JIU-JITSU HISTORY

WHEN,WHY AND HOW BJJ IS CREATED?

• The skill was not invented by the Brazilians, it existed long before them. The father of the later Gracie clan, Pai Branco (White Father) Carlos Gracie Sr. (1902-1994) was a Brazilian of Scottish descent who transformed the learned art of Judo into a different concept of fighting (like today's MMA) and advanced it to the point of becoming a different skill and called it Jiu Jitsu. Even today, Brazilians in Brazil call BJJ simply ''Jiu-Jitsu''.
• Carlos took his initial knowledge from his mentor, Japanese Judoka Mitsuyo Maeda, and one of the best students of Jigoro Khan (founder of Judo). Considering that Carlos was short and only 60 kg heavy, and that the struggles of that time were much freer with the rules of today and that his opponents were much more difficult and physically dominant than him, it was almost impossible for him to apply anything he learned in combat. Then Carlos begins the process of transforming the skill by adapting it to himself and his abilities and later helping his younger brothers to do the same.
• Carlos' brothers Osvaldo, Gastanov, Jorge (George) and later Helio, as the youngest among them, had more success in fighting than Carlos himself because they had him to teach and improve them, but all together they contributed to the development of Jiu Jitsu in terms of the applicability of the skill itself.
• Carlos, unlike all his brothers, saw the importance of practicing a skill that was well above only physical sense and continued to perfect in order to be able to bring the skill closer to the widest population. All the brothers except Helio, who accompanied Carlos to the very end, did not share Carlos' vision and went their own way, which mostly went out after them. Carlos and Helio are most responsible for everything we know about the art today and that we are able to practice it in general.

HOW DID JIU JITSU BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SKILLS TODAY?

• After leaving Brazil for the United States, Helio Gracie's son, Horion Gracie, has spent years trying in various ways to popularize the skill to a larger population. From a couple of mats in the garages of the houses in which he lived, over time he came to various personalities of public life, including Hollywood actors.
• The first significant way i.e. The challenge to prove his skill to be dominant over everyone else at the time was the Gracie Garage Challenge, which challenged all Californian martial arts practitioners in one-on-one combat. All the challenges were won in favor of his fighters. Horion copied an example of proving a skill that had long before been applied in Brazil by his brothers and other members of jiu jitsu schools.
• Horion decides to transfer this challenge principle to National Television of the United States and then organizes the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in denver, USA. Horion and his collaborator and promoter Art Davie announced through various media the $50,000 prize to the winner of the tournament of 8 fighters who apply and accompanied the entire event with the best production he could pay for and sold via pay-per-view.
• The first UFC had no weight classes and had only three rules: 1- No biting allowed, 2-Not allowed to touch the eyes, 3-No groin punches allowed. The match could only end with surrender, knockout or throwing towels into the members' ring in the corner of the fighter. The first UFC fight was stopped by a referee in just 26 seconds.
• In the first UFC tournament, the victory went to Royce Gracie, the younger and most inexperienced member of the Gracie family at the time, who was a complete outsider of all the bookmakers of the tournament. Royce entered the octagon in a kimono (GI) and at that time the world knew little about Jiu Jitsu from Brazil but it quickly became clear how dominant a skill in combat is compared to others and how much physically smaller and weaker fighters actually have more chances in fighting with the right skill.

WHEN DOES BJJ BECOME A DECORATED SPORT ?

• The world's first established jiu jitsu federation was the IBJJF, which organized the first tournament in 1996. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• The importance of this event is that for the first time competitions in this skill get their own sports rules that will further unite and continue to advance jiu jitsu as a sport and thus bring it closer to the widest population and popularize it far more than before.
• Today, there are several BJJ federations, the two largest of which are the IBJJF and the UAEJJF. The UAEJJF is trying to include BJJ in Olympic sports and invests a lot of effort and work, but also in the popularization of the sport in the rest of the world outside Of Brazil and the USA, where BJJ is second only to MMA in popularity.

HOW DID JIU JITSU GET TO BRAZIL?

