History of Jiu-Jitsu: Coming to America and the Birth of the UFC
The Gracie family art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was a modification of the Japanese art of Judo by Carlos and Helio Gracie. The next generation of Gracies would push the art forward, and great masters like Carlson and Rolls emerged. The art was battle tested in Vale Tudo arenas all over Brazil, and by the mid-1960s, Jiu-Jitsu was firmly established in the Brazilian martial arts scene. While the …
History of Jiu Jitsu: Twist and Shout, the Eddie Bravo Story
Eddie Bravo is one of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s most controversial figures; some regard him as a creative genius while others call him a semi-successful fraud. Vocal proponent of legalizing marijuana in the U.S., a fan of Kung Fu movies and an aspiring musician on the side, Eddie Bravo is a man of many pursuits, but none more famous that the development of his own style of Jiu-Jitsu. To understand …
VIDEO: Jiu-jitsu instructor saves San Francisco police officer from attack
As The San Francisco Examiner first reported, a jiu-jitsu instructor saved a San Francisco police officer from a pummeling after an alleged incident involving a Muni citation. Now, there is a video of the event. Click on the photo at right to see screen grabs of the video or watch the footage below. Police say that 23-year-old Paris Augusta assaulted a police officer after the cop escorted him …
History of Jiu Jitsu: The Rise of Sport Jiu Jitsu
The 1990s saw the birth of the UFC and Pride, both in part due to the Gracies’ efforts to spread awareness of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The sport of MMA was a huge success and growing quickly, but so were student populations at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools all over the world. The martial art was expanding faster than at any point in its history, and with out oversight it could quickly splitter apart …
Georges St. Pierre promoting local jiu-jitsu
GREG DOWNS Today staff Georges St. Pierre will make his first appearance in Fort McMurray on May 21 to help teach and promote Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the community.[...]
Jiu-jitsu instructor saves San Francisco police officer from attack
A San Francisco cop enduring a pummeling from a “crazed” Muni fare evader Wednesday was fortunate that the attack happened outside a martial arts academy. Hero jiu-jitsu instructor Pedro Arrigoni came to the cop’s rescue, putting the suspect into a choke hold and forcing him into submission at around 1 p.m., police said. The 24-year-old Portola resident said he had just finished teaching a class …
History of Jiu-Jitsu: The Tragedy of Rolls Gracie
Rolls Gracie is a name that is often invoked by many of the elders of the Gracie family as one of the greatest influences on the development of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Rolls is called the father of modern jiu-jitsu and was the teacher of Rickson Gracie, Carlos Gracie Jr., Royler Gracie and Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti. Just about every Gracie that practices the family art can remember where they …
Jiu-jitsu continues to make strides
Editor’s note: This column is about mixed martial arts, and it will appear on a biweekly basis on Thursdays.
History of Jiu Jitsu: Carlson Gracie, The Grandfather of Jiu Jitsu in MMA
Carlson Gracie made his name as a fighter in the era of Vale Tudo, and is considered the best Vale Tudo fighter of the ’50s and ’60s. His hyper aggressive style of jiu jitsu had a deep influence on the art and his students, including the great Rolls Gracie. While Rolls went on to add to the art by studying wrestling, sambo and other martial arts and change jiu jitsu completely, Carlson focused …
History of Jiu Jitsu: Baptism By Fire and Luta Livre
In the 1920s, Carlos Gracie was the head of a small but growing academy where he and his brothers taught the Gracie family adaptation of Kodokan Judo. Carlos was looking for ways to draw attention to ‘Gracie Jiu Jitsu’ and followed the example of his teacher, Mitsuyo Maeda, by holding public matches against other martial arts. In the early 20th century Vale Tudo fights were becoming popular in …
