ORIGIN OF JIU JITSU
The jiu-jitsu or jiu-jitsu (Japanese 柔 术, transl. Jū, "softness", "softness", and jutsu, "art", "art") [a] is a Japanese martial art, but of Indian origin, using leverage and pressure to overthrow, dominate and submit the opponent, traditionally without using traumatic blows, which were not very effective in the context in which the struggle was developed because the samurai (bushi) wore armor.
From that standpoint, it makes perfect sense to associate Buddhist monks from India about 2,000 years before Christ with the origins of Jiu-Jitsu.
The Buddhist value a system of deep respect for all life forms allowing the development of a system of self defense that aimed to neutralize the aggressor without necessarily hurting the aggressor. Surrounded by important Buddhist principles to act in a non-injurious or self-seeking and enlightenment, Jiu-Jitsu answered very well the needs of defense personnel. Monks spread across Asia towards China and later to Japan, following the expansion of Buddhism on the continent. Jigoro Kano (1860-1938), member of the Ministry of Culture and Martial Arts of Japan, played a major role in rescuing the reputation of Jiu-Jitsu in times of peace.
In Japan, the term judo was used to differentiate the old ju-jitsu, when Jigoro Kano developed a teaching method combining the techniques of ju-jitsu. The Japanese Kanji ideograms Ju jitsu, may receive different pronunciations. The ideogram "jiu" jiu-jitsu (柔 术) and "ju" in judo (柔道) are actually the same.
Basically Jiu-Jitsu uses the strength (own and, whenever possible, the adversary itself) on leverage, which allows a fighter, despite being smaller than the opponent can win. On the floor, with the techniques of strangulation and pressure on joints, you can submit the opponent making him give up the fight (competitively), or (real fight) he passed out or breaking a joint.
Jiu-jitsu was the art of fighting hand-to-hand for samurai warriors, until the samurai were ended in the Meiji era, being marginalized. Jigoro Kano jujitsu master Japanese, has created a revolutionary pedagogy that became known as Kano Jiu-Jitsu after that for political reasons became known as judo (an art that uses the same principles to combat the old jiu-jitsu but that went beyond this, which also studied the way of man in society).
From the late nineteenth century, some Jiu-Jitsu masters emigrated from Japan to other continents, teaching the martial arts and the struggles they encountered.
Esai Maeda Koma, also known as Count Koma, was one of them. After traveling with a troupe which fought in various countries in Europe and the Americas, arrived in Brazil in 1915 on a diplomatic mission and settled in Belem, where the following year, he met Gastao Gracie. The father of eight children, five men and three women, Gaston became a Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast and brought his oldest son, Carlos, to learn from the Japanese. This is when Jiu-Jitsu entered Brazil!
Gastao Gracie
(Gastao Gracie Jr.)
(Helio Gracie)
(Oswaldo Gracie)
(First generation father)
(Jorge Gracie)
(Carlos Gracie)
Rocian Gracie
(7th Degree Black Belt)
Rocian Gracie Jr.
Jiu Jitsu in Brazil
In the nineteenth century, Japanese martial arts masters emigrated from Japan to other continents, teaching these arts and the techniques they performed.
Mitsuyo Maeda, known as Count Komawas a great judoka in the Kodokan. After traveling several countries with his group, he arrived in Brazil in 1915 and settled in Belem, existing today called the Academy of Conde Coma. A year later, he met Gastao Gracie. Gaston was the father of eight children, five of those being men, became Judo enthusiast. He also brought his son Carlos Gracie to learn to fight.
Small and fragile by nature, Carlos found in judo (then still known as "Kano Jiu-Jitsu") the means of personal fulfillment that he lacked. With nineteen years of age, he moved to Rio de Janeiro with his family, being a teacher and a martial art fighter. He traveled other Brazilian states, teaching and winning over physically stronger opponents.
In 1925, Carlos returned to Rio de Janeiro and opened the first Academy of Gracie jiu-jitsu, and invited his brother Osvaldo Gaston, Jorge, and Helio to advise him. From there, Carlos passed his knowledge to his brothers, adapting and refining the techniques to the naturally weaker condition, characteristic of his family. It also taught them his philosophy of life and concepts of natural nutrition, being a pioneer in creating a special diet for athletes, the Gracie Diet, transforming the jiu-jitsu synonymous with health.
