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Brazilian jiu jitsu history |
Maeda / Gracie |
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Jiu-Jitsu,
unlike other martial arts, did not evolve
from one source or root; instead it has multiple roots and traveled
through many Asian countries before its final development in Japan. The
development of Jiu-Jitsu techniques started around 5000 years ago. A
Babylonian copper stand (see picture), dating from the third Millennium
B.C., shows two men engaged in a grappling technique found in Jiu-Jitsu.
Both men are trying to unbalance each other by controlling the hip. Buddhist Monks in northern India greatly contributed to the early development of Jiu-Jitsu. Bandits constantly assaulted the monks during their long journeys through the interior of India. Buddhist religious and moral values did not encourage the use of weapons so they were forced to develop an empty hand system of self-defense. These Monks were men of great wisdom who possessed a perfect knowledge of the human body. Consequently, they applied laws of physics such as leverage, momentum, balance, center of gravity, friction, weight transmission and manipulation of the human anatomy’s vital points in order to create a scientific art of self-defense. THE ART OF THE SAMURAI In 230 BC the techniques of Jiu-Jitsu arrived in Japan where the wrestling sport called chikara kurabe was developed. The techniques of this art later served as the base of contemporary Jiu-Jitsu. From 230 BC onward, many different schools of Jiu-Jitsu were formed. Empty hand Jiu-Jitsu techniques were incorporated as part of the samurai warrior's training during the Heian period (ca. 784 AD). In approximately 880 AD, Prince Teijun established the Diato-Ryu Aiki Jujitsu school. The period of Japanese history between the 8th and 16th centuries was covered with constant civil war and many systems of Jiu-Jitsu were utilized, practiced and perfected on the battlefield. This training was used to conquer armored and armed opponents. Many close fighting techniques were created and mastered during this era. In 1532 Hisamori Tenenuchi officially established the first school of Jiu-Jitsu in Japan. In 1559, a Chinese monk named Chin Gen Pinh came to Japan, accompanied with his knowledge and experience of Kempo, known as the “China Hand.” Shortly after Chin Gen Pinh arrived in Japan, Hideyoshi Toyotomi also migrated to Japan from China, bringing with him Ch-an Fa and Korean Tang Su, a punching and nerve striking skill and method of fighting. These skills were perfected and integrated into Jiu-Jitsu. In approximately 1603, Japan came to a fairly peaceful period following the formation of the Tokugawa military government by Tokugawa Ieyasu. During this time (1603-1868), the feudal civil wars that had plagued Japan for centuries started to disappear. However, following the adage "living in peace, but remembering war," the practice of jujitsu continued to spread. Forms and techniques displaying weapons skills of fighting began to yield to weaponless styles which incorporated many of the grappling ground fighting techniques of the older styles. The traditions of classical budo (martial arts) required that a everyone should learn a method of self-defense for those situations where weapons could not be used. Universally, these techniques were known as Jujutsu. It has been estimated that there were about 725 recorded systems of jujutsu in vogue during its golden age from 1680 to 1850. The Meiji Restoration of the Emperor replaced the feudal military regime established by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603. This happened because growing internal unrest in the middle 1800's convinced the shogun that return of power to the Emperor was called for. During the Meiji period, with the collapse of the feudal system, Japan started to open up to western culture and customs. The increased immigration of westerners into Japan during the Meiji period caused Jiu-Jitsu masters, who were very secretive with regard to their techniques, to worry about the possibility of westerners, generally bigger and stronger than the Japanese, learning Jiu-Jitsu. As they felt that it would be virtually impossible to hide the Jiu-Jitsu techniques from Westerners, the Japanese decided to break Jiu-Jitsu down into several styles with limited effectiveness in a real fight. The arts of Karate, Judo and Aikido were developed from Jiu-Jitsu. These styles were transformed into sports in order to keep secret the most lethal and street effective techniques. MITSUYO MAEDA - "CONDE KOMA" In 1914, a Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and Judo master named Mitsuyo Maeda, (AKA Count Koma) stopped in Brazil during his World Judo tour. Maeda decided to prolong his stay and help a Japanese colony settle in the North of Brazil. A Brazilian diplomat named Gastão Gracie helped the colony with land and cattle. In return Koma, went against the Japanese tradition and volunteered to teach real Jiu-Jitsu to a