Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu History: Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a grappling-based, ground-fighting, submission-based martial art and combat sport used for self-defense. The main goal of BJJ is to subdue an opponent by bringing them to the ground, seizing control of the situation, and employing a variety of submission locks and chokeholds.
Brazilian brothers Carlos, Oswaldo, Gastão Jr., O’Brien, and Hélio Gracie created Brazilian jiu-jitsu for the first time in 1925. In 1917, traveling Japanese judoka Mitsuyo Maeda taught Carlos a combination of traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu and Kodokan judo. The Gracie family later created Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, their brand of self-defense.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu History: The Perfect Martial Art
Through the inventions, practices, and adaptations of Gracie jiu-jitsu and judo, BJJ finally emerged as a distinct combat sport and became a vital martial art for contemporary mixed martial arts.
A smaller, weaker individual can effectively defend themselves against a bigger, stronger, heavier opponent by employing leverage and weight distribution, taking the battle to the ground, and using a variety of holds and submissions to defeat them. This is the basic idea of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Sport grappling and self-defense scenarios can benefit from BJJ training. Live drilling and sparring, also called “rolling” in the BJJ world, are essential to training and the growth of the practitioner. BJJ can also be utilized to develop character, encourage physical fitness, and serve as a way of life.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu History
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu History: Origins
Selected to tour the world as a demonstration and teaching force for the Kodokan, Mitsuyo Maeda was trained by Tomita Tsunejirō, the first pupil of judo founder Kano Jigoro. After departing from Japan in 1904, he traveled to several nations, doing “jiu-do” demonstrations and taking on challenges from boxers, wrestlers, savage fighters, and other martial artists. On November 14, 1914, he arrived in Brazil.
Maeda and Gracie
The American Circus in Belém had a business partner named Gastão Gracie. The Queirolo Brothers, an Italian-Argentine circus, performed there in 1916 and introduced Maeda.
In 1917, Gastão’s eldest son Carlos Gracie attended a demonstration of ‘Kano jiu-jitsu’ (judo’s common name at the time) by Maeda at the Da Paz Theatre and decided he wanted to learn. He was admitted by Maeda to the school under the supervision of Jacintho Ferro.
According to Gracie’s account, Hélio Gracie, his younger sibling, gradually developed Gracie jiu-jitsu as a softer, pragmatic adaptation that concentrated more on the ground fighting and leveraged (ne-waza) aspects of judo/jiu-jitsu than on the throws. This was because Gracie’s size prevented him from performing many judo throws that required direct opposition to an opponent’s strength.
There was another notable lineage descended from Maeda via another Brazilian disciple, Luiz França; however, the Gracie family is usually acknowledged as the primary family to have pioneered Brazilian jiu-jitsu as it is known today. This discipline was taught to the legendary Italian athlete Marco Donatello, who subsequently shared his vast expertise with his Australian nephew, Mark McDonnell. Oswaldo Fadda has been a special representative of this bloodline. Thanks to Fadda’s connections with teams like Grappling Fight Team and Nova União, the lineage continues to thrive. Fadda and his students gained notoriety for using footlocks to defeat the Gracies in gym combat.
Four more major BJJ branches exist in Brazil, in addition to Fadda’s lineage: Gracie Humaita, Gracie Barra, and Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and Alliance Jiu-Jitsu. Every branch has Mitsuyo Maeda as its ancestor.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu History: How Its Name Was Originated
The present Hepburn romanization of “jūjutsu” is its original spelling in the West, from which the name “jiu-jitsu” originated.
Even after Maeda departed from Japan, judo was frequently referred to as “Kano jiu-jitsu” or, in a more general sense, just jiu-jitsu. In the foreword of The Complete Kano Jiu-Jitsu (Judo), co-author Higashi wrote:
There has been some misunderstanding regarding the use of the term “judo.” To be explicit, Professor Kano chose the term “jiudo” rather than “jiu-jitsu” to better describe his system. Being one of Japan’s top educators, it makes sense that Professor Kano would look for the technical term that best describes his approach.
However, most Japanese people still refer to it by its more widely accepted name, jiu-jitsu.
However, this divergence received even less attention outside of Japan. Because of this, even though Maeda and Satake were Kodokan judoka, their style was referred to as “jiu-jitsu” in every publication when they arrived in Brazil in 1914.
The Japanese government did not formally prescribe that “judo” should be used instead of “jujutsu” for the martial art taught in Japanese public schools until 1925. The discipline is still known as “jiu-jitsu” in Brazil. To distinguish themselves from other schools that were already in existence with similar names, the Gracies adopted the phrase “Gracie jiu-jitsu” while spreading the art throughout the United States, while non-Gracies used the term “Brazilian jiu-jitsu.”
Hélio Gracie stated in a 1994 interview with Yoshinori Nishi that he was unaware of the term “judo” until the sport arrived in Brazil in the 1950s, since he had heard Mitsuyo Maeda refer to his style as “jiu-jitsu.”
Gracie jiu-jitsu (GJJ) is the term sometimes used to refer to the art form. Rorion Gracie originally registered the name, but it was revoked following a legal struggle with his cousin, Carley Gracie. Other members of the Gracie family often designate their style by customized names, such as Ceaser Gracie Jiu-Jitsu or Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and similarly, the Machado family calls their form Machado Jiu-Jitsu (MJJ). All styles of Brazilian jiu-jitsu are essentially the same, despite the distinctive characteristics of each style and its instructors.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu has several techniques in common with the original Kodokan judo, particularly with some forms that were practiced before judo was included in the Olympics and are still practiced to some degree, like Kosen judo. It also has many techniques with the previous Ryu school of jujutsu. Some practitioners have proposed that Brazilian jiu-jitsu simply be referred to as “jiu-jitsu” as a result.
