Today's special is reaper crew style processed in Jackson, Mississippi
We submit so many with this until they want to know what we put in it
OK, I'm gonna share this recipe with y'all
Hey J gimme an ounce of that rubber guard bass
Yeah, aw yeah!
Yo Eric Give me a half a key of uncut 50-50.
Aw yeah! Yeah!
Say Troy give me a pound of them horns with x guard in it!
Yeah, aw yeah!
Yeah, aw yeah!
Say fellas, give me ton of everything and cut it with the trigger happy
Reaper Crew!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Dr. Rhadi "Dealing With Discomfort"
A email from Dr. Rhadi Ferguson. If you like it go to his website and sign up.
#################
Getting Comfortable
With Being Uncomfortable
##################
In the past 4 weeks I think I have been to 13 different schools
providing motivational talks to the student athletes with the Navy
SEALS AND THE LuBear marketing firm. It has been fantastic,
draining and enlightening. :) (sidebar: I miss my wife and kids)
One of the common threads from all of the speeches and lessons
provided was one of embracing discomfort.
Look, let's be honest here.
Its tough to love something or someone that is hard to love.
It easy to love a beautiful person, but hard to love one that is an
"eye challenge."
Its easy to love chocolate cake and ice cream, but hard to love
sprinting up a hill. And its easy to love a soft couch but hard to
love the feeling of a rock in your shoe.
Discomfort sucks! But I don't think that I can think of one
noteworthy achievement that comes without it, but I can tell you
what kills the achievement.
It is this.......
When you FOCUS on the discomfort instead of embracing it and
accepting it as the oll to ride on the turnpike of success.
Simply put, don't focus on the labor pain, focus on the baby..
So today's lesson is clear.
Use it, apply it and EMBRACE it.
Take care.
Dedicated to Your Improvement,
Rhadi Ferguson, PhD, CSCS
2004 Olympian
Master Trainer, Educator and Coach
#################
Getting Comfortable
With Being Uncomfortable
##################
In the past 4 weeks I think I have been to 13 different schools
providing motivational talks to the student athletes with the Navy
SEALS AND THE LuBear marketing firm. It has been fantastic,
draining and enlightening. :) (sidebar: I miss my wife and kids)
One of the common threads from all of the speeches and lessons
provided was one of embracing discomfort.
Look, let's be honest here.
Its tough to love something or someone that is hard to love.
It easy to love a beautiful person, but hard to love one that is an
"eye challenge."
Its easy to love chocolate cake and ice cream, but hard to love
sprinting up a hill. And its easy to love a soft couch but hard to
love the feeling of a rock in your shoe.
Discomfort sucks! But I don't think that I can think of one
noteworthy achievement that comes without it, but I can tell you
what kills the achievement.
It is this.......
When you FOCUS on the discomfort instead of embracing it and
accepting it as the oll to ride on the turnpike of success.
Simply put, don't focus on the labor pain, focus on the baby..
So today's lesson is clear.
Use it, apply it and EMBRACE it.
Take care.
Dedicated to Your Improvement,
Rhadi Ferguson, PhD, CSCS
2004 Olympian
Master Trainer, Educator and Coach
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Push Beyond Your Limits-Self Belief
Push Beyond Your Limits-Self Belief
Your sense of who you are will determine your actions and what you end of getting in life. If you see your reach as limited, that you are helpless in the face of so many difficulties, that it is best to keep your ambitions low, then you will receive the little that you expect. Knowing this dynamic, you must train yourself for the opposite-ask for more, aim high, and believe that you are destined for something great.
Your sense of self worth comes from you alone- never the opinions of others. With a rising confidence in your abilities, you will take risks that will increase your chances of success. People follow those who know where they are going. So cultivate an air of certainty and boldness.
-Curtis Jackson
The 50th Power
Your sense of who you are will determine your actions and what you end of getting in life. If you see your reach as limited, that you are helpless in the face of so many difficulties, that it is best to keep your ambitions low, then you will receive the little that you expect. Knowing this dynamic, you must train yourself for the opposite-ask for more, aim high, and believe that you are destined for something great.
