In the 1920, Carlos Gracie took out an ad in the paper saying “If you want to get your face beaten and well-smashed, and if you want broken arms, look for me at this address.”
Through generations of these challenges, the techniques learned from Mitsuyo Maeda were refined. The result is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and modern mixed martial arts.
Maeda was sent out by Jigoro Kano to represent Judo. He took professional wrestling matches, and challenge matches, something that the Kodokan felt was not in keeping with the moral precepts of Judo, so Maeda used the older term of Jiu-Jitsu. Many have argued that what the Gracies learned was not in fact Jiu-Jitsu, but Judo.
However, BJJEE.com argues that that is not the case.
Maeda was a classically trained Jiu-Jitsu student that had switched over to Kodokan Judo. He was present when Mataemon Tanabe had defeated many members of the Kodokan, and was part of the movement to incorporate more groundwork into Judo.
What Maeda had taught to the Gracies was in fact Jiu-Jitsu ground work, Judo throws (which came from classical Jiu-Jitsu), some catch wrestling he had learned in England, as well as Maeda’s own strategies for defeating strikers.
In a 1994 interview by fighter Yoshinori Nishi, translated by Yoko Kondo, Helio Gracie says explicitly that what Maeda taught his brother Carlos was not called Judo, it was called Jiu-Jitsu.
Yoshinori Nishi: I would like to ask you something technical … What kind of style of jiu-jitsu was it you learned?
Helio Gracie: I remember vaguely that my brother Carlos was learning it from Konde Koma (Kosei Maeda) around 1914. Anyway I was just four years old at that time. To tell the truth, I don’t remember well the technique directly taught by Koma. Carlos opened the dojo in Rio when he was 25 years old, and I was watching the techniques that he had learned from Konde Koma. But I kept thinking about what a small and weak man like me should do to win, and developing the theory to control an opponent by technique.
YN: That has become the base of Gracie jiu-jitsu of the day, hasn’t it? Was a style Mr. Carlos learned from Kosei Maeda centering on “kata”?
HG: There weren’t so many techniques. Most techniques were something mainly based on power. But Konde Koma was always fighting in real fights, so a lot of tricks to win in a real fight were incorporated in his teaching.
YN: Striking was also included, wasn’t it?
HG: No, it wasn’t included.
YN: Did Mr. Maeda call it jiu-jitsu, not judo from the beginning?
HG: I heard that Konde Koma called it jiu-jitsu. We didn’t even know the word of judo itself until it came into Brazil. At that time (the time when jiu-jitsu was brought by Konde Koma), there were many Japanese immigrants and local people had a friendly relationship with them. I heard that they often helped Japanese people in many ways. So I think he taught us their traditional jiu-jitsu in return for it.
YN: It doesn’t seem that judo itself was completely introduced to you. I wonder if Kosei Maeda introduced something he made up and called jiu-jitsu, or if it had originality as a result of the improvements made by Mr. Helio. It draws my interest very much. Then, when is the start of vale tudo?
HG: It was not something like vale tudo, but the first fight between different styles was in 1932 when I fought with an American wrestling fighter named Fred Ebert when I had 17 years old. He described himself as a world-class strong fighter.
YN: Mr. Helio, did you have a favorite technique other than jiu-jitsu?
HG: Does it mean a technique in striking? I was good at side kicks. I did it in my own way, but kick the body of the opponent using the heel. Don’t ask me to demonstrate it here now! (laugh)
YN: No! (laugh) You said it was your own way, but did you study it watching the move of karate?
HG: Karate? No. Judo came to Brazil around 1950-1960 and Karate was later than that, maybe around 1970. So I had no chance to study it. Besides when I saw karate for the first time, I didn’t think it was effective for self-defense or kakuto art (combat sports).
YN: Well then, do you think kakutogi based on striking are not effective for all?
HG: Generally they are not, are they? I think you know about it much better than I do.