non-Japanese, Gastão's son Carlos. THE BIRTH OF GRACIE JIU-JITSU Carlos, who was the oldest of five brothers, became so fascinated with Maeda’s techniques that in 1925 he opened the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Helio, Carlos’ youngest brother, was physically frail and would constantly faint when doing any type of physical activity. The family doctor advised him to avoid any kind of exercise. Consequently, Helio would sit on the side of the mat watching Carlos teach classes. He did that for a couple of years. One day, when he was 16 years old, a student showed up for class, but Carlos was not around and Helio said, “My brother is not here, but if you want, I can go through the techniques with you. I’ve been watching my brother for so long that I memorized all the moves.” Helio went through the moves with the student. He was so excited and enthusiastic about pleasing the student that when Carlos arrived and apologized for being late the student said, “I’ve had a class with your brother and if you don’t mind from now on I’ll continue taking classes with him.” From that day on Helio became an instructor and soon after he was teaching the vast majority of the classes while Carlos became more involved with the development of the Gracie Diet and managing the fighting careers of his brothers. In spite of his small frame and weight of only 140 pounds, Hélio became the mastermind behind the development of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, adapting the techniques of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu so that they depended entirely upon leverage, rather than strength and explosiveness. He was driven by a constant determination to find effective ways to deal with every possible aspect of a real fight. Daring to break away from the traditional Japanese style, he began experimenting, modifying and perfecting simple techniques that would be effective regardless of stature. That is how he developed this style of Jiu-Jitsu. Though Gracie Jiu-Jitsu descended from the ancient Japanese style, the differences are quite apparent. Many of the Japanese facets of the art, which depend on physical prowess and stiff motion, were tossed aside, leaving only pure technique. From Pedro Valente website at GracieMiami.com |
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Grand Master Helio Gracie: |
Helio Gracie |
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Helio
Gracie
at the age of 17, Hélio Gracie stepped into the ring for the first time in
Rio de Janeiro against a professional boxer named Antonio Portugal. Later the Gracie family moved to downtown Rio (Centro) and constructed a very big academy at Avenida Rio Branco 151, 17th and 18th floor, and from then on the Gracies always disputed "Vale Tudos" (no rules fighting) having a victorious career. In 1991, the Gracie academy moved again, into the Vasco da Gamma Club, in Lagoa, and in 1985 moved to the Padre Antonio Vieira School where it remains until present. |
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A Message from Grand Master Helio Gracie: |
Helio Gracie |
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"The Jiu-Jitsu that I created, was to give chances for weaker people to defend themselves from stronger people. This martial art became of such success that a Jiu-Jitsu for competition was created. I would like to make clear the I am in favor of practicing sports, as well as studying martial art techniques, in any style, as well as a good nutrition, sexual control and abstaining habits that may harm ones health. The problem is the creation of a Jiu-Jitsu style for competition with rules and inadequate bout times which favors the more trained, stonger and heavier practitioners. The goal of Jiu-Jitsu , is mainly, to benefit the weaker. My Jiu-Jitsu is an art of atodefense that does not accept certain rules and determined timing in bouts. These are the reasons for which I can't, with my presence, promote events, which results in a anti Jiu-Jitsu." - Helio Gracie From Royler Gracie website at Royler.com.br |
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Gracie Family |
Royler Gracie |
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Royler Gracie, Helio's son
Royler Gracie was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is the fifth son of
Grandmaster Helio Gracie. He started Jiu-Jitsu at the age of three,
playing soccer in a gi in his family academy. As soon as he was old
enough to compete, the young Royler started his illustrious competition
career. He has been competing as a black belt for more than twenty years
and has had more than three hundred matches in that time span. He has
won the world championships four years running along with several
national and regional titles. He was the most active sport jiu-jitsu
competitor during that period, always ready to test himself against
people of all sizes holding many different titles. Royler has a fire
burning inside that propels him to achieve things no other person has
achieved in the sport.
