American Kickboxing Academy- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu History

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History

One of the great pioneers of modern day Jiu-Jitsu was Mitsuo Maeda, who was also known as Count Koma ("Count of Combat"). Maeda immigrated to Brazil in 1914 where he befriended the Brazilian politician Gastão Gracie. Maeda was helped a great deal by Gastão Gracie and in gratitude for the assistance, Maeda taught jiu-jitsu to Gastão 's son Carlos Gracie. Carlos in turn taught his brothers Osvaldo, Gastão Jr., Jorge, and Helio. Carlos and his brothers opened their first jiu-jitsu academy in 1925, and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was born in Brazil. The Gracie family name is the most recognized name in all of Jiu-Jitsu.

At this point, most of the techniques in BJJ were similar to those in traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. As the years progressed, however, the brothers (notably Carlos and Helio) and their students refined their art via brutal no-rules fights, both in public challenges and on the street. Particularly notable was their willingness to fight outside of weight categories, permitting a skilled small fighter to attempt to defeat a much larger opponent. They began to concentrate more and more on submission ground fighting, especially utilizing the guard position. This allowed a weaker man to defend against a stronger one, bide his time, and eventually emerge victorious.

The modifications of traditional Japanese style Jiu-Jitsu and especially the focused concentration on submission techniques from the guard are the signature of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In the world of Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is now considered to be one of the most fundamental components of mixed martial arts training.