1 - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Story
2 - Il "Konde Koma"
3 - Le origini del Ne Waza nel
Judo
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Story
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)
is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting with the goal of gaining a dominant position from which to force an attacker to submit. The
system developed from a modified version of pre-World War II Judo including some techniques from Japanese Jujutsu and
with a focus on ne-waza (ground technique). It promotes the
principle that a smaller, weaker person using leverage and
proper technique can successfully defend themselves against
a bigger, stronger assailant. BJJ can be trained for self
defense, sport grappling tournaments (gi and no-gi) and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition. Sparring and live drilling play a major
role in training, and a premium is placed on performance,
especially in competition.
Origin
The art began with Mitsuyo Maeda (later known as Count Koma), a Japanese expert judoka and
member of the Kodokan. Jigoro Kano sent Maeda overseas to spread his Judo to the world.
Eventually, Maeda immigrated to Brazil in
the 1910s where
an influential businessman named Gastão Gracie helped him get established. In
return for his aid, Maeda taught the fighting art to
Gastão's son Carlos Gracie,
who then taught the art to his brothers, including Hélio Gracie.
When Maeda taught the art to the Gracies
he called it Jujitsu instead of Judo. It is not known why he
chose the name Jujitsu because Maeda had only trained in
Jujitsu for a very brief time as a child. There is much
speculation and debate over this. One theory is that because
Maeda was fighting in "no hold barred" type matches that
Kano felt was against the principles of Judo, Maeda changed
the name because of a falling out with Kano. Another theory
is that Maeda included many "dirty" techniques in his
teaching that had originated from classical jujitsu. At the
time it was simply known as Jiu-Jitsu - not "Gracie
Jiu-Jitsu" or "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu." These latter terms came
to be when the Gracies came to the United States to spread
their art. "Jiu-Jitsu" was also the original spelling of the
art in the West and that is why this style retains the
original (although technically incorrect) spelling of the
art. Other common spellings are Jujitsu, Jujutsu Ju jitsu &
Ju-Jitsu. The variety of spellings are due to the difficulty
in translating Japanese Kanji into English words.
The Gracie brothers trained many of their
sons, who carried on the family tradition. Hélio had the
opportunity to teach a class one day while Carlos was
absent. Through constant technical refinement in training
and real fighting, emphasizing ground-work, Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu as it is known today was created. The Gracie family continued to develop the system throughout the 20th century,
often fighting vale tudo matches (precursors to modern MMA), during which it gained
its focus on ground fighting and refined its techniques.[
Spread
Other contributing factors to the
stylistic divergence of BJJ include the Gracies' desire to
create a national martial art, the influence of Brazilian
culture, the Gracies' emphasis on full-contact fighting and
self-defence, the post-World
War II closing of the Kodokan by
the American Occupation Authority (which were only allowed
to reopen on the condition that emphasis be shifted towards
sport), as well as the Gracies' additions to the body of
technique and theories regarding self-defense,
martial arts and training methods.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu came to international
prominence in the martial arts community in the 1990s, when
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Royce Gracie won the first, second and fourth of the Ultimate Fighting Championships,
a single elimination martial arts tournament against sometimes much larger
opponents who were practicing other styles, including
boxing, shoot-fighting, karate, judo, tae kwon do and
wrestling. It has since become a staple art for many MMA fighters and is largely credited for bringing wide-spread
attention to the aspect of ground fighting. Sport BJJ
tournaments continue to grow in popularity worldwide and
have given rise to no-gi submission grappling tournaments, such as the ADCC Submission Wrestling World
Championship.
Hélio competed in several judo
competitions where most ended in a draw, one defeat came by Masahiko Kimura,
whose name was placed on top of the arm lock used to defeat
Helio officially. In a much later interview, Helio admitted
that he was choked unconscious early in the fight but
regained consciousness quickly and avoided losing early.
There are many accounts of what transpired during their
fight, ranging from Kimura mocking Helio's stance and openly
insulting him, to Kimura being so impressed with Helio's
performance that he invited Hélio to teach in Japan.
Today, Hélio teaches οccasionally
in Brazil and accompanies his sons during fights.The art is
sometimes referred to as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (GJJ) but this
name is trademarked by Rorion Gracie and specifically refers to the style taught by him and his
selected teachers. Other members of the Gracie family often
call their style by personalized names, such as Charles
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu or Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and similarly,
the Machado brothers call their style Machado Jiu-Jitsu (MJJ). While each style
and its instructors have their own unique aspects, they are
regarded as variations of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
BJJ vs Judo vs
Japanese JuJitsu
The most important factor that
differentiates Brazilian Jiu-jitsu from Judo and
some schools of Japanese Jujutsu is
that BJJ places a decided emphasis on ground fighting.