YN: They are at a disadvantage under the rule of the Ultimate for sure, but I can’t agree with you who say positively that they are not effective from the view point of self-defense and kakuto arts either. Then, when did you start fighting with striking?
HG: I don’t remember clearly, but jiu-jitsu was considered something Asian in Brazil and there was some guy saying that he could defeat me in a street fight. So I accepted the fight with him including punches and kicks.
YN: Unbelievable! (laugh) He must have sorely regretted his words after the contest.! Was that the beginning of vale tudo?
HG: Maybe so. I’m the one who started vale tudo. But we didn’t call it vale tudo. It was a TV producer who decided to call it that.
YN: A TV producer?
HG: That’s right. I held style vs. style tournaments to spread jiu-jitsu. Of course, I won all of them. The producer found them interesting and decided to telecast them. The title of that program was Vale Tudo. Later the form was changed to one-match fight between a winner of the jiu-jitsu tournament (it was held under the original jiu-jitsu rule and striking was prohibited) and a challenger invited from a different style. This program started around 1960 and became very popular. It used to be aired every week at one time.
YN: It is a model of the UFC. Anyway, I’m surprised to see that it was the title of the TV program, and vale tudo was performed every week. What an amazing country Brazil is.
HG: Many people were scared of punches. But since they watched the fights on TV, they started to understand that punches were good, but they could be nullified by using different techniques, and a small man like me could fight.
YN: I was doing judo and was afraid of getting punched. That’s why I started learning striking and still now I am studying. Mr. Helio, did you have any fear of getting punched?
HG: If I get punched, I feel happy and more guts. But I feel pain too. (laugh) So I developed the way of fighting to avoid to get punched.
YN: How about a throw? Throwing is not effective either?
HG: No, it can be very effective at times. Anyway, a fearful throw by Kimura remains vividly in mind. It was very impressive to see that Kimura made the opponent KOed with one throw. When it was decided that I would fight with Kimura, I was careful about his throw.
YN: Could you tell me more details about the fight with the master Kimura?
HG: Sure!
In the beginning I carefully tried to find a breakthrough, but I was in his control as soon as we stood close to each other. I had no time to even hold or grapple him. What I barely could do was to avoid his perfect throw in such a way that I relaxed the strength of all my body and moved my position a little bit at the moment when Kimura tried to throw me and as a result Kimura lost his balance. I was taken into the ground, and I got choked at first. It was difficult to breathe. I felt it working enough so I was wondering if I should tap as I promised Carlos.
Well, this is what I’ve never told anybody before. It seems I went unconscious while I was thinking about what to do [give up or not].
•••At this point Nishi reports that Rorion Gracie got a shocked look on his face***
If Kimura had continued to choke me, I would have died for sure. But since I didn’t give up, Kimura let go of the choke and went into the next technique. Being released from the choke and the pain from the next technique revived me and I continued to fight. Kimura went to his grave without ever knowing the fact that I was finished. If possible, I wish I could have talked about the fight with him and let him know about it.
YN: I will tell his wife without fail.
HG: Thank you. But then, Kimura was strong……. strong and a gentleman. He spoke in my ear in Japanese “good, good” while catching me with arm-lock. I don’t understand Japanese at all, but strangely I was encouraged by his voice. It gave me power. (laugh) I was anxious about it, so I asked him later. He said, “I was admiring your heart.”
YN: Kimura also talked about the fight with Mr. Helio in his book, and says that you had a strong heart.
HG: Same to him. I think I got the authentic samurai spirit from him. I might have been Japanese in a previous life.
YN: By the way, what shall I do with my plan? I was prepared to do a challenge match here aiming at defeating a Gracie, but I touched the heart of the master Kimura in the talk with Mr. Helio. Now I’ve had one more teacher, Mr. Helio. Indeed, I must have been Brazilian in a previous life.
HG: Thank you. If you continue to train, you will be the champion in a jiu-jitsu tournament in Brazil for sure. Age? No problem. I am 82 years old now, but martial arts are what you search for at the risk of your whole life.
