The Origins of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

It was a nostalgic experience to watch UFC 147 http://www.ufc.com/ in Brazil this past Saturday next to my Brazilian companion. The event was held in a soccer arena, with many Brazilian fans waving soccer flags while at the UFC. Soccer is still their main sport and passion.

Having travelled through Brazil a few years ago from Sao Paulo to Rio and training Jiu Jitsu in a posh sports club in Sao Paulo, http://www.flaviobehring.com/  watching the UFC in that country reminded me of that adventure. I have spent most of my adult life training a variety of martial arts such as karate, aikido and jiu jitsu it  behooved me why the best Jiu Jitsu fighters seem to come out of this 3rd world country.

However, after discussions with my Brazilian engineer, I learned that Brazil has the second largest concentration of Japanese nationals in the world (2nd after Japan). In the early 1900's, the Brazilian government was giving free land to settlers to develop the agricultural forests they had so much of but did not have the skilled labour. Hence the influx of Japanese farmers and martial artists.

This was pre WWll and the techniques that were taught to the poplulation were in their truest form passed down from Samurai to Sensei. The proliferation of martial arts exported from Japan after WWll were a different type - a sports karate and sports Judo, without the same effect as the original styles. the Japanese Senseis still shaking from the beating of WWll and  were keeping the real techniques to themselves.
Hence you have the origin of Judo (the gentle way) being Jiu Jitsu (the Samurai art) with real techniques being taught in a lawless and dangerous country pre WWll.

Many of the great Brazilian fighters come from the Favela's (ghettos) of Brazil, near Rio and Sao Paulo, where only the toughest survive. The Gracie's of Rio, would often test their techniques out in bars etc. to hone their skills. The fighting circuit in Brazil called Vale Tudo (no holds barred) was the Brazilian, uncensored UFC where these fighters got their real cage experience.

So when you wonder why there is such good technical Jiu Jitsu from Brazil, just remember, the foundation is built on good old school  Japanese training, adjusted for real life survival in the tough streets of a generally  lawless and poor South American society.

Arigatoh,


The Adventure Guy

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