While Japanese Jujutsu and Judo do incorporate training in
ground fighting (newaza),
with some schools favoring more ground techniques than
others, few Japanese schools put as much emphasis on ground
techniques as BJJ. Some, if not the majority, of BJJ schools
overlook most throwing techniques entirely. Such a training
regime is responsible for the great advances in ground
fighting introduced by Brazilian Jiu-jitsu[citation
needed],
and also for weaknesses in standing grappling, which some
remedy by cross training in Judo and/or Wrestling. In
addition, like Judo, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu encourages "randori"
or free sparring against a live, resisting opponent. Thus, students have an
opportunity to test their skills and develop them under
realistic conditions, while minimising the risk of injury.
It is sometimes assumed that Maeda was an
expert in Jujitsu, however, while in the late 1800s Judo was
considered a school of jiu-jitsu and he could use the terms
interchangeably, Maeda only trained in traditional Jujitsu
very briefly as a child and it is interesting to note that
old Kodokan records have Hélio Gracie to be recorded as a
3rd dan in judo. The considerable differences between BJJ
and the Japanese styles include more emphasis on strikes on
the ground, and holds and joint locks forbidden in sport
Judo but taught in practical Judo or traditional Jujutsu.
Today, the major difference of Gracie/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
styles lies between Helio Gracie's
Traditional Gracie Jiu-Jitsu for self-defense and Sport
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu designed for point competition, there is
however a large crossover in techniques between the two.
Techniques
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is designed for
one-on-one fighting. It emphasizes ground fighting techniques and submission holds involving joint-locks and chokeholds also found in numerous other arts with or without ground
fighting emphasis. The premise is that most of the advantage
of a larger, stronger opponent comes from superior reach and
more powerful strikes, both of which are sometimes negated
if grappling on the ground. BJJ includes many Judo and wrestling techniques to throw or
tackle opponents to the ground which revolve around using
the primary bases of the body, the hips and shoulders.
These takedowns are difficult to counter without training.
Once the opponent is on the ground, a number of manoeuvres
(and counter-manoeuvres) are available to manipulate the
opponent into suitable position for the application of a
submission hold. This system of manoeuvring and manipulation
can be likened to a form of kinetic chess when utilized by
two experienced practitioners. A submission hold is the
equivalent of checkmate.
Submission holds can be grouped into two
broad categories: joint locks and chokes.
Joint locks typically involve isolating an opponent's limb
and creating a lever with your own body position which will
force the joint to move past its normal range of motion.
Pressure should be increased in a controlled manner and
released if the opponent cannot escape the hold and signals
defeat by submitting. The commonly accepted form of
submission is to tap the opponent, gym mat, or even
yourself, three times. Verbal submission is also acceptable
but less common.
Alternatively, one could apply a choke
hold, disrupting the blood supply to the brain,
causing unconsciousness if the opponent refuses to tap out.
Most BJJ "chokes" involve constriction of
the carotid artery (causing hypoxia).
Technically these are not "chokes" but "strangles," however
the term "choke" is often erroneously used to cover both
chokes and strangulations. This differs from the more
instinctive choking movements which generally involve
constriction of the windpipe (causing asphyxia) -
a legitimate choke. Though this distinction may at first
seem subtle it is in fact significant (commonly referred to
as "blood" and "air" chokes respectively). Air chokes are
highly inefficient and may result in damage to the
opponent's trachea,
sometimes even resulting in death. In contrast, blood chokes
(strangulations) directly cut the flow of blood off to the
opponent's brain causing a rapid loss of consciousness
without damaging the internal structure. Being "choked-out"
in this way is actually relatively safe as long as the choke
is released soon after unconsciousness, letting blood (and
therefore oxygen)
back into the brain before the damages of oxygen deprivation begin. However, it should not be practiced in an
unsupervised atmosphere.
The prevalence of the dangerous "air"
chokes has actually led to the banning of chokeholds from
some United States police departments. Because of the
negative legal connotations of the words choke and even
strangulation one is advised to use the term "lateral
vascular restraint" when describing a blood choke used in a
self-defense situation.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's limitation to
submissions without the addition of strikes while training allows practitioners to practice at full
speed and almost full power, resembling the effort used in a
real competition.
While many joint locks are permitted,
most competitions bar or restrict some or all joint locks
involving the knees and spine. The reasoning behind this
being that the angles of manipulation required to cause pain
are nearly the same to cause serious injury. Joint locks
that require a twisting motion of the knee (called twisting
knee locks or twisting knee bars) are usually banned in
competitions as successfully completing the move nearly
always results in permanent damage that requires surgery.
Similarly, joint manipulations of the spine are typically barred due to the inherent danger of crushing
or mis-aligning cervical vertebrae.