Your sense of self worth comes from you alone- never the opinions of others. With a rising confidence in your abilities, you will take risks that will increase your chances of success. People follow those who know where they are going. So cultivate an air of certainty and boldness.
-Curtis Jackson
The 50th Power
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Mastery Of A Craft
Mastery
Respect the process. Mastery
The fools in life want things fast and easy. Money,success, attention. Boredom is their great enemy and fear. Whatever they manage to get slips thru their hands as fast as it comes in. You on the other hand want to out last your rivals. You are building the foundation of something that can continue to expand. To make this happen you will have to serve an apprenticeship. You must learn early on to endure the hours of practice and drudgery. Knowing that in the end, all of that time will translate into a higher pleasure. Mastery of a craft and of yourself. Your goal is to reach the ultimate skill level and intuitive feel of what must come next.
-Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
Respect the process. Mastery
The fools in life want things fast and easy. Money,success, attention. Boredom is their great enemy and fear. Whatever they manage to get slips thru their hands as fast as it comes in. You on the other hand want to out last your rivals. You are building the foundation of something that can continue to expand. To make this happen you will have to serve an apprenticeship. You must learn early on to endure the hours of practice and drudgery. Knowing that in the end, all of that time will translate into a higher pleasure. Mastery of a craft and of yourself. Your goal is to reach the ultimate skill level and intuitive feel of what must come next.
-Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
7 Bad Habits That Cause Back Pain - Back Pain Center - Everyday Health t.co/RY9GKbz via @everydayhealth
Tweet Button • 3/15/11 1:10 AM
Tweet Button • 3/15/11 1:10 AM
Royce Looking To Fight In Rio
After taking MMA into a completely different realm, winning the UFC tournament three times, and becoming one of the most well known MMA names in history, Royce Gracie may still not be done with his UFC fighting days. Gracie and his manager Mike Kogan are in continuing negotiations with the UFC to allow the legend a spot on the UFC Rio card, scheduled for August 27the of this summer. The 44-year old has requested to make one final appearance in “the temple” that he helped build (the UFC), and a fight in Rio de Janeiro would be perfectly fitting for the jiu-jitsu black-belt magician. Not only would Gracie get to fight one last time in the octagon but the fight would allow him to do it in front of his home crowd. Kogan explained that he and Gracie are talking directly with UFC president Dana White and UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta about the possible return in Rio. Although the possibility is one that would undoubtedly bring many PPV sells to the table, many other factors play into the decision, like another legitimate UFC Brazilian fighter not getting a chance to fight on the card. But Gracie has definitely paid his dues and has single-handedly done more for the sport than any other fighter, so I find it hard to believe that White and Fertitta would deny Gracie the opportunity. However, we’ve seen crazier things happen, that’s for sure. As of right now Kogan explained that nothing was finalized and the plans were still very much in the works. Kogan spoke with MMAJunkie.com about the situation and possible deal. Here is what he had to say: "I think we're going to make a deal," Kogan said. "We have plenty of time, so there's really no problems. It's just a matter of getting it nailed down." "As of right now, we don't have a deal in place," he said. "The UFC might yank this fight altogether and be like, 'On second thought, we don't want to do it.' This is not a done deal. We're interested in fighting; we have talked about it a lot. Most of the basic terms are agreed upon. But we haven't signed." According to Kogan Gracie is ready to fight on the August 27th card in Brazil against a specific-but undisclosed-opponent at either welterweight, middleweight, or at a catch-weight between the two divisions. In any case, if the UFC decides to allow Gracie to fight on the August 27th UFC in Rio card there is no doubt in my mind that millions of fans will tune in to see what could be the last time we ever see Royce Gracie fight in a cage. There’s a fitting quote from the old baseball movie, The Sandlot, in which Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez is talking to the ghost of Babe Ruth. Ruth tells Benny, “Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die.” Like Kogan explained, there is nothing finalized yet, but the possibility could make any MMA fan extremely excited. Gracie is one of those legends that will live on forever, and one more fight in the UFC cage would be a treat for any real fan of the sport. However, for now we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out between the two parties and hope a deal can be sparked. Best of luck to both sides of the deal. We’ll surely be keeping a close eye on this one.
