A HISTORY OF BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU

FROM JAPANESE JUJUTSU TO A GLOBAL MARTIAL ART

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has a long and fascinating history.

The modern art developed in Brazil during the early 20th century, but its story begins much earlier with Japanese grappling traditions and the development of Judo.

What became Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was not created by one person at one particular moment. Instead, it developed over generations through teaching, experimentation, competition and adaptation.

THE JAPANESE ROOTS

The origins of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be traced back to the various grappling systems that existed in Japan for centuries.

Japanese Jujutsu, sometimes written as Jiu Jitsu, was not a single martial art. It was a broad term covering numerous systems developed by different schools.

These arts included techniques for throwing, controlling, restraining and submitting an opponent.

Many traditional Jujutsu systems were developed for situations in which a practitioner might need to fight without relying solely on striking or weapons.

Over time, different schools developed their own approaches and collections of techniques.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF JUDO

During the late 19th century, Jigoro Kano studied several traditional Jujutsu systems.

Kano was interested not only in the fighting techniques themselves, but also in developing a system that could be practised safely and used as a method of physical education and personal development.

In 1882, Kano established the Kodokan in Tokyo and began teaching what became known as Kodokan Judo.

Judo placed a particularly strong emphasis on throwing techniques, but it also incorporated grappling, pins, joint locks and chokes.

A key development was the use of live training, known as randori, allowing students to practise techniques against resisting opponents.

This approach would become extremely important to the later development of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

MITSUYO MAEDA

One of the most important figures in the story of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was Mitsuyo Maeda.

Maeda was a highly skilled Japanese judoka who studied at the Kodokan.

He became known for his ability as a fighter and travelled internationally, demonstrating and teaching Japanese martial arts.

Maeda spent years travelling through countries including the United States, Cuba, Mexico and Europe before eventually travelling to Brazil.

He arrived in Brazil in the early 20th century and eventually settled in the northern Brazilian city of Belém.

There, Maeda became associated with Gastão Gracie, a Brazilian businessman.

Maeda taught Japanese grappling to Gastão's son, Carlos Gracie.

This meeting would become one of the most important events in the history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

THE GRACIE FAMILY

Carlos Gracie began training under Maeda and later introduced his brothers to the art.

The Gracie brothers continued to study, practise and develop the techniques they had learned.

One of Carlos's younger brothers was Helio Gracie.

Helio was physically smaller and, according to the Gracie family's traditional account, found some of the techniques difficult to perform using strength alone.

This encouraged an emphasis on leverage, body positioning and mechanical efficiency.

Helio and his brothers continued experimenting with techniques and applying them through challenging training and fights.

Over time, the Gracie family developed a distinctive approach to grappling that became increasingly associated with the name Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

CHALLENGE MATCHES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ART

In the early decades of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, challenge matches played an important role in demonstrating the effectiveness of different martial arts.

The Gracies became particularly associated with challenging practitioners from other fighting styles.

These encounters helped establish a culture in which techniques were tested against genuine resistance rather than simply demonstrated cooperatively.

The emphasis on live training and challenge matches encouraged practitioners to identify which techniques worked reliably against opponents who were actively trying to resist.

This helped drive the development of BJJ's emphasis on positional control, ground fighting and submissions.

HELIO GRACIE AND THE GRACIE LEGACY

Helio Gracie became one of the most famous figures associated with the development of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

He taught extensively and helped establish the Gracie family's reputation throughout Brazil.

His sons and other members of the family continued teaching and competing, spreading the art to new generations.

It is important to recognise, however, that the development of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was not the work of one family alone.

Many Brazilian practitioners and instructors contributed to the development of the art, including people from outside the Gracie family.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu developed through a broader Brazilian grappling community, even though the Gracie family became its most internationally famous representatives.

THE RISE OF BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU IN BRAZIL

Throughout the middle of the 20th century, BJJ became increasingly established in Brazil.

Different academies developed their own approaches, teaching methods and technical preferences.

Competition became an important part of the culture.

Practitioners competed against one another and continually refined their techniques.

This created an environment where effective techniques could be tested repeatedly against skilled opponents.

The art continued to evolve, particularly in the areas of guard fighting, positional control and submissions.

THE BJJ GUARD

One of the defining characteristics of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu became the sophisticated use of the guard.

In many grappling systems, being underneath an opponent would traditionally be considered a disadvantage.

BJJ developed a much more sophisticated approach to fighting from this position.

A practitioner on their back could use their legs to control an opponent, prevent them from advancing and create opportunities to sweep or submit them.

Over time, numerous forms of guard developed.

The guard became one of the defining strategic elements of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and contributed significantly to the distinct identity of modern BJJ.