As a result, Royler can teach anyone, even
the physically ungifted and weak, to prevail in a fight. This makes him
one of the most sought after instructors in the martial arts world. He
is the living embodiment of the martial artist's dream of skill and
technique overcoming strength and aggression. Eighteen years as a black
belt instructor and leading member of the most famous grappling team in
the world make him one of the foremost coaches in the world. His
teaching schedule is brutal. Every day he rises early to teach private
lessons through the length of the day, then the group class at night.
Only a handful of people can legitimately claim the fighting and
coaching expertise of this remarkable figure. |
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Gracie Family |
Rickson Gracie |
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Rickson Gracie,
Helio's son
was born into jiu-jitsu. At six years old he began competing; at fifteen he started to teach the art; and at eighteen he received his Black Belt. At twenty Rickson won his first awe-inspiring victory against the famous 230-pound Brazilian brawler Zulu who until that time had enjoyed a 140-match, undefeated record. With this victory, Rickson gained immediate national acclaim as the top free-style fighter, leaving his mark on the history of jiu-jitsu and the Gracie challenge. Five years later Zulu requested a rematch and lost to Rickson again, in Maracanazinho before an audience of 20,000 spectators. Rickson is a 7th Degree Black Belt Open Class Champion of the Gracie Family, whose technique is considered to be the finest expression of jiu-jitsu in the world. His innate talent and early mastery of the sport have resulted in an impeccable undefeated record in more than 400 fights, jiu-jitsu tournaments, free-style wrestling, Sambo, open weight free-style competitions, no holds barred challenge matches, and street fights. Rickson is a two time Brazilian Champion in free-style wrestling, a Gold Medal Winner of Sambo, and for the last sixteen years he has been the middle-heavyweight and no weight division World jiu-jitsu Champion. Most recently, he conquered Japan's elite fighting in a tournament, the Japan Open Vale Tudo, winning both in 1994 and 1995. At this time, Rickson was acknowledged by the Japanese for possessing the Samurai Spirit. Rickson is currently competing in tournaments, accepting challenges world wide, and teaching throughout his studios and international seminars. For over eighteen years, his students have included athletes, actors, martial artists of various styles, law enforcement officials, and members of elite military units such as SWAT teams, the FBI, and the Navy SEALS. His students have ascribed to his training their achievement of greater self confidence, heightened awareness, improved balance, and inner peace. A modern day legend, Rickson has gained world wide acclaim for his leadership in disseminating the art and philosophy of jiu-jitsu. Rickson Gracie has lived in Los Angeles, CA, with his wife and four children for the last seven years. From Rickson Gracie website at Rickson.com |
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Gracie Family |
Royce Gracie |
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Royce Gracie, Helio's
son.