By Jake Chastain of BJPENN.COM MMA NEWS
By Jake Chastain of BJPENN.COM MMA NEWS
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Blood Sport 1 West Bracket
Blood Sport 1 West Bracket
3). Tito
30). Captain America
14). K. Grove
19). Sugar Evans
6). Ken Flo
27). Bones Jones
11). Serra
22). GSP
7). Lesner
26). A. Silva
10). Rickson
23). BJ
15). Sakuraba
18). K. Shamrock
2). Iceman
31). Mir
3). Tito
30). Captain America
14). K. Grove
19). Sugar Evans
6). Ken Flo
27). Bones Jones
11). Serra
22). GSP
7). Lesner
26). A. Silva
10). Rickson
23). BJ
15). Sakuraba
18). K. Shamrock
2). Iceman
31). Mir
Blood Sport 1 East Bracket
Blood Sport 1 East Bracket
1). T. Sylvia
32). Forrest
16). F. Shamrock
17). S. Sherk
8). Ace
25). M. Hughes
9). Vitor
24). Jens Pulver
5). Bas
28). Big Nog
12). D. Severn
21). Royce
13). Rampage
20). Pitbull Arvlovski
4). Shogun
29). Hendo
1). T. Sylvia
32). Forrest
16). F. Shamrock
17). S. Sherk
8). Ace
25). M. Hughes
9). Vitor
24). Jens Pulver
5). Bas
28). Big Nog
12). D. Severn
21). Royce
13). Rampage
20). Pitbull Arvlovski
4). Shogun
29). Hendo
Blood Sport 1
In honor of March Madness, 32 of the top mixed martial artists of all time were chosen and put into a 32 man tournament bracket. The seedings were determined by random shuffle. So their are some crazy 1st round match ups. I will list a fight each day and allow people to pick a winner. Most votes moves into next round. Match ups coming soon.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Training Zen
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.
- Elbert Hubbard
Monday, March 7, 2011
ego/pride
so we had some drama on the mats last night. there is this cat who goes 90 to nothin on every roll, and last night he literally picked a guy up and over his head and slammed him on the mat, rampage jackson style back in pride. then i got to roll with him and when he took my back he crossed his feet and i proceded to ankle lock him. I did explain to all of them not to cross their feet by the way. well he proceded to yell and cuss me out in front of the whole gym. he is now banned from training. I fully explained to all these guys that there is no ego allowed on the mats and that I am the instructor not to mention the senior NCO. I am reminded that this sport is not for everyone. Not everyone has a temperment for our sport. I am also reminded that its not easy being an instructor. I am blessed to have had tremendous coaches at Gracie South who have patience and a willingness to go above and beyond. This was not the first incident with this young man, he outweighs everyone and has a huge ego. Pride and Ego on the mats will get you broken or put to sleep. I learned along time ago that the more I tap the more I learn. That you will hinder your progress with these two very human traits. To have pride in your school, friends, and instructors is one thing but to be unwilling to learn is a horse of a different color.
All I can say is wow! Legendary training session with Jarrett Becks today. Drills, Drills, Drills. Rolls, Rolls, Rolls. Cleared some hurdles and found some new ones. Had video to post but the BJJIA (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Intelligence Agency) took it and labeled it classified. Only thing else I can add is World BEWARE!
-dw
-dw
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Copa American Grappling Tournament Atl Ga Danny Won first match by triangle. Lost in finals to purple belt 2-0 in gi. Alisha took 3rd in gi and no gi losing to 2 stripe purple and a girl who outweighed her by at least 75lbs. Jarrett did not get to compete because no other brown or black belts competed.
Friday, March 4, 2011
I have seen alot on the mats but this took the cake. After the sand storm the whole gym was covered with this fine dust. I was trying to upload some vids but I am having some technical difficulties. I shot some vid of the guys shrimping and going through a flow warm up drill. I had them start in closed guard to a basic sweep, to one of three subs: arm bar, kimura, keylock. Then the guy on bottom shrimps to full guard and then he starts the flow. It is a good warm up for them seeing how there is no heat in the gym, and contrary to popular belief it does get quite cold at night in the deseret. I have the night off tonight so I am loading my Ipod with new stuff and playing modern warfare black ops. I have internet but we cant plug into the xbox or playstation with it or it will shut down the internet. Life here goes on guys, to tell you the truth if it were not for work and bjj I would be bored.
