THE HISTORY OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU

The origins of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu came from JuJitsu in Judo

Jiu-Jitsu originated in Japan during the feudal period. The original Japanese martial arts which was a precursor to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is spelled JuJitsu. During times of war Jiu-Jitsu was developed and used by the Japanese warriors for the battlefield. In 1868 during the Meiji period, Japan was going through many cultural changes and econcomic reform. As a result of these changes, Jiu-Jitsu was no longer needed as a system for hand to hand combat during times of war. Many Japanese citizens still wanted to practice and learn Jiu-Jitsu as recreational activity. Jigoro Kano developed a Judo which was an offshoot of the traditional Jiu-Jitsu. Judo focused primarily on takedown and throws, but included "Randori" which is another word for sparring. Since Judokas could actually put into practice what they learned, they were more prepared for a real encounter. Most martial arts styles were practiced techniques that only worked in theory, and were not realistic or functional. Judo began to grow as a sport and an art form throughout Japan. Mitsuyo Maeda, one of Jigoro Kano's top students, was sent to to travel around the world to spread the Jiu-Jitsu/Judo. Maeda eventually made his way to Brazil. In Brazil he performed demonstrations and took on challengers from other styles.

Gastao Gracie was a businessman who was involved in politics. He was impressed with Maeda's Jiu-Jitsu skills. Gastao helped Maeda find residence in Brazil. Maeda was grateful to Gastao for his help, and in return he taught his son Carlos all that he knew. Carlos recieved his blackbelt from Maeda, and he began teaching in Rio de Janiero. Soon Carlos and his brothers all began practicing Jiu-Jitsu. His younger brother Helio was unable to participate because he was considered to be to frail and weak by his doctor. This minor setback did not stop Helio from still getting involved in Jiu-Jitsu, he attended and observed all the classes. One day Carlos was unable to arrive to a class on time. Helio confidently took his place since he had memorized most of the techniques. The student was impressed with Helio's teaching abilities, and asked Carlos if Helio could teach classes as well.

The development of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Helio used the original Jiu Jitsu techniques that were taught to him. However, these techniques required much physical strength. Because of his small stature, he began utilizing and developing techniques which focused more on the use of leverage. These type of techniques became very effective for anyone to use, especially for a smaller men fending a bigger opponent. Helio's adaptation of Japanese JuJitsu for the weaker and smaller individual marked the begining of moderin Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a martial art. Many people did not believe in how effective Jiu-Jitsu was. Helio decided to confront any challenger to prove the effectiveness of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. He beat Boxers, wrestlers, Karate, and Kung Fu challengers. After defeating many of these challengers publicly, he became a national celebrity. The first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy was opened in Rio de Janiero. The School was a tremendous sucess and soon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu began to gain popularity among the people.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's rise to prominence

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is world famous today and widely regarded as the most effective form of martial arts for ground fighting because it was proven to be the most dominant martial art in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships). Rorion Gracie created the UFC in 1993 to prove to the world that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the most devastating single martial art for unarmed hand-to-hand combat. Royce Gracie was chosen as the member of the first family of BJJ to represent "the gentle art" because he was small and and therefore could undeniably prove the effectiveness of the style against larger opponents. Other members from the founding family, such as Rickson Gracie were actually much better at BJJ and more physically fit. In the first tournament style event called UFC 1, Royce beat all comers from backgrounds including wrestling, Kenpo Karate, and taekwondo to win the first Ultimate Fighting Championship.