History of Jiu-Jitsu

Some historians of jiu jitsu say that the origins of “the gentle art” can be traced back to India, and was practiced by Buddhist Monks. Concerned with self-defense, these monks created techniques based upon principles of balance and leverage, and a system of manipulating the body in a manner where one could avoid relying upon strength or weapons. With the expansion of buddhism, jiu jitsu spread from southeast Asia to China, finally arriving in Japan where it developed and gained further popularity.

In the last days of the 19th century, some jiu jitsu masters emigrated from Japan to other continents, teaching the martial arts, as well as competing in fights and competitions.Esai Maeda Koma, also known as “Conde Koma,” was one such master. After traveling with a troupe which fought in various countries in Europe and the Americas, Koma arrived in Brazil in 1915, and settled in Belem do Para the next year, where he met a man named Gastao Gracie.

The father of eight children, among them five boys and three girls, Gastao became a jiu jitsu enthusiast and brought his oldest son, Carlos, to learn to fight from the Japanese master.

For a naturally frail fifteen-year old Carlos Gracie, jiu jitsu became a method not simply for fighting, but for personal improvement. At nineteen, he moved to Rio de Janeiro with his family and began teaching and competing in the martial arts. In his travels, Carlos would teach classes, and also proved the efficiency of the art by beating adversaries in competitions who were more physically strong. In 1925, he returned to Rio and opened the first school, known as the “Academia Gracie de Jiu Jitsu.” Since then, Carlos started to share his knowledge to his brothers, adapting and refining the techniques to the naturally weaker characteristics of his family. Also, Carlos taught them his philosophies of life as well as his concepts of natural nutrition. Eventually, Carlos became a pioneer in creating a special diet for athletes, “the Gracie diet,” which transformed jiu jitsu into a term synonymous with health. Having created an efficient self defense system, Carlos Gracie saw in the art a way to become a man who was more tolerant, respectful, and self-confident. With a goal of proving jiu jitsu’s superiority as well as to build a family tradition, Carlos challenged the greatest fighters of his time, as well as managing the fighting careers of his brothers. Fighting opponents fifty or sixty pounds heavier, the Gracies quickly gained recognition and prestige.

Attracted to the new market which was opened around jiu jitsu, many Japanese practitioners came to Rio, but none were able to establish schools as successful as the Gracies. This was due to the fact that the Japanese stylists were more focused on takedowns and throws, and the jiu jitsu the Gracies practiced had more sophisticated groundfighting and submission techniques. Carlos and his brothers changed the techniques in such a way that it completely altered the complexion of the international jiu jitsu principles. These techniques were so distinctive to Carlos and his brothers that the sport became attached to a national identity, and is now commonly known as “Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,” practiced by artists all over the world, including Japan.

With the creation of a official body overseeing the administration of the sport, the rules and the ranking system started the era of sport jiu jitsu competitions. Today, jiu jitsu is much more organized, with an International and National Federation, founded by Carlos Gracie Jr. Through his work with the Confederation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Carlos Gracie Jr. contributed to the growth of the sport by holding some of the first organized competitions. Currently, the Confederation holds competitions in Brazil, the United States, Europe, and Asia, realizing Carlos’ original dream to spread jiu jitsu around the world.

GRACIE BARRA HISTORY

I am Carlos Gracie Jr., the founder of the Gracie Barra academy, located in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I want to share a few words about the early days of the school and how it was created.

The history of Gracie Barra is directly related to my life, and as a result, the story of the school is also the story of my life, both past, present, and future.

The principal goal of my family of athletes and fighters, lead by my father Carlos Gracie, has always been to spread jiu jitsu, and to share the art which brings enormous benefits to one’s life. My father was a naturalist and a very spiritual person, who had a great desire to pass on his knowledge to others, so that they could receive the benefits of jiu jitsu as well. Growing up in this environment, I learned the art of jiu jitsu is actually a method through which one strives for self-perfection.

My father’s original academy was in the center of Rio de Janeiro, lead by my uncle Helio Gracie. It was there that I began my studies in jiu jitsu, becoming an instructor there, and finally, a professor. During this time, I worked alongside my brother Rolls and my cousin Rorion Gracie, who were also professors there.

Eventually, Rorion decided to live in the United States, and Rolls established a school in Copacabana together with my other older brother, Carlson Gracie. Thus, I was called upon to assume the responsibilities of running the academy together with my cousin Rickson. I was there for approximately two years, but during this time I went to study nutrition at a University and was living in Copacabana. During this time, I decided to work with Rolls. In the meantime, Carlson and Rolls had separated their schools but were still located in the same building, with the students training with either teacher on alternating days.

After working together for seven years, Rolls passed away in a hang-gliding accident. All of the students reunited and together with Rolls’ wife, asked me to assume the responsibility of continuing the path that my brother Rolls began. We stayed in Copacabana for another four years, after which I decided to move to Barra da Tijuca, a promising newer neighborhood in the western part of the city which was growing. It was here that we became known as the “Gracies of Barra,” and eventually, as we are called, simply, “Gracie Barra.”

The first seeds of Gracie Barra were planted inside a small house almost twenty years ago. The first school had approximately 20 students, and grew to almost 200 hundred after just one year. We then moved the school to larger space inside of a gym, where we are still located today. Since establishing the school, we have consistently produced jiu jitsu instructors with high qualifications, as well as distinguishing ourselves in international competitions in Brazil and around the world. Today, Gracie Barra has the biggest jiu jitsu teams in the world.