Good Training, The desert scorpion.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Three Shaolin monks were playing Dou Di Zhi, when another monk came and told them the world is coming to the end. The first monk got up and said he was going to pray. The second monk said he was going to finish off the rest of the wine. The last monk just sat there. The other monks asked him what are you doing? He said I'm going to finish the game. I too shall finish the game. Are you?
What defines a movement
A Movement-Main Entry: move·ment
Pronunciation: \ˈmüv-mənt\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 a (1) : the act or process of moving; especially : change of place or position or posture (2) : a particular instance or manner of moving b (1) : a tactical or strategic shifting of a military unit : maneuver (2) : the advance of a military unit c : action, activity —usually used in plural
2 a : tendency, trend b : a series of organized activities working toward an objective; also : an organized effort to promote or attain an end
3 : the moving parts of a mechanism that transmit a definite motion
Pronunciation: \ˈmüv-mənt\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 a (1) : the act or process of moving; especially : change of place or position or posture (2) : a particular instance or manner of moving b (1) : a tactical or strategic shifting of a military unit : maneuver (2) : the advance of a military unit c : action, activity —usually used in plural
2 a : tendency, trend
3 : the moving parts of a mechanism that transmit a definite motion
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
hard training
We are training every night now, the guys are starting to loose weight and gaining flexibility. I have been teaching basics which I hope helps me as much as it has been helping them. Mabey I wont need to play too much catch up when I get back home. Last time I deployed I had to train hard for about three months just to get back into rolling shape. I had worked on strength and conditoning but did not have the chance to roll a bunch like I am now. Now I get to do both, which is just amazing! We had a huge dust storm last night and that shit is no joke. Its like a thunder storm when it rolls in but instead of rain you get sand, and it gets everywhere! I still have no word on the mats I ordered, I guess its kind of a money issue right now, so we are getting by on what we have. I get to work the graveyard shift now, 7am to 7pm, I kind of feel like Jerrett. Well thats it for tonight, check you guys later!
P.S. I will be posting some rolling vids soon
P.S. I will be posting some rolling vids soon
History of BJJ (part 2)
Information in this article was taken mostly from a book that I recommend, mostly for it’s history section, “Mastering JuJitsu” by Renzo Gracie and John Danaher.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has it’s roots in the Gracie family, but the Gracies learned from Mitsuyo Meada (1878-1941), “Count Coma.” He was doing mixed martial arts matches around the world before the Gracies had been taught Jiu-Jitsu, and what BJJ practitioners do today came directly from what he taught the Gracies. The challenge match, the strategies of taking a striker down to the ground to submit them, and the training methods emphasizing live sparring was passed to the Gracies via Maeda.
Mitsuyo Maeda (1878-1941)
Maeda was a classically trained Jiu-Jitsu student that had switched over to Kodokan Judo. He was present when Mataemon Tanabe had defeated many members of the Kodokan (details in part 1), and was part of the movement to incorporate more groundwork (called newaza in Judo) into Judo.
Jigoro Kano had originally sent Maeda to America as a delegate of Kodokan Judo, and Maeda had fought challenge matches in 1904 on the East coast. Maeda felt that America was unsuited to live because of the racism towards Asians. How it would have changed history if he had stayed and developed American students! Would what we train now have been called American Jiu-Jitsu?
Maeda went on to travel the world and have challenge matches, winning all but two. And before World War 1, he ended up in Brazil as part of Japan’s overseas colonization. When Maeda looked for land for which to house the Japanese colonists, he befriended Gastao Gracie, a Scotsman who had emigrated to Brazil and was involved in local politics, who helped Maeda. Both men had an interest in fighting, and Maeda did many challenge matches in Brazil.
Maeda had become quite rich as a result of these challenge matches, and owned a lot of land. And to show appreciation for Gastao Gracie’s help, he offered to teach his sons Jiu-Jitsu.
The Gracie’s sons trained with Maeda for somewhere between 2 to 4 years. Maeda then moved to another part of Brazil.