Holder of an efficient self defense system, Carlos Gracie saw in jiu-jitsu a means to become a man more tolerant, respectful and confident. Aiming to prove the superiority of jiu-jitsu and form a family tradition, Carlos challenged the greatest fighters season and went on to manage the careers of his brothers.
Fighting opponents twenty, thirty pounds heavier, the Gracies quickly achieved national fame and notoriety. Attracted to the new market which was opened around Jiu-Jitsu, many Japanese practitioners came to Rio de Janeiro, but none of them formed a school as solid as the Academy Gracie jiu-jitsu because they favored practiced by only falls ( already came with the formation of Kodokan master Jigoro Kano), because of the Gracie emphasized specialization: after the fall, it took the fight to the ground and used the blows finishers, resulting in a kind of wrestling with kimono.
By changing the rules of the International Judo and Japanese jiu-jitsu in the struggles that he and his brothers performed, Carlos Gracie started the first case of change of nationality of a struggle, or sport in world sporting history. Years later, the martial art is now called Gracie jiu-jitsu or brazilian jiu jitsu, being exported to the whole world, even to Japan
The jiu-jitsu is now the fastest growing individual sport in the country: it has about 350 thousand practitioners with 1,500 schools in big cities only. In the education, teaching jiu-jitsu won chair as raw university (Universidade Gama Filho).
Carlos and Helio Gracie
Rio de janeiro, Brazil
The Revolution of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
While in Brazil, the Jiu-Jitsu has evolved to levels never before achieved technical development on ground fighting, other arts such as Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Judo became popular enough thanks to Hollywood movies and the Olympics.
Although these martial art techniques are very good, they are restricted to only one aspect of real combat and only works as long as respected a series of rules that ensure the circumstances in which these techniques are effective. Generations of martial artists spend many years learning one aspect of the fight (punches and kicks, falls or fixed), believing that this is enough in real situations.
In 1993, this assumption faced his biggest challenge when Rorion Gracie held the first UFC as a means of dispute between athletes from different martial arts.
The world was surprised when a fighter lighter and apparently weaker, named Royce Gracie defeated all his opponents basically fighting on the ground, using keys and bottlenecks in the joints to make them give up the fight. The practitioners of other martial arts then began to realize that they do not know Jiu-Jitsu, everything they knew the fight was useless against a Jiu-Jitsu.
This realization led to what many call the "Revolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu" in the martial arts. A great change of focus and training ground fight ensued. Such an impact on the martial arts world has caused a large increase in demand for teaching Jiu-Jitsu worldwide. Black Belts trained Jiu-Jitsu were invited to give seminars in various countries for those people who had never heard of this style of fighting that ruling and, therefore, were intrigued.
In 1994, Carlos Gracie Jr. launched a major initiative to garner support for the founding of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The CBJJ standardized rules of competition and promoted the first Brazilian Championship.
The work of teachers of Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian Confederation, and state federations to organize the championships, set the rules and institutionalize the Jiu-Jitsu as a national sport was crucial to preserve the identity of the sport and keep alive the legacy of Carlos Gracie .
The jiu-jitsu is now the fastest growing individual sport in the country: it has about 350 thousand practitioners with 1,500 schools in big cities only. In the education, teaching jiu-jitsu won chair as raw university (Universidade Gama Filho).
With the creation of the Federation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the rules and scoring system were systematized, initiating the era of sports championships.
Today more organized, Jiu-Jitsu now has a Confederation and the International Federation, founded by Carlos Gracie Jr. as president (of the two entities) and Joseph Henry Leo Tan Son as vice president of CBJJ, the pair went to a organization never before seen in jiu-jitsu competitions, national and international competitions that have been made, confirm the superiority of Brazilian fighters, considered the best in the world, and designed the jiu-jitsu or brazilian jiu-jitsu as a martial art fastest growing in the world today.
For some time now, proliferate academies of various struggles as Eastern Judo, Karate, Kung-fu, Taekwondo, Aikido, Muay Thai, etc.. The truth is that the basis of all fights is the jiu-jitsu, which is composed of 113 types, of which only 64 are known today, and can be practiced standing or on the ground and with any type of clothing. Brazil produces every year several world champions in all its categories being known his technical superiority.