• Jigoro Kano (founder of Judo, 1860-1938) was determined to help Japanese society recover from the laziness it had fallen into due to prohibitions on the practice of warrior arts in Japan during the disarmament of samurai and the transformation of Japan, determined to help Japanese society recover from the laziness it had fallen into due to prohibitions, that Jiu Jitsu (later Judo) could serve not only as a combat tool but also as an effective way to educate individuals but also as an excellent psychophysical activity.
• Jigoro Kano realized that it can be a powerful educational skill that will help guide people towardS Japanese goals such as social and economic development.
• Kano has made a great effort to adopt new training methods and eliminate risky fights. These changes allowed everyone to engage in safe but intense drills with a strong resistance that we now call "sparring." This approach to training has created a very positive impact on Japanese society. He helped Jiu Jitsu regain his social status. The new approach became known then as Kano Jiu Jitsu and later as Judo.
• Among Khan's great disciples was Mitsuyo Maeda. A fighter who benefited from The Innovations of Kano
  He had his roots in other schools of Jiu Jitsu. Maeda had skills above average and was sent across the ocean to help spread Jiu Jitsu to different cultures around the world. After sojourning in many countries including the United States, Central America and Europe, Maeda came to Brazil in 1914. There, she would later meet a guy named Carlos Gracie and sow seeds that would keep Jiu-Jitsu alive to this day.
• Jiu Jitsu was initially a skill only for soldiers and police and then for Vale Tudo fighters (fighting without or with very few rules, like today's MMA).
• Mitsuyu Maeda was introduced by Carlos Gracie in Jiu Jitsu at the age of 14. He became a passionate student. Maeda's teachings had a profound effect on his mind. The connection he felt with his body with each training allowed Carlos to gain a deep understanding of his nature. It brought him a sense of peace that he had never felt before.
• Martial arts teachers in brazil at the beginning of the 20th century did not find it easy to find students because human awareness of it practically did not exist. The only people who saw the value in what Carlos could teach them were lawenforcement at the time.
• Carlos Gracie first passed on his knowledge to hi brother Gastao and then Oswaldo and George, and only later to Helio Gracie, who learned his first steps on mats from his older brothers. It wasn't until later that everyone else had continued on their way that Carlos began to notice Helio's talent and began to devote more time with him.
• In order to advance and earn the attention of his older brothers, especially Carlos, Helio had to explore alternative methods. Their findings emphasize levers and timing ahead of power and speed.
  Adaptations of the techniques that Carlos and Helio perfected through trials and tests with final results and further improvements through Gracie Jiu Jitsu have led to the development and perfect application in the struggle with high-quality realization.
  Under the watchful eye of his brother, instructor and mentor Carlos, Helio participated in many matches including a match that lasted 3 hours and 43 minutes against Carlos' former student, Valdemar Santana. Helio's courage, perseverance and discipline turned him into a national hero.
• As Carlos aged and became much more dedicated to his nutrition research, exercise, and pursuit of spirituality, Helio took over the family business and became truly involved in running the Gracie Jiu Jitsu School.
  During this period, it was a large hall with a location in the center of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
• Carlos, Gastao, Oswaldo and Helio built the first generation of Gracie fighters. Although Carlos and Helio were very close and spent decades living and working together, all four brothers made remarkable contributions to the development of BJJ in Brazil in the first half of the 20th century.
• Rolls Gracie, the son of Carlos Gracie, was another Jiu Jitsu genius who added outstanding contributions to the skill. There was a connection between the old and the new modern Jiu Jitsu that is being practiced today.
• Rolls played a key role in maintaining bjj in Brazil. In the 1970s, the country was under turbulent political developments established by a military dictatorship, and the BJJ was losing its success because the media did not promote sports. Using his talent, charisma and leadership skills, Rolls has influenced an entire generation of young people in Rio de Janeiro to train BJJs and live a healthy life.
• Rolls started training BJJ when he was 12 years old and started helping his uncle Helio with his classes at Gracie School. Rolls was also close to Carlos Jr., his older brother from whom he learned a lot.
• Very talented and dedicated to reaching his full potential as a fighter, Rolls Gracie also had a very open mind and a strong desire to learn, to make his BJJ better. What impressed many was that he had not only physical predispositions and sharp techniques, but also an extremely strong character. During his teenage years, he had the opportunity to visit many countries where he studied Sambo, Judo and Greek Roman wrestling.
• Rolls has grown into a sharp young man with a brilliant BJJ vision and a career as a fighter with a black belt. One of the ways to develop the sport was to compete in tournaments. In 1976, he participated in the first tournament without rules (Vale-Tudo).
• He accepted a match handed to him by a karate instructor, questioning the effectiveness of BJJ. All BJJ fighters have won matches against karate players and the main event, which attracted the most attention, is the fight between Rolls Gracie and Karate masters. They fought for a few minutes after which Rolls applied a throw, controlling their opponent's back and ending the match by choking from behind (RNC).
• Rolls also started his Gracie School following the pattern his brother Carlos started. They were close, so they shared the same training room. Unfortunately, Rolls had a lot of work to do, but he couldn't finish it all. His legacy still lives on in us because at the age of 31, Rolls lost his life in an accident in the mountains of Brazil.