When the first Ultimate Fighting Championship was broadcast live on pay-per-view in 1993, the world watched in awe as twelve world-class martial arts champions battled it out in bare-knuckle, anything-goes matches. Amid this group of heavyweight bruisers stood a slender Brazilian named Royce Gracie. He said he was entering to prove the effectiveness of Jiu-Jitsu. Despite his quiet confidence, few gave him much of a chance. After all, at 176 pounds, he looked like a reed standing among oak trees. Ring-side betters were giving five to one odds that Gracie would go down by KO in less than three minutes. They were wrong. Like a hot knife through butter, the Brazilian with the boyish good looks and the surfer's physique cut down opponent after opponent to capture the title of Ultimate Fighting Champion. The martial arts world went berserk! How could this kid - often fighting at a weight disadvantage of 50 pounds or more (as impossible as the idea of Sugar Ray Leonard trying to box Mike Tyson!) - how could he destroy some of the world's biggest and best fighters? Convinced it was some unexplainable fluke, the fans tuned in by the thousands to see Gracie defend his title at the UFC II. This time, there were sixteen competitors. This time, Royce Gracie would face a number of opponents who out-weighed him by 100 pounds! This time, things would be different. This time, Gracie would go down. They were wrong. Again. The young Gracie folded the competition up like fresh laundry. In match after match, he forced them to submit. He had his UFC II opponents tapping like typewriters. If the martial arts and fight fans were stunned before, they were apoplectic now! Here was a martial artist who could actually do what all martial artists were supposed to be able to do: Here was a smaller, weaker man who could beat a larger, stronger foe. And beat him like a drum! When asked to account for his phenomenal performance, Royce Gracie always gave the same reply. "It's not me," he would say in his musical Portuguese accent. "It's the techniques of Jiu-Jitsu." Before stepping down from the Ultimate Fighting Championship to marry his fiance in July of 1995, Royce would win three individual UFC titles and become a household name among fight fans the world over, Black Belt magazine would name him the "1994 Competitor of the Year" and he would find himself the focus of the greatest martial arts media feeding frenzy since the late Bruce Lee. Despite his meteoric rise to stardom, Royce remains unchanged. Devoted to his family and his students, he still spends countless hours teaching his beloved Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie Academy and in sold-out seminars. He's still the playful, laughing Royce to those who know him. "What we do, works," smiles Royce. "I'm proud of that. I want to share it with anyone who wants to learn." From Royce Gracie website at GracieAcademy.com |
   
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Gracie Family's contributors |
Pedro Valente |
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Over the last 50 years, three generations of the Valente family have learned Jiu-Jitsu directly from Grand Master Helio Gracie. Pedro Valente Sr. started learning judo at the age of nine. Pedro’s dad Syllo Valente, was an admirer of Helio Gracie and took Pedro, who was 12 at the time, to watch the world title fight between Helio and Kimura.
Even though Helio lost the fight they were very impressed with Hélio’s technique and decided to enroll at the original Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1951, father and son went to the academy in downtown Rio and started learning Jiu-Jitsu. Pedro Sr. went on to compete in several high profile tournaments including a match in Maracanãzinho stadium in front of 20 thousand people. After fifty years of training directly under Grandmaster Helio Gracie, Dr. Pedro Valente Sr. holds an eighth degree black & red belt and the title of Master Instructor. Furthermore, he is a world-renowned plastic surgeon.
Pedro da Silveira Valente was born into the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu tradition. Pedro began learning Jiu-Jitsu from his father as soon as he learned how to walk. At age 3, Pedro began taking private lessons in Jiu-Jitsu from Grand Master Helio Gracie. At the age of eight years old he won his first national tournament. Growing up, Pedro trained daily at the Original Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro under professor Royler Gracie and Grand Master Helio Gracie.
At the age of 18, Pedro decided to move to the United States in order to attend the University of Miami School of Business Administration. Pedro continued his training by constantly traveling to the Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro. In 1994, Pedro received his Instructor Certification from the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California and started teaching classes in Miami. In 1995, he founded a Jiu-Jitsu club at the University of Miami where he was able to teach several students and faculty members.
Pedro's excellent instruction skills combined with his fighting abilities allowed him to receive his Black belt at the early age of 21 directly from grandmaster Helio Gracie. In 1999, Pedro successfully completed the Jiu-Jitsu Professor's course and received his diploma and title of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Professor. This was a great accomplishment and honor in light of the fact that in 70 years only 22 people, including members of the Gracie family received this diploma from grandmaster Helio Gracie.
Pedro specializes in the original Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Self-Defense System, which has been proven to be extremely effective not only for the general public, but also for police and military officials. Pedro has taught Jiu-Jitsu to several law enforcement officers from agencies such as the FBI, U.S. Customs, U.S. Secret Service U.S. Southern Command, Miami Dade Special Response Teams, Miami Police Department, and many others. In addition to his Jiu-Jitsu skills, Pedro holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Miami
From Pedro Valente website at GracieMiami.com |
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