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2000 BCE
PANKRATION
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356 BCE
THE BEGINNING
WITH JIU JITSU ENCOMPASSING GROUND FIGHTING AS A WHOLE, IT IS HARD TO PINPOINT JIU JITSU'S EXACT ORIGIN. MANY THEORIES DATE ALL THE WAY BACK TO ANCIENT INDIA WITH THE BUDDHIST MONKS AND THEIR PHILOSOPHY. THE GOAL IN THIS ART IS TO NEUTRALIZE AN AGGRESSOR WHILE DOING AS LITTLE HARM TO THEM AS POSSIBLE, WHILE STILL USING THE SELF DEFENSE TECHNIQUES IN THEIR PURSUIT OF SELF-MASTERY. -
JAPAN AGE / THE EVOLUTION
IU JITSU DID NOT REALLY EVOLVE UNTIL CENTURIES LATER WHEN IT EXPANDED THROUGHOUT ASIA. THE SAMURAI USED IT ON THE BATTLEFIELDS AS A FIGHTING METHOD TO DEFEAT BOTH ARMED AND UNARMED OPPONENTS. THE ACTUAL TERM “JIU JITSU” IS TRANSLATED TO “THE GENTLE ART” -
JIGORO KANO
JIU JITSU HAD TO GO THROUGH MANY MODIFICATIONS IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE PRACTICED. THIS IS WHEN A MAN NAMED JIGORO KANO (1860-1938) CREATED A STYLE OF JIU JITSU THAT PLACED MORE EMPHASIS ON THROWS AND COULD SAFELY BE PRACTICED AT A HIGH INTENSITY WITHOUT CONSTANTLY CAUSING THE PRACTITIONERS INJURIES, WHILE PROMOTING HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. THIS STYLE WAS CALLED “KANO JIU JITSU” AND LATER “JUDO.” -
CARLOS GRACIE
MAEDA USED JIU JITSU AS A TOOL TO TEACH THE YOUNG CARLOS VALUES LIKE SELF CONTROL, DISCIPLINE AND RESPECT. IN 1925 CARLOS SETTLED IN RIO DE JANEIRO, WHERE HE OPENED ACADEMIA GRACIE DE JIU JITSU. CARLOS BEGAN TO TEACH THE ART TO HIS YOUNGER BROTHERS OSWALDO, GASTAO, GEORGE, AND HELIO AS WELL AS DEVELOPING A PHILOSOPHY A THE GRACIE FAMILY BEGAN TO GROW, AND THE BROTHERS BEGAN TO CHALLENGE OTHER FIGHTERS TO NO-HOLDS- BARRED FIGHTS TO PROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF JIU JITSU -
CARLSON GRACIE / RESURRECTION
CARLSON THEN BECAME THE “BLACK SHEEP” OF THE GRACIE FAMILY WHEN HE MOVED TO COPACABANA AND BEGAN TEACHING NON-GRACIE’S EVERYTHING HE KNEW OPPOSED TO THE WAY HIS FAMILY DID. ONLY TEACHING BASIC TECHNIQUES TO OUTSIDERS AND KEEPING THE FUNDAMENTALS TO THEMSELVES. CARLSON BEGAN TO SHAPE THE WORLD’S FIGHTERS TO BECOME THE BEST TEAM EVER FORMED IN JIU JITSU HISTORY: MARIO SPERRY, WALLID ISMAIL, MURILO BUSTAMANTE, VITOR BELFORT, AMAURY BITETTI, AND RICARDO LIBORIO. ALSO, ANDRE PEDERNEIRAS. -
ANDRE PEDERNEIRAS / THE NEW UNION
ONE OF CARLSON GRACIE’S TOP STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS ANDRE PEDENEIRAS OPENED HIS OWN SCHOOL. WHILE HIS ATHLETES DID WELL AT TOURNAMENTS HE FOUND IT HARD TO WIN THE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS BECAUSE HIS TEAM LACKED THE NUMBERS THAT OTHER ESTABLISHED JIU JITSU TEAMS HAD. THAT IS WHEN HE MET WITH A MAN NAMED WENDEL ALEXANDER AND THEY STARTED A NEW TEAM NAMED NOVA UNIAO OR “NEW UNION” WHICH FORMED MANY CHAMPIONS, MOST NOTABLY THE FIRST AMERICAN BORN BLACK BELT JIU JITSU WORLD CHAMPION BJ PENN. -
BJ PENN / THE PRODIGY
BJ PENN WAS THE FIRST NON-BRAZILIAN WINNER OF THE WORLD JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE BLACK-BELT CATEGORY. BJ IS REGARDED AS ONE OF THE MOST GIFTED MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTERS IN THE WORLD. HE IS KNOWN FOR HIS INCREDIBLE FLEXIBILITY AND HIS WILLINGNESS TO FIGHT ANYONE REGARDLESS OF THEIR WEIGHT CLASS. PENN HAS EARNED THE FASTEST BLACK BELT (3 YEARS) OF ALL ACTIVE BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONS. PENN IS ONE OF ONLY TWO UFC FIGHTERS TO EVER HOLD BELTS IN TWO DIVISIONS. -
MENDES BROS / MODERN JIU JITSU
AFTER BECOMING WORLD CHAMPIONS IN THE BLUE, PURPLE, AND BROWN BELT CATEGORIES, THE MENDES BROS WERE AWARDED THEIR BLACK BELTS FROM PROFESSOR RAMON IN 2008. SINCE THEN, RAFAEL AND GUI HAVE WON A COMBINED TOTAL OF 9 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE BLACK BELT DIVISION. RAFAEL IS ALSO A 2X ADCC CHAMPION AND IS THE YOUNGEST MAN TO WIN THE EVENT. RAFAEL AND GUI HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED IN DEVELOPING MANY REVOLUTIONARY POSITIONS WHICH HAS EARNED THEM THE CLAIM OF CREATING "MODERN JIU JITSU.” -
Old Jiu Jitsu teachings video
