Brazilian jiu-jitsu and its martial art techniques have their roots in Japanese judo. The beginning of their history can be found in a martial arts group called Kodokan. The decision of this group to send out their followers to the rest of the world to share their teachings would have a major impact on the future of mixed martial arts tournaments. In the beginning of the twentieth century, one of these followers reached Brazil and began spreading the knowledge that he had obtained through years of training. An important meeting between this man, Mitsuyo Maeda, and a Brazilian man would change the course of fighting history.

One of the people that Maeda associated with was a man with the last name Gracie. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is highly associated with the Gracie name and this is where it began. Carlos Gracie began learning from Maeda and then in 1921, passed his knowledge on to his brothers, including the youngest, Hélio. Hélio adapted the teachings so that he, as a smaller man, could defeat much larger opponents. This became a key part of jiu-jitsu and would be shown again and again in tournaments that size really does not matter in combat.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu got its name when the Gracies came to America. In 1978, Hélio’s son, Rorion Gracie, moved to California and began teaching jiu-jitsu out of his garage. Eventually, he was able to open a proper jiu-jitsu academy as word spread about his abilities and people learned more about the history of this fighting style. The Gracie Challenge was issued to any fighter in order to prove just how superior this fighting style was. Rorion and his fighters defeated many others from different fighting styles and the reputation of this form of jiu-jitsu continued to grow.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu exploded across the world in the early 1990s, with the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. These were mixed martial arts fights that were largely no-holds-barred events that paired fighters of different disciplines. Royce Gracie jumped to fame and success by winning three of the first four tournaments, mainly by defeating opponents far larger than he and through submission holds on the ground. It became obvious that his martial art techniques were far superior to those of other disciplines and Brazilian jiu jitsu academies sprang up across North America.

The Gracies can take pride in having taken the secrets and techniques from judo masters of Japan, and bringing them to excellent use beyond anyone’s expectations. Brazilian jiu-jitsu might not have had the impact on the fighting world that it has had, if Hélio Gracie had not looked for ways to improve upon the techniques shared by Maeda. Through each generation the Gracies have made strides to continue the history of this martial art through the jiu jitsu schools they run and the fights they win.

Beth Kaminski is a leading expert in the treatment for anxiety attacks and has been publishing lots of information on the best anxiety disorder medication for years now.