HISTORY

Kano wanted to make Judo available for everyone, and eventually managed to introduce it into the schooling system. To do that, he needed to make it less Samurai-like, and more modern. For those purposes, he designed the modern Gis, as well as introduce the white and black belts.

Approximately 30 years after Judo’s founding, a journey to Brazil by one of Kano’s students would set in motion a chain of events that would eventually lead to the creation of the world’s most effective ground fighting art.

This story begins in Japan, where an early form of Jiu-Jitsu (also called Ju-Jitsu) was developed for use on the field of battle by Japanese samurai. These warriors, who engaged in armed battles on horseback, developed Jiu-Jitsu as the last line of defense in the event that they found themselves disarmed and afoot. However, the heavy armor worn by the samurai restricted their mobility, making chokes, joint locks, and throws preferable to striking techniques.

Mitsuo Maeda began training at the Kodokan in 1894, eventually becoming one of Kano’s top students. While well-versed in throws and takedowns, Maeda was renowned for his ferocious newaza, a ground fighting based style of Judo. In 1914, Maeda traveled to Brazil,

Gastão helped Maeda establish a Japanese immigrant community, and as an expression of his gratitude for Gastão's assistance, he accepted his son, a teenager called Carlos Gracie, as his student.

Over time, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu branched off into a number of different styles, with the focus gradually shifting from armed combat to general self-defense. And while each style differed in certain aspects, the focus on throws, strangles, and joint locks remained a constant theme. One man’s style, however, with its emphasis on maximum efficiency and minimal effort, would eventually rise above the rest.

Jigoro Kano

In 1882, Jigoro Kano, a student of traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, founded a martial arts school that would come to be known as the Kodokan. At the Kodokan, Kano instructed students on what he felt were the most effective techniques of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. A unique aspect of Kano’s art, which would eventually come to be known as Judo, was its emphasis on live sparring, also known as randori. Through randori, Kano’s students practiced throws, takedowns, joint locks, and chokes against resisting opponents. Judo’s implementation of randori represented a major departure from the prevailing training philosophy of the time, which favored compliance-based drilling over full-contact sparring.

The term Judo came from Kitō-ryū Ju-Jitsu, with JU meaning pliancy and DO – way, or method.

MITSUYO MAEDA

Maeda still referred to Kano's style as Kodokan Jiu Jitsu, as opposed to Judo. This was commonplace at the time, and hence the reason we train in Brazilian 'jiu jitsu' and not Brazilian 'judo' today.

CARLOS GRACIE

Over the years that followed, the Gracie brothers would continue to refine the art and pressure-tested it regularly with brutal public challenge matches that pitted themselves and their students against practitioners of other fighting arts.

Carlos studied Maeda’s newaza-based style of judo for several years, eventually sharing his knowledge with his younger brothers. In 1925, the Gracie brothers, led by Carlos, opened Brazil's first jiu jitsu academy, and Gracie jiu jitsu was born.

HELIO GRACIE

Helio Gracie was learning Japanese Ju-jitsu from his older brother, Carlos Gracie. Carlos learned Japanese Jiu-Jitsu from Japanese master Mitsuyo Maeda. The thing is, Helio Gracie was very frail.

When Helio Gracie learned Japanese Jiu-Jitsu techniques as a young boy, he wasn’t as effective as his older brothers. He didn’t have the physical attributes that were required to make these techniques effective.

Out of necessity, Helio began modifying the techniques, reducing the amount of strength, power, and explosiveness necessary to make them work. And he began incorporating more leverage, timing, energy efficiency, and technique ultimately.
These modifications gave birth to what is now known as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Helio became so proficient in his modified version of the art that he surpassed his brother’s ineffectiveness.

Over the years, the Gracie family tested and refined the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu through participation in challenge matches and contests with few rules that pitted the Gracies and their students against practitioners of other martial arts. The Gracies rarely lost.

The art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu continued to evolve over the years, eventually incorporating aspects of wrestling and other grappling arts into the curriculum. However, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu would remain relatively unknown outside of Brazil until Hélio’s son, Rorion, immigrated to the United States to spread the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu — a move that would forever change the way the world viewed the art of fighting.

RORION GRACIE

Rorion Gracie started Jiu-jitsu literally before he could walk, spending his youth learning how to teach under the tutelage of his father, Grand Master Helio Gracie. He arrived in the United States in the late 1970s. Anxious to expose the public to his family’s art, and drawing inspiration from the challenge matches that had been taking place in Brazil since Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s founding. Rorion and a business partner began to lay the groundwork for a martial arts tournament intended to demonstrate the effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

This contest, which they named the Ultimate Fighting Championship, had few rules and pitted martial artists of various disciplines against one another in a one-night, single-elimination tournament. Confident in his family’s art, Rorion believed that the UFC would provide the ultimate showcase for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

royce GRACIE

The first UFC took place in 1993, and Rorian appointed his younger brother, Royce, as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s representative in the tournament. Rorion believed that Royce, with his slender build and unassuming appearance, was the ideal person to introduce BJJ’s effectiveness to the world. As the tournament got underway, Royce, the event’s smallest participant, dominated opponent after opponent, shocking spectators who expected the little Brazilian in the white gi to be easily defeated.

For many, Royce’s victory was a revelation, it really was possible to defeat bigger, stronger opponents with the proper use of technique and leverage. Royce would go on to win the next several UFC events, and martial artists all over the world would begin to seek out instruction in the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. After several centuries of development, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu revolution had begun.

MODERN ERA

After the success of Jiu Jitsu in the UFC and other mixed martial art events, its popularity steadily grew. The Gracie family style of Jiu Jitsu started to become referred to simply as 'Brazilian Jiu Jitsu', and more and more people began to seek out and learn this exciting martial art that was dominating over other styles.

Today, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu rides the wave of the "Mixed Martial Arts" (MMA) explosion, and is the fastest growing martial art in the world. There are now thousands of Jiu Jitsu academies spread across every corner of the globe.

Remaining true to its roots, Jiu Jitsu maintains its integral role in Mixed Martial Arts competition. As fighters of all specialties step into the arena, they must possess at least a working knowledge of Jiu Jitsu to stand a chance of success. It has become an essential element, interwoven into the fabric of MMA combat.

The art thrives as a two way homage to the human spirit's endless quest for growth and adaptation. As practitioners explore uncharted territories, forging new paths, they paint a vivid picture of the art's boundless possibilities. Truly, this ever-evolving tapestry continues to enchant and inspire, a true work of art in motion.

FUTURE GENESIS

From the battlefields of Japan to the canvases of modern martial arts, Jiu Jitsu remains a masterpiece of timeless wisdom, in constant evolution. A testament to the indomitable force of human ingenuity and perseverance.

The next chapter unfolds with you.