An introduction to Brazilian Jiu Juitsu

How was a small and fragile man able to defeat more athletic men who were twice the size of him? Helio Gracie is a pioneer of one of the most deadly martial arts on the planet - The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Helio Gracie together with his brothers and then the next generations of Gracie family, have developed this unique grappling style. As a young man Helio Gracie had a lot of health problems and was advised by the doctors not to do any physical activity. In addition to that he was not as athletic as his brothers and only weighted about 65 kilograms. His older brother Carlos met a jiu jitsu and judo expert called Mitsuyo Esai Maeda from Japan.He would train with him and quickly became his top student. Anything that Carlos learnt from Maeda he would try to pass onto his brothers. They would spar regularly however, Helio was not allowed to be a part of the fighting team as he was too frail, instead he would stand aside and try to understand the mechanics of the Jiu Jitsu game.

Fast forward few years in 1925, Carlos Gracie was able to fulfil his dream to open a first jiu juitsu academy in Rio de Janeiro. He invited the rest of his brothers including Helio to help with the academy and also he wanted to take his brothers out of their abusive environment. Helio was secretly sparing with brothers Oswaldo, Gastao and George - he was hiding this from Carlos who was too worried about his younger brother's health. Due to his little size Helio struggled and would often get beaten up by his brothers. That's when he started modifying the techniques to accommodate his weak body. He emphasized on leverage and timing, rather than strength and speed. Over the course of the next few years he developed what is now known as Brazilian or Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

To prove the effectiveness of his new fighting system Helio has challenged all the best martial artists in Brazil. The word has spread and he attracted attention of top fighters from all around the world in disciplines like boxing,judo and wrestling. He managed to win or draw even if the opponents were much bigger than him.