Maeda’s Curriculum
Maeda was an interesting character. He had fought all over the world in all types of matches: with the gi, no gi, with striking, grappling only, and no rules matches.
What Maeda had taught to the Gracies was Jiu-Jitsu ground work, Judo throws (which came from classical Jiu-Jitsu), some catch wrestling he had learned in England, as well as Maeda’s own strategies for defeating strikers.
In 1925, Carlos Gracie opened his own Jiu-Jitsu school. Similar to Jigoro Kano, Gracie had 4 years training (and possibly less), and was also in his early 20’s (Kano was 22 when he opened his school).
Carlos Gracie
The Gracies began teaching full time and honed their art. What gave them the most notoriety was their participation in public challenge matches. They remained unbeaten, facing boxers, wrestlers, capoeristas, and other martial artists.
It is interesting to see that before the Gracies, Kano had became famous for beating classical Jiu-Jitsu fighters in challenge matches, and Fusen Ryu Jiu-Jitsu had gained influence through beating Judokas in challenge matches, as well as Yukio Tani and Maeda had gained a lot of exposure through challenge matches.
The Gracies continued to evolve their methods of combat through challenge matches. They got rid of the goal of pinning that was prevalent in Judo and Wrestling, as pinning someone down doesn’t hurt or incapacitate an attacker. They focused a lot on the guard, as when they faced larger attackers they often ended up on their back, and continued to seek better ways to gain dominant positions and submissions.
The Big Change in Judo
In 1925 Jigoro Kano implemented a number of rules that prevented ground work from dominating Judo. The Judo that was practiced from the late 1800s until 1925 was most ground grappling based. He added several rules, such as not allowing Judokas to pull guard, and increased referee intervention that prevented the groundwork of Jiu-Jitsu from overshadowing the throws of Judo. Kano wanted Judo to be in the Olympics, and he felt that the groundwork did not appeal to the crowd.
There was one style of Judo- Kosen Judo, that resisted these changes and remained ground grappling dominant. Therefore the style that most represented pre-1925 Judo was Kosen Judo, which was the most similar to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. This is where the rumors that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu came from Kosen Judo originate.
Besides Kosen Judo, Judo became detached from reality combat. The rules were structured to produce spectacular crowd pleasing throws, which would end the match.
Sambo became the national grappling system of the Soviet Union, but because it was from a communist nation, Sambo never got much exposure in the West.
Professional Catch Wrestling, which utilizes throws and submission holds, was ultimately overtaken by fake professional wrestling with “worked” matches.
Amateur wrestling also used to have submission holds, but to make it safer those were eventually not allowed.
One of the few grappling systems that did not get watered down for combat effectiveness was the Jiu-Jitsu taught by Maeda to the Gracies that they continued to develop.
As I mentioned before, much of the information in this post is from the book mentioned above. One thing not mentioned is that much of the philosophy and etiquette of Jiu-Jitsu was not carried on by the Gracies. I don’t know if Maeda never taught them, or if the Gracies just didn’t practice it, but there is a huge difference in attitude and behavior between the average Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.
In the martial arts community, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners have one of the worst reputations for behavior. BJJ practitioners are considered more fighters than martial artists by other martial artists.
In the average martial arts school, there is an atmosphere of respect, humility. It may be there only on an etiquette level, and not in spirit, but there are some reminders of these higher qualities. In many BJJ schools, there are very few rules of etiquette or behavior.
Many BJJ practitioners goals are to enter the MMA cage, or to win tournaments. In most schools, there are not many checks and balances to ensure that the BJJ student has a good attitude.
Conclusions
Did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu come from Judo? A little yes and mostly no. The techniques of Judo were actually taken from classical Jiu-Jitsu, so Judo came from Jiu-Jitsu, but the training method of live sparring was made popular by Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo.
The other thing to take into consideration was that Fusen Ryu Jiu-Jitsu was already doing live sparring on the ground. The practice of live sparring was not invented by Jigoro Kano, as it is a natural part of training. But Kano made it’s practice popular.