In Brazil, certain locks involving the knees and ankles are
only allowed in competition starting at the brown belt. Any
competitor from white to purple belt who tries any of these
locks may be disqualified.
However, most joint locks involving the
wrist, elbow, shoulder or ankle are permitted as there is a
great deal more flexibility in those joints and are safe to
use under tournament conditions. Also, in lower levels of
competition, some fighters practice moves whose sole purpose
is to inflict pain upon their opponent, in the hope that
they will tap out. This includes driving knuckles into pressure points,
holding their opponent's head in order to tire out the neck
(called the "can opener" or kubi-hishigi) and putting body
weight on top of the sternum, floating ribs,
or similarly sensitive bones. These moves are not true
submission moves and are avoided or brutally countered in
middle to upper levels of competition. Generally, they are
used as distractions.
The main emphasis in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
is to dominate the opponent through application of technique
and force them to quit (submit). By using the techniques of
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a smaller practitioner, male or female,
can control much larger and stronger opponents and actually
force the larger opponent to submit.
Grading
The standards for grading and belt
promotions vary between schools, but the widely accepted
measures of a person's skill and rank in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
are (1) the amount of technical knowledge they can
demonstrate, and (2) their performance in sparring and
competition.
Technical knowledge is judged by the
number of techniques a person can perform, and the level of
skill with which he performs them in sparring and
competition. This allows for smaller and older people to be
recognized for their knowledge though they may not be the
biggest and strongest fighters in the school. It is a
distinctly individual sport, and practitioners are
encouraged to adapt the techniques to make them work for
their body type, strategy, and level of athleticism. The
ultimate criterion is the ability to execute the technique
successfully, and not stylistic compliance.
Competitions play an important role in
the grading of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as they allow an
instructor to compare the level of his students against
those of the same rank in other schools. A belt promotion
may be given after success in a competition, particularly at
the lower belts. A promotion might also be awarded when a
person can submit most people in his school of the same
rank, e.g. a white belt who consistently submits most other
white belts in sparring and is starting to catch blue belts.
The high level of competition between
schools and its importance to belt promotion is also
considered to be one of the key factors preventing
instructors from lowering standards or allowing people to
buy their way up the belts.
Many instructors also take the
personality of the person and their behavior outside of
class into account, and may refuse to promote someone if
they exhibit antisocial or destructive tendencies.
It is by these and other criteria that
most instructors promote their students. A few schools may
also have formal testing and include oral or written exams.
Also, some schools may use a stripe
system for each level belt, meaning that they must progress
through a certain rank for each belt.
Adult Belts (16 and
over) |
White |
|
Blue |
|
Purple |
|
Brown |
|
Black |
|
Red |
|
Children's belts (15
and under) |
White |
|
Yellow |
|
Orange |
|
Green |
|
Some schools use slightly different belt
systems, such as having more colored belts before blue belt,
but the above are the only widely accepted ranks as they are
the standards for tournaments.
There are minimum age requirements for
belt promotions. Blue belts are never awarded to anyone
under the age of 16. For promotion to black belt the minimum
age is 18 years old or older according to the main
regulating body of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the International Federation of Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu.
Stripes may be awarded to any rank below black belt,
but like the belts themselves, tend to be given at the
instructor's discretion, and may be in recognition of
accomplishments like noticeably improving or victories in a
tournament. However, not all schools award stripes, or award
them consistently, so the number of stripes a person has is
not necessarily a good measure of their accomplishments or
time in training. When they are used, it is standard for a
student to receive 4 stripes before being promoted to the
next rank.
Black belts can receive degrees for as
long as they train or teach the art. At 8th , the
black belt is replaced by an alternately red and black belt.
At 9th & 10th degree the belt becomes
solid red. Only the founding Gracie Brothers Helio,Carlos &
his brothers will ever have the 10th degree red belt. The
Gracie family members who are 9th degrees belt
holders are Carlson Gracie,
Reylson Gracie and Rorion Gracie who was promoted on October 27, 2003 by his
father Helio Gracie.
BJJ differs in some aspects from other
martial arts in the criteria for grade promotion, which is
almost exclusively based on practical expertise in randori
(free sparring, or rolling) and championship results. Its
expected, although not always the case, that any BJJ black
belt is extremely proficient in every applied aspect of BJJ
and also fare well in competition. Less emphasis is given to
theoretical and background knowledge. Rarely any formal test
is performed for the grading, which is based mainly in
observation at every-day practice sessions. For contrast, as
an example, in Judo practical knowledge and expertise in
shiai (competition) and/or randori alone will hardly give an
athlete the black-belt grade, as knowledge of technique
names and Kata demonstration are necessary to a black belt
holder. Its not always the case tough since some schools,
mainly traditional Japanese schools, has the prerequisite
that a judoka defeats a set number of opponents from higher
grades before advancing.
By Wikipedia