CARLOS GRACIE JR. AND GRACIE BARRA

• Carlos Gracie Jr. was born in January 1956 and grew up under the strong influence of his family of fighters. Related to the life and philosophy of his father Carlos Gracie Sr. He grew up observing and learning from the most influential figures ever, Carlos, Helio and Rolls.
• The most important years of Growing Up by Carlos Jr. were spent in the House of Teresopolis. It was a huge ranch with several rooms where most of Carlos and Helio's children lived and trained for many years. It was there that Carlos learned how to live in a community where all members had to get along and learn from each other. It became his ideal.
• Carlos Jr. earned a degree from the Faculty of Nutrition Sciences for a clearer understanding of the impact of food on the body. He worked alongside his older brother Rolls and his cousin Roryon, from whom he learned a lot. And when Roryon decided to go live in the U.S. and Rolls opened his school in Copacabana, Carlos was called upon to accept the responsibility of running the school.
• After 2 years, as one of the glaring instructors of the main Gracie School, Carlos joined forces with his brother Rolls because his school was closer to the university where he studied. When Rolls lost his life, all the students met together and asked him to continue guiding them on the path Rolls had begun.
• Carlos stayed in Copacabana for about 4 years after which he decided to move to Barra da Tijuca, the western district of Rio de Janeiro from where the term "Gracie Barra" comes from.
• The school initially had about 20 students but quickly increased to over 200 members. Gracie Barra then moved to a larger space where it still exists today. This school was unique from the very beginning. A very unique way of developing students to their maximum potential was developed. Although their main goal was not a competitive result in Gracie Barra emerged the greatest champions.
• Great athletes, doctors, engineers, surfers and people of various other professions, find The Gracie Barra School as a friendly environment where one can learn top BJJ as well as healthy habits and balance.
• Carlos also devoted a lot of time to the BJJ Federation. He was involved in regulating sports in Brazil and organizing national competitions. His dedication to the sport's growth and organization was significant for BJJ's expansion around the world.
• Carlos Gracie Jr. continues to be very active at Gracie Barra School. He was fully involved in mentoring and giving directions to the GB leadership team made by his closest students. Anyone could very easily find Carlos training daily at the GB Center. His simplicity allowed him to blend in with the other students. Only a trained eye could see him wearing a GB uniform with a red black belt around his waist. That's the kind of tradition this school still has today.
• The nickname of Carlos Jr. (Carlos Gracie Jr.) was Karlinjos. That's what his closest friends and family called him.
• Carlinjos is one of twenty-one children whose father is the founder of BJJ Carlos Gracie.
• Carlinjos has three children, daughter Croline and sons Cayron and Kean. Kyron has a black belt under his father and is a professor at one of the Gracie Barra clubs.
• Further development of Gracie Barra is directly related to the idea that individuals are subordinate to the team and that nowhere and especially not in the name is mentioned by name but by team. This way is still present today and is one of the specifics that distinguishes us in relation to others.
• GB is led by a team of people who have narrowly and specifically perfected the way they work and brought everyone closer to the opportunity to raise the quality of their teams and individuals who do not train directly with Karlinjos or with other Masters of high-level skills.
• What is becoming gb specific are specially designed training programs that provide high quality progression, measurability and the ability for all GB schools in the world to train under the same program simultaneously.
• GB introduces mandatory renewal certification of all its trainers and thus further raises the quality of work within schools.
• GB Wear is established and developed to produce the highest quality equipment that is carefully designed and manufactured in the development department overseen by the highly influential leaders of GB.
• Compnet internal competitions of all GB schools are organized, which are rapidly spreading across all continents.
• The GB Ambassador program allows promising competitors to be sponsored by GB and continues to help them develop.
• Black and lower teachers are starting to get a chance to get a job within GB schools in the world when the need arises.