It is interesting to note that when referring to Judo, you almost need to to clarify which Judo you are referring to. The beginning of Judo was throwing based. Then it heavily emphasized ground work. But then Kano made Judo more throwing based again.
And to complicate the issue, Kosen Judo remained ground grappling based throughout it’s history.
A lot of what is called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is traced back to Maeda, who had Jiu-Jitsu and Judo training, and who created his own strategies for real situations.
But without Carlos Gracie, and his brothers, including Helio, we may not have the amazing art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu today. They took what they learned and continue to evolve it.
I have heard many Judokas say “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is just Judo. We have the triangle choke, it’s called sanken.”
But why do low rank BJJ practitioners often beat Judo black belts on the ground? It is not the same! There are literally hundreds of techniques taught in BJJ schools that are not taught in Judo dojos.
To be fair, BJJ schools often train Judo to improve their throwing. I am not saying that BJJ is better than Judo. BJJ is better on the ground, and Judo is better standing. And it is not to say that there are not Judo practitioners who can’t grapple on the ground. But Judo does not delve into the groundwork nearly as deep as BJJ, as the rules of Judo tournaments are designed to do.
For those of us who love Jiu-Jitsu, we owe a lot to the Gracies. Whether you agree with everything they do and stand for, without their huge contribution to the martial arts, many of our lives would be different.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has it’s roots in the Gracie family, but the Gracies learned from Mitsuyo Meada (1878-1941), “Count Coma.” He was doing mixed martial arts matches around the world before the Gracies had been taught Jiu-Jitsu, and what BJJ practitioners do today came directly from what he taught the Gracies. The challenge match, the strategies of taking a striker down to the ground to submit them, and the training methods emphasizing live sparring was passed to the Gracies via Maeda.
Mitsuyo Maeda (1878-1941)
Maeda was a classically trained Jiu-Jitsu student that had switched over to Kodokan Judo. He was present when Mataemon Tanabe had defeated many members of the Kodokan (details in part 1), and was part of the movement to incorporate more groundwork (called newaza in Judo) into Judo.
Jigoro Kano had originally sent Maeda to America as a delegate of Kodokan Judo, and Maeda had fought challenge matches in 1904 on the East coast. Maeda felt that America was unsuited to live because of the racism towards Asians. How it would have changed history if he had stayed and developed American students! Would what we train now have been called American Jiu-Jitsu?
Maeda went on to travel the world and have challenge matches, winning all but two. And before World War 1, he ended up in Brazil as part of Japan’s overseas colonization. When Maeda looked for land for which to house the Japanese colonists, he befriended Gastao Gracie, a Scotsman who had emigrated to Brazil and was involved in local politics, who helped Maeda. Both men had an interest in fighting, and Maeda did many challenge matches in Brazil.
Maeda had become quite rich as a result of these challenge matches, and owned a lot of land. And to show appreciation for Gastao Gracie’s help, he offered to teach his sons Jiu-Jitsu.
The Gracie’s sons trained with Maeda for somewhere between 2 to 4 years. Maeda then moved to another part of Brazil.
Maeda’s Curriculum
Maeda was an interesting character. He had fought all over the world in all types of matches: with the gi, no gi, with striking, grappling only, and no rules matches.
What Maeda had taught to the Gracies was Jiu-Jitsu ground work, Judo throws (which came from classical Jiu-Jitsu), some catch wrestling he had learned in England, as well as Maeda’s own strategies for defeating strikers.
In 1925, Carlos Gracie opened his own Jiu-Jitsu school. Similar to Jigoro Kano, Gracie had 4 years training (and possibly less), and was also in his early 20’s (Kano was 22 when he opened his school).
Carlos Gracie
The Gracies began teaching full time and honed their art. What gave them the most notoriety was their participation in public challenge matches. They remained unbeaten, facing boxers, wrestlers, capoeristas, and other martial artists.
It is interesting to see that before the Gracies, Kano had became famous for beating classical Jiu-Jitsu fighters in challenge matches, and Fusen Ryu Jiu-Jitsu had gained influence through beating Judokas in challenge matches, as well as Yukio Tani and Maeda had gained a lot of exposure through challenge matches.
