | I learned from my brother because of my lack of |
| fights, the Gracie family and their students would | | | | strength and weight. So I developed other ways |
| evaluate the techniques of their fighting art."If you want | | | | out."Black Belt Magazine: "Why didn't anyone before |
| to get your face beaten and well smashed, your ___ | | | | you refine the techniques of traditional jujutsu into a |
| kicked, and your arms broken, Contact Carlos Gracie | | | | more effective style?"Helio Gracie: "Because most |
| at this address..." | | | | people who practice the martial arts already have |
| -- Brazilian newspaper ad, circa 1920sThrough the last | | | | physical strength and ability that I didn't have. I needed |
| fifty years, many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools have | | | | to create those [techniques]. This was the only way I |
| opened and broken away from the original members | | | | had to compensate for my lack of strength."No matter |
| of the Gracie family, making subtle differences in styles | | | | where you live or what style of Jiu-Jitsu you practice, |
| within Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Machado | | | | we all owe some degree of respect to the Gracie |
| Jiu-Jitsu, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are all different schools | | | | Family for introducing us to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The |
| of the same art. The Gracie family itself has hundreds | | | | Gracie family is responsible for a large part of the |
| of members who do not all associate with one | | | | modern advancement or improvement of Jiu-Jitsu. The |
| another.The formal teaching of Jiu-Jitsu to Brazilians by | | | | term Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is used to describe the difference |
| the Gracie family began in 1940 when Helio opened an | | | | between the 'old' Jiu-Jitsu (jujutsu/jujitsu), and the |
| academy in Rio. Over the next 18 years, if you wanted | | | | Gracie family's advancement of the art through the |
| to learn Jiu-Jitsu from the Gracie family in Brazil, you | | | | 1900's. Now that 'Gracie Jiu-Jitsu' has spread all over |
| had a choice of four academies, all of which were | | | | Brazil and to the United States, many champions of |
| located in Rio. The Gracie's were not the only one's | | | | the art are being born that are not Gracie Family |
| teaching Judo and Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil, but they were | | | | members. These champions are contributing to the |
| certainly the most popular, teaching over 2000 | | | | art's progression by improving on techniques and |
| students in that 18 year period. A good example of this | | | | developing new ones. The bulk of basic movements |
| is Mehdi, a Judo master who came to Brazil from | | | | may still be Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, but as the art develops, the |
| France in 1949, and still teaches there now. There | | | | term 'Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu' becomes more appropriate. As |
| have been Judo schools in Brazil since the early 1900's | | | | more and more innovators contribute to the art outside |
| and Sao Paulo still has a very large Japanese | | | | of Brazil, it eventually may be appropriate to simply call |
| population. Mehdi's list of students include Brazilian | | | | the art 'Jiu-Jitsu'.For more on this subject, visit Simco is |
| Jiu-Jitsu Black Belts Mario Sperry, Rickson Gracie, and | | | | a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Black Belt and author of several |
| Sylvio Behring, just to name a few. This is another | | | | books on the subject. |