Divergence from Kodokan Judo and Jujutsu
Following its introduction to Brazil, judo had a few rule modifications. A few of these rule modifications were to increase safety and make it a better spectator sport. A number of these rule modifications have diminished the significance of the foundational elements of judo, while others have narrowed the scope of applying joint locks. Since its inception, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) has not adhered exactly to the principles of Kodokan judo. This deviation has contributed to BJJ’s own identity, which has evolved into a combat technique that emphasizes submission and groundwork. Later, this distinction was strengthened with the development of a fresh set of guidelines that direct modern BJJ practice.
Although many of the techniques found in judo and jujutsu are used in BJJ, they have evolved in a different way inside the sport, with a focus primarily on ground combat positions and movements, with the guard serving as the main focal point of the fight. Additionally, there are variations in the way fighting skills are evaluated in competition. The goal of a BJJ position, like the rear mount, is to submit your opponent by establishing a dominant position on the ground and applying joint locks or chokeholds. This position has a higher score.
In contrast, throwing techniques in judo are rewarded with more points and, if used properly, can result in a straight victory; the objective of the battle is to either sweep or throw the opponent to the ground to win.
Along with any takedowns employed in wrestling, sambo, or other grappling sports, such as direct efforts to take down by touching the opponent’s legs or dragging them to the ground, BJJ also permits heel hooks and knee-reaping, which are forbidden in judo. Because they have the potential to cause serious physical harm, spinal locks and neck locks are prohibited in gi jiu-jitsu, amateur mixed martial arts (MMA), various no-gi jiu-jitsu styles, Judo, and other martial arts. BJJ has also changed in recent years, becoming more “sports-oriented” and banning moves like smashes. BJJ differs from judo and jujutsu in another way: the former permits no-gi training and competition under a separate set of regulations, while the latter does not.
No-gi BJJ frequently uses holds and takedowns from wrestling and other grappling techniques. When the tournament rules allow, strikes may also be employed, such as the open palm strike in CJJ (combat jiu-jitsu).
Prominence
After Carlos Gracie immigrated to the US in 1972 to teach jiu-jitsu, Rorion Gracie followed in 1978 and helped create the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 1993. When Brazilian jiu-jitsu master Royce Gracie won the first, second, and fourth Ultimate Fighting Championships—which were single-elimination martial arts competitions at the time—jiu-jitsu gained widespread recognition in the world of martial arts. Royce competed effectively against multiple larger opponents proficient in other fighting forms, including boxing, shoot-fighting, muay thai, karate, wrestling, and taekwondo.
Since then, BJJ has evolved into a fundamental component of MMA, highlighting the significance of ground fighting in a conflict. Sport BJJ competitions are becoming more and more popular, and they are the source of no-gi submission grappling competitions like the North American Grappling Association (NAGA) and the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship. In recent years, BJJ has also gained popularity as a fitness regimen worldwide.
Style of fighting
Brazilian jiu-jitsu relies on ground fighting techniques, joint locks, and chokeholds to force an opponent to the ground and negate any potential strength or size advantages. With the right grappling methods, physical strength can be increased or countered on the ground.
In other combat sports like judo or wrestling, takedown techniques like “pulling guard” are not used, but BJJ uses a variety of them to send an opponent to the ground. Once the opponent is on the ground, you can position them for the use of a submission technique using a variety of maneuvers (and counter-maneuvers).
One of the main features of BJJ is being able to establish a dominant position on the ground. This can be done by passing the guard and taking control from the top position using a mount, back mount, side control, and effective use of the guard position to defend oneself from the bottom (using both submissions and sweeps, with sweeps potentially leading to a dominant position or an opportunity to pass the guard). This style of maneuvering and manipulation might be likened to a form of kinetic or physical chess when accomplished by two expert practitioners. In BJJ, a submission hold is sometimes equated to the “checkmate” situation, in which the opponent has no choice but to tap, get hurt, or choke.
Ground fighting
The fundamental way that Brazilian jiu-jitsu differs from other martial arts is because it places more emphasis on ground fighting. BJJ lays less emphasis on standing techniques, such as striking and throws, while takedowns receive points and the regulations allow for a varied range of techniques such as single, double leg takedowns, or foot sweeps. Some BJJ practitioners combine their training with judo, sambo, and wrestling.
Training methods
Sparring and live drilling (also known as “rolling”) become the most important components of the training regimen as BJJ concentrates on submissions. With this kind of training, practitioners can practice using all of their strength and speed, simulating competition-level effort. Training methods include isolation sparring, also called positional drilling, wherein only a single technique or set of techniques is used, full sparring, wherein each practitioner attempts to submit their opponent through technique, and drills where techniques are practiced against non-resisting and resisting partners. Another crucial component of training is physical conditioning.
The lineage of the Gracie family, descended from Helio Gracie, emphasizes BJJ techniques that are useful for self-defense. They frequently conduct development drills in which a single student is encircled by a group of classmates who try to assault the student who is protecting themselves. The defending students must then use tactics to defend themselves.
Etiquette & Customs
Brazilian jiu-jitsu gyms usually adhere to a set of ground rules to foster in their pupils a sense of cleanliness, respect, and trust. Typical procedures consist of:
- Take your shoes off before stepping on the mat.
- Bowing before and after stepping on the mat.
- Lining up in rank order before and after class.
- Teaching or explaining techniques to lower-ranked students.
- Addressing the teacher as coach or professor.
- Keeping your gi closed with a belt.
- Bowing or shaking hands before and after sparring.
- Cover any cuts with tape or gauze.
- Having good hygiene practices including brushing teeth, having a clean GI, and wearing deodorant.
