| Last month, I sat down with a group of | | | | to train his sons. Maeda only had a few |
| friends to watch the latest pay-per-view | | | | months with the boy so he started with the |
| Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event. | | | | basics and stressed groundwork rather then |
| | | | the more complex standing techniques. |
| The host of the party was a major fan, and he | | | | |
| laid out a nice spread for us with plenty of | | | | Helio Gracie loved Judo and continued his |
| food and cold beer. The fights started and | | | | training and teaching. While it is unsure why |
| all seemed to be going well until my host | | | | he began calling it Jiu Jitsu, every |
| started acting as if he knew something about | | | | takedowns, throw, and submission were all |
| fighting. | | | | things he learned from Maeda. |
| | | | |
| Oh, he knew plenty about the UFC athletes, | | | | Helio's only defeat (most matches were draws) |
| but not much about an actual street fight. | | | | was to Japanese Judoka Masahiko Kimura who |
| | | | broke Helio's arm and won the match. To |
| For him, the be-all-end-all was Brazilian | | | | Helio's credit, he didn't tap out, but Kimura |
| Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). He raved about how the | | | | completely dominated the match throwing his |
| Gracie family had invented the sport and how | | | | lesser skilled opponent to the ground at |
| their fighting style dominated anything else | | | | will. |
| out there. | | | | |
| | | | The family continued to teach Brazilian |
| I tried to keep quite, but you can only | | | | Jiu-Jitsu and even brought back "old-school" |
| listen to someone spout the wrong information | | | | judo leg-locks and lower body submission. |
| for so long. | | | | When they brought it to the United States |
| | | | through the UFC, its popularity grew greatly. |
| I explained to him that the Gracie's did not | | | | |
| invent anything, and that everything they | | | | While the BJJ guys preyed on wrestlers, |
| taught they learned from Judo. Sure, they | | | | boxers, and other martial artists who had |
| were tough and were a great bunch of athletes | | | | never even been choked before, the judo |
| (and some of the nicest guys you'd ever meet) | | | | community continued to focus its efforts on |
| but they did not do anything new. | | | | the Olympics. |
| | | | |
| To fully understand BJJ you must first must | | | | When retired judo Olympic champ Yoshida |
| look at the evolution of jujutsu into the | | | | entered the "Pride Fighting Championships" |
| pre-WWII Judo curriculum developed by Jigoro | | | | (Japan's UFC), he handily bested any BJJ |
| Kano in the late 19th century. | | | | practitioner who stepped into the ring. - |
| | | | including UFC champ Royce Gracie. |
| Though supporters of BJJ say Kano considered | | | | |
| ground fighting unimportant, they couldn't be | | | | I can't even imagine the damage he would have |
| more wrong. Kano simply stressed standing | | | | done in his prime to today's mediocre mixed |
| techniques because it took ten-times longer | | | | martial arts fighters. |
| to learn then ground work. | | | | |
| | | | Listen, I have no problem admitting that |
| In fact, in Japan the saying is "One year to | | | | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu works well in a ring, |
| learn ground, ten years to learn standing." | | | | cage, or octagon. While an Olympic caliber |
| | | | judoka would destroy them in competition, BJJ |
| One of Kano's students Mitsuyo Maeda, a | | | | still seems to be a useful skill for today's |
| veteran Judo instructor who had already | | | | MMA fighter. |
| taught in a number of countries, seemed like | | | | |
| the perfect choice to go to Brazil after | | | | But don't you dare think that BJJ is the |
| World War I. | | | | answer on the street. |
| | | | |
| Maeda showed what Judo could do when he | | | | When you hit the deck, there are way too many |
| defeated many wrestlers and boxers with pins, | | | | variables to consider. Including being |
| armbars, and throws. He even allowed one | | | | stomped on, bitten, gouged, or slammed into |
| challenger to use a knife and still quickly | | | | concrete. |
| defeated the man. These exhibitions made | | | | |
| Maeda one of the first mix martial artists. | | | | While judo is still technically a sport, at |
| He became very popular in Brazil and | | | | least its training is symbolic of real |
| impressed Gastao Gracie, a wealthy | | | | combat. Throw a man to the ground with force, |
| businessman. | | | | gain dominant position, THEN finish him off |
| | | | if necessary...otherwise be on your feet and |
| In exchange for financial help, Maeda agreed | | | | ready for your next opponent. |