A group of Japanese martial artists, the Kodokan, is the original source of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Kano Jigoro, one of the members of the Kodokan, sent out his followers to different parts of the world to spread the knowledge of his teachings. Mitsuyo Maeda was sent to Brazil and he began to share the art of what would become known as jiu-jitsu to the citizens there. Though the martial art was actually closer to judo, the name was not as important as the actions.

One of the people that Maeda associated with was a man with the last name Gracie. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is highly associated with the Gracie name and this is where it began. Carlos Gracie began learning from Maeda and then in 1921, passed his knowledge on to his brothers, including the youngest, Hélio. Hélio adapted the teachings so that he, as a smaller man, could defeat much larger opponents. This became a key part of jiu-jitsu and would be shown again and again in tournaments that size really does not matter in combat.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu got its name when the Gracies came to America. In 1978, Hélio's son, Rorion Gracie, moved to California and began teaching jiu-jitsu out of his garage. Eventually, he was able to open a proper jiu-jitsu academy as word spread about his abilities and people learned more about the history of this fighting style. The Gracie Challenge was issued to any fighter in order to prove just how superior this fighting style was. Rorion and his fighters defeated many others from different fighting styles and the reputation of this form of jiu-jitsu continued to grow.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu exploded across the world in the early 1990s, with the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. These were mixed martial arts fights that were largely no-holds-barred events that paired fighters of different disciplines. Royce Gracie jumped to fame and success by winning three of the first four tournaments, mainly by defeating opponents far larger than he and through submission holds on the ground. It became obvious that his martial art techniques were far superior to those of other disciplines and Brazilian jiu jitsu academies sprang up across North America.

Nowadays, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a huge business and continues to grow with the popularity of mixed martial arts in both competitions and in the movies. The Brazilian jiu jitsu technique is considered by many to be one of the most effective forms of combat, and there are different styles that focus on competitions and on practical uses for defense. Gracie jiu jitsu is a trademarked form of jiu-jitsu and a very effective form of the original discipline. If you are interested in the martial arts, then this is a great place to begin.

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