The History of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

The Roots of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: From Samurai to South America
Brazilian jiu-jitsu has its origins in the ancient Japanese martial art of jujutsu, which dates back over 2,500 years. Jujutsu was originally developed as a way for samurai warriors to defeat opponents armed with swords and spears using throws, joint locks, and other grappling techniques. Various jujutsu styles proliferated in Japan over the centuries, with hundreds of different ryū (schools) emerging.

In the late 19th century, one jujutsu master sought to consolidate the disparate jujutsu styles by emphasizing safe practice and practical self-defense techniques. His name was Jigoro Kano, and in 1882 he founded Kodokan judo based on his revised set of grappling techniques called “Kano jiu-jitsu.” One of Kano’s star pupils was Mitsuyo Maeda, who Kano later sent abroad to demonstrate the effectiveness of Kodokan judo.

In 1914, Maeda traveled to Brazil for a well-publicized martial arts tour. He participated in challenge matches against fighters representing various disciplines. One spectator of Maeda’s matches was Gastão Gracie, a business partner of the American Circus in Belém. Gastão’s son Carlos became fascinated with Maeda’s judo skills and convinced the Japanese master to accept him as a student.

Carlos Gracie spent years learning Kano’s judo system from Maeda. He realized that the throwing-oriented judo techniques he learned might be too advanced for the average student. So Carlos began refining the groundwork aspects of judo for self-defense purposes, planting the seeds for the uniquely Brazilian offshoot that became known as Gracie jiu-jitsu.

The Development of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
After developing his adapted version of Maeda’s teachings, Carlos Gracie established an academy in 1925 to teach his streamlined self-defense system. He taught his brothers, including the spindly and sickly Helio. Since Helio was unable to execute many judo throws effectively, he modified the techniques even further to rely more on leverage and timing rather than speed, strength or aggression.

As Carlos and Helio refined their family’s martial art system over decades, it became more and more effective. It enabled smaller, weaker fighters to defeat larger, stronger opponents through proper technique. And thanks to Helio’s feeble physique, practitioners could execute all the techniques regardless of age, size or athletic attributes. The Gracies emphasized realistic fight scenarios over rigid patterns or aesthetics. And unlike traditional East Asian martial arts, participating in challenge matches to test effectiveness was heavily encouraged.

The Gracies named their self-defense system Gracie jiu-jitsu in homage to its beginnings in Maeda’s Kano jiu-jitsu. As the renown of the Gracie Academy spread thanks to highly-publicized challenge match victories, the terms Gracie jiu-jitsu and Brazilian jiu-jitsu became synonymous. However, the Gracies were not the only lineage to stem from Maeda’s teachings.

Luiz Franca was another Brazilian who studied under Maeda at the same time as Carlos Gracie. Franca went on to teach students of his own, including Oswaldo Fadda. While the Gracie family catered to wealthy students, Fadda taught Brazilian jiu-jitsu to poor and working-class youth. The Fadda lineage used more footlocks and specialized takedowns compared to the Gracies, leading to legendary rivalry matches between the two camps.

But despite their differences, all these lineages tracing back to Maeda ensured Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s techniques spread far beyond Japan. This uniquely Brazilian martial art system incorporated wrestling, judo and street fighting elements into a constantly evolving grappling style. And thanks to the advent of mixed martial arts competitions, Brazilian jiu-jitsu would soon explode in popularity all over the world.

The Global Growth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through MMA
While Brazilian jiu-jitsu slowly grew in Brazil throughout the 20th century, it remained relatively unknown in the wider world until the 1990s. At that time in America, discussions arose regarding which fighting style was most effective in real combat. To settle these debates, the first Ultimate Fighting Championship event was held in 1993.

The UFC featured an open ruleset originally designed to determine which martial art reigned supreme in actual fights. Brazilian jiu-jitsu exponent Royce Gracie, Helio’s son, entered and defeated boxers, shootfighters, savate practitioners, karateka, wrestlers and more to win the first UFC tournament. His shocking string of submissions displayed Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s potency to the world for the first time.

As the UFC continued hosting events, Royce Gracie showcased Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s effectiveness across three of the first four tournaments. Other Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters like Marco Ruas enjoyed success during the early days as well. These performances demonstrated how Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s grappling techniques could neutralize strikers and overwhelm larger opponents.

Once UFC athletes realized to compete at the highest levels they needed to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu, an explosion in participation occurred globally. Brazilian jiu-jitsu academies led by the Gracies and other lineages popped up internationally due to surging interest. As more Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts competed and showcased ever-improving techniques, the art’s sophistication rose rapidly from its crude early days.

Now Brazilian jiu-jitsu has integrated itself deeply into the fabric of MMA. Fighters must be well-versed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to defend takedowns, function off their backs and secure dominant positions if fights hit the mat. Brazilian jiu-jitsu provides the foundation for a holistic fighting skillset alongside striking arts like boxing, wrestling and muay thai. Nearly every top MMA fighter crosstrains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu today to sharpen their overall abilities.

While some decry that Brazilian jiu-jitsu has become overly sportified due to IBJJF rulesets and point systems, its importance in preparing fighters for competition cannot be overstated. And thanks to its critical role in MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu enjoys more mainstream popularity currently than ever before.

Conclusion
In summary, Brazilian jiu-jitsu has an endlessly fascinating history that continues evolving every day. From ancient Japanese jujutsu used on samurai battlefields to Maeda introducing Kano’s judo to Brazil, a uniquely adaptive grappling art emerged thanks to luminaries like Carlos, Helio and Royce Gracie alongside icons such as Luiz Franca and Oswaldo Fadda.

Countless others expanded Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s techniques and cemented its tight bonds with mixed martial arts. Now practitioners all over the world enjoy Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s physical and mental benefits. Students repeatedly prove through matches, competitions and everyday training that size, strength and aggression matter far less than dedication, technique and heart.

While political infighting and technical disagreements between lineages persist, together they ensure Brazilian jiu-jitsu constantly progresses rather than growing stagnant. No matter the belt color tied around a student’s waist, all who train are part of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s incredible living legacy – one that traces back through dynamic history all the way to ancient samurai battlefields in a distant land.