The Gracies continued to evolve their methods of combat through challenge matches. They got rid of the goal of pinning that was prevalent in Judo and Wrestling, as pinning someone down doesn’t hurt or incapacitate an attacker. They focused a lot on the guard, as when they faced larger attackers they often ended up on their back, and continued to seek better ways to gain dominant positions and submissions.
The Big Change in Judo
In 1925 Jigoro Kano implemented a number of rules that prevented ground work from dominating Judo. The Judo that was practiced from the late 1800s until 1925 was most ground grappling based. He added several rules, such as not allowing Judokas to pull guard, and increased referee intervention that prevented the groundwork of Jiu-Jitsu from overshadowing the throws of Judo. Kano wanted Judo to be in the Olympics, and he felt that the groundwork did not appeal to the crowd.
There was one style of Judo- Kosen Judo, that resisted these changes and remained ground grappling dominant. Therefore the style that most represented pre-1925 Judo was Kosen Judo, which was the most similar to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. This is where the rumors that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu came from Kosen Judo originate.
Besides Kosen Judo, Judo became detached from reality combat. The rules were structured to produce spectacular crowd pleasing throws, which would end the match.
Sambo became the national grappling system of the Soviet Union, but because it was from a communist nation, Sambo never got much exposure in the West.
Professional Catch Wrestling, which utilizes throws and submission holds, was ultimately overtaken by fake professional wrestling with “worked” matches.
Amateur wrestling also used to have submission holds, but to make it safer those were eventually not allowed.
One of the few grappling systems that did not get watered down for combat effectiveness was the Jiu-Jitsu taught by Maeda to the Gracies that they continued to develop.
As I mentioned before, much of the information in this post is from the book mentioned above. One thing not mentioned is that much of the philosophy and etiquette of Jiu-Jitsu was not carried on by the Gracies. I don’t know if Maeda never taught them, or if the Gracies just didn’t practice it, but there is a huge difference in attitude and behavior between the average Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.
In the martial arts community, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners have one of the worst reputations for behavior. BJJ practitioners are considered more fighters than martial artists by other martial artists.
In the average martial arts school, there is an atmosphere of respect, humility. It may be there only on an etiquette level, and not in spirit, but there are some reminders of these higher qualities. In many BJJ schools, there are very few rules of etiquette or behavior.
Many BJJ practitioners goals are to enter the MMA cage, or to win tournaments. In most schools, there are not many checks and balances to ensure that the BJJ student has a good attitude.
Conclusions
Did Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu come from Judo? A little yes and mostly no. The techniques of Judo were actually taken from classical Jiu-Jitsu, so Judo came from Jiu-Jitsu, but the training method of live sparring was made popular by Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo.
The other thing to take into consideration was that Fusen Ryu Jiu-Jitsu was already doing live sparring on the ground. The practice of live sparring was not invented by Jigoro Kano, as it is a natural part of training. But Kano made it’s practice popular.
It is interesting to note that when referring to Judo, you almost need to to clarify which Judo you are referring to. The beginning of Judo was throwing based. Then it heavily emphasized ground work. But then Kano made Judo more throwing based again.
And to complicate the issue, Kosen Judo remained ground grappling based throughout it’s history.
A lot of what is called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is traced back to Maeda, who had Jiu-Jitsu and Judo training, and who created his own strategies for real situations.
But without Carlos Gracie, and his brothers, including Helio, we may not have the amazing art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu today. They took what they learned and continue to evolve it.
I have heard many Judokas say “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is just Judo. We have the triangle choke, it’s called sanken.”
But why do low rank BJJ practitioners often beat Judo black belts on the ground? It is not the same! There are literally hundreds of techniques taught in BJJ schools that are not taught in Judo dojos.
To be fair, BJJ schools often train Judo to improve their throwing. I am not saying that BJJ is better than Judo. BJJ is better on the ground, and Judo is better standing. And it is not to say that there are not Judo practitioners who can’t grapple on the ground. But Judo does not delve into the groundwork nearly as deep as BJJ, as the rules of Judo tournaments are designed to do.
For those of us who love Jiu-Jitsu, we owe a lot to the Gracies. Whether you agree with everything they do and stand for, without their huge contribution to the martial arts, many of our lives would be different.
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