What's the big deal about Brazilian jujitsu?

Question

Okay, of late I've heard quite a lot about this whole Brazilian jujitsu thing? If jujitsu is from Japan, how in the world did it end up in Brazil? And what's the difference between the two?

Answer 1

the main difference would be the ingredients that you put in the burrito

Answer 2

Jiu Jitsu /  Jujitsu did originate in Japan - it is a grappling-and striking art which was used by samurai for disarming an opponent when they couldn't use their weapons or when it was impractical (indoors for example).  

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is actually based more on judo / jiu-do, another japanese grappling art.  It came to Brazil because the top instructors of the art in Japan sent out their top students to spread the art by doing demonstrations and competitions against fighters in other arts.  

When they made it to Brazil (around 1920) the Gracie family became students.  Carlos and Helio Gracie eventually became teachers, and continued to develop the art into what you see today.  The Gracie family eventually started promoting "vale tudo" fights - basically MMA matches - in Rio De Janero.  These evolved into the UFC, Rio Heroes, etc. which are still being promoted.

Judo incorporates more throws, chokes, and locks than traditional Japanese Jujutsu.  Japanese Jujutsu uses more strikes and disarming techniques. Since Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)comes from Judo, it also has more throws, locks, chokes, etc. but the Brazilian influence has evolved BJJ into an art focused on technique over strength.  The Gracie's have claimed for years that BJJ is the #1 combat art in the world and that the smaller man can beat the larger man with this system, regardless of strength.  

That's a really broad general overview, but I hope it helps some.

Answer 3

to make it simple a very good jujitsu guy came to brazil and taught a family called the gracies. the gracies adapted this art for competition in vale tudo and had great success. this raised an appreciation for groundfighting as an important range of combat and brazilian jiu jitsu has been proven as an effective art in no holds barred competitions like the ufc and as a combatives system in the us army

Answer 4

Good question actually. I don't know how many people out there know the real history of BJJ.

Story goes a little something like this. Jujutsu has its origins in Japan. Jujutsu was the original unarmed combat system of the samurai. Over time, the art spread through out Japan and different schools of jujutsu were founded called ryu. The most popular probably being Daito-ryu. In the 1800s, as Japan opened up to the rest of the world, so did the art of jujutsu. True jujutsu had many dangerous attacks, joint locks, and powerful throws. Jujutsu garnered a reputation for being excessively violent. This is where a man named Jigoro Kano comes into play. Kano was a jujutsu expert who recognized the challenges facing jujutsu, and that if certain actions were not taken, the art could be in danger of dying out completely. Traditional jujutsu contained various violent and dangerous techniques, joint locks, eye gouges, etc, that could obviously not be trained in active sparring. Therefore, most techniques were taught via kata. Kano recognized the limits in kata, and set about to rectify the situation. Kano's revolutionary idea was called randori, or live sparring. Training techniques at full speed and power with an opponent who was resisting with his full strength and speed. This, Kano deemed, was a much more effective means of training than mindlessly practicing kata. But as emphasis was placed on randori, certain more dangerous techniques were graudally phased out of his curriculum. As time went out Kano further modified traditional jujutsu, eventually naming his new art Judo. This is where yet another character comes into play. Mitsuyo Maeda, a student of traditional jujutsu and Kano's new art of judo. Kano was eager to spread his new art throughout the world in hopes of becoming a recognized Olympic sport, so he sent Maeda, along with a senior instructor to the United States. Being pig headed Americans like we are, we immediately challenged this new form of fighting and Maeda found himself defending his art frequently, as well as challenging others to prove judo's dominance. This went against the moral and ethical code held by judoka, and Maeda soon found himself on his own. Time went by and Maeda found his way to Brazil, where Japan was active trying to start a colony in northern Brazil. Maeda, through his dealings in the political scene, became acquainted with a man named Gastao Gracie, and eventually began teaching his art to his son, Carlos. Maeda by this time had developed his own style of jujutsu, taking into account many ways to negate the strengths of the boxers and wrestlers he had so many challenge matches with back in the states. Maeda instructed Carlos for as little as four years. So not a whole lot of knowledge was passed between the two. After a few years of instruction, however, Carlos opened his own academy. With very little in terms of actual technical instruction, it was up to Carlos and the rest of the Gracie clan to modify and perfect the art as they saw fit. The Gracie family had many sons, and they all trained, modified, perfected techniques together. (A point I always try to make about how useful it is to have brothers or close friends that train. Endless experimentation.) Anyways, INCREDIBLY LONG STORY, but using the blend of techniques brought down through traditional jujutsu and judo, and modifying techniques to suite their needs  the Gracies developed the art now known as Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Answer 5

If you want to know what the big deal about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is, then watch UFC 1 (The Beginning) where a tiny Royce Gracie is submitting men much bigger, stronger and heavier than him!

Answer 6

go to wikipedia, type in brazilian jiu jitsu...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_J...

Answer 7

They wanted to spread jujitsu and show it's power

http://www.combatjudo.us/History-Judo_BJ...

-+By the way jujitsu was getting a very bad rep before kano. it was a common to criminals and thugs on the street.

These days people like to say that it dose not work on the streets. Tell that to all of the gang members in Brazil that use it to attack people to the point where it has almost been

made against the law. It is arguably one of the most affective martial arts.....as early ufc events will show Karate fighters, boxers , what ever it was they fell at the hands of bjj. these days everyone has to learn how to defend on the ground or they won't make it past a well trained bjj fighter

Also if i'm not mistaken they had they intended to show the power of jujitsu by fighting martial artists around the world and if this is true that pig headed american thing was un called for buddy!!ha

Answer 8

History of this is complicated! Here's my brief review. USA went and decided to go to Japan and trade with them by force. Then Kano sent his #1 student Kimura to demonstrate Judo to President Roosevelt and it's effectiveness! Roosevelt was impressed and found out that Japan had alot to offer. Then Kimura and his japanize  friends stopped at Brazil and asked for a place to stay. One of the Gracie's offered them a place to stay. Then Kimura offered the Gracie's a class for his Hospitality. He trained and told Gracie's Children that they need Speed and Strength to use this art effectively. The Gracie's came up with way's of fighting Stronger opponents by using ground fighting positions. It worked and even 13 year olds were betting Karate experts in fighting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-SltgKQH...

Answer 9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_J...

Answer 10

lastsonofkrypton007 sums it up, the only thing I can add is a link to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuyo_Mae...

Best wishes :)***