ROLLS AND COMPETITION

As BJJ developed, live training became central to the art.

Practitioners regularly trained against resisting partners, allowing them to test techniques in realistic conditions.

Competition provided another environment in which techniques could be tested.

Rather than simply asking whether a technique looked effective, practitioners could discover whether it worked against another trained athlete who knew what they were trying to do.

This constant testing contributed to the technical depth of modern BJJ.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF BJJ COMPETITION

As Brazilian Jiu Jitsu became more established, formal competitions developed.

The Confederação Brasileira de Jiu-Jitsu (CBJJ) and later the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) became major organisations in the development and standardisation of sport BJJ.

Competition rules introduced structured systems for scoring positional advantages while maintaining submissions as a primary method of victory.

The development of organised competition helped BJJ spread internationally and provided practitioners with a consistent competitive framework.

THE GRACIE CHALLENGE

The Gracie family became particularly famous for their challenge matches, commonly associated with the Gracie Challenge.

These challenges were intended to demonstrate the effectiveness of their style against practitioners from other martial arts.

Although many of the stories surrounding these challenges have subsequently become part of BJJ folklore, they played an important role in establishing the reputation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as an effective grappling art.

BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU AND THE BIRTH OF MODERN MMA

Perhaps the most significant event in the international history of BJJ occurred in the early 1990s.

Rorion Gracie, a member of the Gracie family who had moved to the United States, became involved in the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The first UFC event took place in 1993.

Rorion's younger brother, Royce Gracie, represented Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the early UFC events.

Royce was smaller than many of his opponents, but he was able to defeat much larger fighters using positional control and submissions.

His performances attracted enormous attention.

For many people around the world, this was their first exposure to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

THE MMA REVOLUTION

The early UFC events were originally designed in part as contests between different martial arts.

Striking arts, wrestling, kickboxing and traditional martial arts were tested against one another.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu proved remarkably effective.

However, the success of BJJ did not mean that it was the only martial art needed for fighting.

As mixed martial arts evolved, fighters began incorporating wrestling, striking, BJJ and other disciplines into increasingly complete systems.

This produced the modern MMA fighter.

BJJ nevertheless remained one of the fundamental disciplines of mixed martial arts.

THE GLOBAL SPREAD OF BJJ

Following the international exposure generated by the UFC, interest in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grew rapidly outside Brazil.

Academies began appearing across North America, Europe, Australia and eventually throughout much of the world.

Brazilian instructors travelled internationally to teach, while foreign practitioners travelled to Brazil to train.

Major competitions helped establish BJJ as an international sport.

Today, BJJ academies can be found across the globe.

THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN BJJ

Modern Brazilian Jiu Jitsu continues to evolve.

New techniques are developed, existing techniques are refined and strategies change as practitioners discover new ways to solve problems.

The modern game contains an enormous technical vocabulary.

Different styles of guard, passing, takedowns, wrestling, leg attacks, back control and submission systems have developed into highly specialised areas of study.

At the same time, the fundamental principles remain recognisable:

POSITION.
CONTROL.
LEVERAGE.
TIMING.
TECHNIQUE.

GI AND NO-GI BJJ

The development of BJJ has also produced distinct approaches to training in the gi and no-gi.

Gi BJJ allows practitioners to grip the traditional uniform and has developed a huge range of techniques based around those grips.

No-gi removes those grips and places greater emphasis on controlling the body itself.

Both styles have continued to influence one another.

In recent years, no-gi competition has grown particularly rapidly, with major professional events helping bring the style to an increasingly large audience.

BJJ TODAY

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is now practised by people across the world.

It exists simultaneously as:

A MARTIAL ART

A system of grappling, control and submission.

A SPORT

With organised competitions and rules.

A TRAINING METHOD

Using live resistance to develop practical skills.

A LIFELONG PRACTICE

Where practitioners can continue developing their understanding for decades.

BJJ is no longer limited to its Brazilian origins.

It has become a truly international martial art, with practitioners from almost every part of the world contributing to its continued development.

FROM BRAZIL TO ELGIN

The history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu spans centuries and crosses continents.

From traditional Japanese grappling, through the development of Judo, to Mitsuyo Maeda's journey to Brazil and the development of the Brazilian style, BJJ has continually evolved through practice and testing.

Today, that tradition continues in academies around the world.

Including here in Elgin.

At Highlander BJJ, we are proud to be part of that continuing history.

Every time someone steps onto the mat to learn, practise, spar and improve, they become another small part of the ongoing story of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

HIGHLANDER BJJ

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Elgin, Moray

Learn. Train. Improve.