Still, I feel very proud that my life’s work has been to create an institution which is not focused just on building athletes or professors, but instead, in helping to build one’s character.

Repeating the words which my father told me:

“. . . each person who puts on the kimono and believes in jiu jitsu that myself and my family teaches is the realization of my life’s work.” – Carlos Gracie (1902-1994)

CARLOS GRACIE JR. HISTORY

Professor Carlos Gracie Jr. is the founder and head instructor of the Gracie Barra Academy, the largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school in the world, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The son of Carlos Gracie, the pioneer of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Gracie Jr., has produced well over 200 black belts in his tenure, which today includes numerous world class instructors and athletes.

At the heart of the Gracie Barra mission statement is the goal of training both the body and spirit, going beyond the ‘winning-losing’ or ‘contest’ philosophy present in other martial arts. Instead, Professor Carlos Gracie Jr. emphasizes the fundamental principle of Jiu-Jitsu: “Minimum effort for maximum efficiency,” a method of utilizing strength through gentleness, an expression exemplifying both the mental and physical aspects of Jiu-Jitsu. In Professor Carlos’ mind, Jiu-Jitsu was in fact a method of education, which could be used to foster one’s personal development. Professor Carlos considered the goals of Jiu-Jitsu to revolve around three aspects: physical education, personal achievement, and ethical growth. In other words, through the practice of Jiu-Jitsu, one would complete their personal development through the training of body and mind, becoming a person better able to contribute to society and the world. Recognizing the never-ending quest for self-perfection, even today Professor Carlos continues to study these techniques and principles with his students. The constant development of techniques demonstrates Professor Carlos’ adherence to these principles, continuously striving for further progress and knowledge.

In spreading the values of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Professor Carlos is also the head of the IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, www.cbjj.com.br) the largest international organization for overseeing the growth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The IBJJF is the organizer of the largest competition tournaments in the world including the World Championships of Jiu-Jitsu (“Mundials”), held in Rio every July, the Pan-American Championships held in Dominguez Hills, California, the European Championships held in Portugal, also held annually. This year also marks the first Asian Championships to be held in Japan.

STUDENT VISION

Professor Carlos believes that making winning the ultimate goal is not a proper way of teaching. The greatest victories at Gracie Barra were always a consequence of the process, and embracing the training as a method through which one could best test their personal limits. Losses which helped us to evolve into better athletes and competitors were not perceived as failures. Instead, Professor Carlos

believed that these lessons should leave our self respect intact, as different facets of the competition are wholly out of our control: the talent and experience of the other athletes, errors by officials,

injuries, and bad luck. As a result, Professor Carlos could always accept physical errors but not mental ones: our preparation, planning,attention to detail, and the development of discipline and willpower were always seen as the top priority in the training process.

Inside the school, Professor Carlos did not limit his teaching to techniques, but also, taught us character. Early on in our training, Professor Carlos instilled us an understanding that the same fundamentals for good jiu-jitsu were the same fundamentals in developing good character. Without honesty, integrity, discipline and unselfish acts, we would never become the great athletes we always

dreamed of becoming. As Professor Carlos always taught us, if you want to truly know someone, pay attention to them as they fight. When one is engaged in struggle or combat, they cannot hide their true personality.

Gracie Barra’s success throughout the years has meant that any other team has typically sees us as a major rival. While getting to the top is difficult, staying there or near there for many years running is an

even bigger challenge. Therefore, it takes a special group of people to handle that pressure. Still, our team has always been ready to deal with those expectations because of the manner in which Professor Carlos conducts the training and the philosophy at the school, building not only our techniques but more importantly, the self-confidence giving us a mental edge. Professor Carlos achieves this through positive

reinforcement rather than pressure as a tool to influence behavior. The result? Win or lose, Professor Carlos has created a group of athletes who feel a deep sense of loyalty and commitment to Professor

Carlos and the rest of the Gracie Barra family.

Professor Carlos was never the type of coach that would put pressure on you at every tournament, screaming from the sidelines. Instead, Professor Carlos’ lessons are felt each day, slowly growing on you, where you feel it constantly, in every aspect of your being. The true guidance he provides is in realizing that success in Jiu-Jitsu must be an extension of one’s life, and that building confidence and a commitment to excellence must be cultivated over time. Therefore, Professor Carlos’ method of building champions was not through last minute quotes providing superficial motivation. Rather, the athletes at our school learned that becoming a champion on and off the mat takes time, hard work, and dedication earned and built over the years.

Competition was always a very serious subject, but Professor Carlos always described it as a test of our mindset and maturity. Therefore, the conversations never revolved around opponents but were seen as a

fight against ourselves in our quest for self-perfection. Going into the tournament, our thoughts were always the same: to trust in our abilities and that our technique could take the initiative away from our opponents. Professor Carlos inspired us to believe in ourselves and our abilities, and to impose our will upon our opponents, not reacting to them.

Because Professor Carlos believes in us, he is always able to make us feel like we are unstoppable. Even in defeat, Professor Carlos looks upon us not with scorn, but always shows how proud he is for your efforts “on the battlefield.” He makes you understand how much respect he has for the way you fight. This is why whenever you see an athlete competing, carrying the Gracie Barra flags on his “armor,” you will see one who is filled with an overwhelming sense of pride for the legacy and heritage we share.

Today, I am very grateful to Professor Carlos, not only for being a teacher, but also for having been a great Master, father and best friend. Therefore, it is not medals or trophies which inspire me – it is the lessons I have learned from Professor Carlos which give me strength and courage. I will never let him down.

~By Marcio Feitosa (Gracie Barra Head Instructor)