Gracie Jiu-Jitsu 101: The History

If you're going to learn the chokes, you need to know the history. Produced in collaboration with Art of Manliness, this is the first of a three-part video series on Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. From the early Helio Gracie technical modifications, to the Gracie Garage challenge matches, this condensed history lesson breaks it all down in perfect "Renergy" fashion!

Parts 2 and 3 coming soon!

[ChessNetwork]

Great video! I especially enjoyed seeing the older video clips and photos. 
What a perfect representative Royce was for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to get kicked off. I can recall viewing one of those early UFC's and watching Royce (thinking his name was pronounced with an "R" at the time :) ), and pre-deciding who would win based on size alone. By the end of the fight, myself and I imagine much of the world had to reassess our thinking. :)

[jeffreyschutte]

Wonderful video and lesson! Much appreciation and respect.

[yongjiean]

What about Fadda Jiujitsu by the late Oswaldo Fadda known for specialiation in their leg locks? Gracie Jiujitsu is a style of Jiujitsu developed in Brazil.

[KGMAC]

Gracie Jiu Jitsu is changing my life thank you, I train at LAGJJ I wish i could make the upcoming event

[ColdBoyBlue]

Bahamas flag at 5:12 !!
Yellow, Black and Blue !!
Where I'm from !!

[EspinozaGuillermo]

Mr. Gracie, it would be very good if you opened an academy in Costa Rica Central America. I have learned a lot in your videos thanks pura vida. We hope you come to Costa Rica one day.

[mwolfman]

I think BJJ is definitely a solid art to learn by itself or in addition to other styles for sure. Growing up,  I always ended up using grappling submission's when ever in a fight mostly because the few fights I had were punches were used, I always felt bad for the guy that ended up bloody or swollen eye, broken nose etc. I was also always the guy to try to calm down the aggressor even if it was some random person or one of my friends rather than to instigate fighting which was usually for some dumb reason anyway.

You do however get the "Tough Guys/Wannabee's" who work out and obviously in shape who just want to prove something to themself or want others to view them as Superior. Those types are already dead set on fighting, so sometimes it's unavoidable but generally I would ask those types "If you want to fight so dam bad, then why don't you go fight Professional and make some money against someone else who likes to do the same thing and prepared just as physically/mentally you are? Why go out to pick a fight with some out of shape slub or a drunk at the bar, since that's were a lot end up happening with alcohol especially.  Amazingly enough it has worked quite a bit to calm down the aggressor and avoid a friend or other party in the exchange from engaging.

After all IF it's not a controlled setting, you just usually end up in jail and have to pay money for fines/bail to keep it off your record or end up losing your job because of time missed etc, To me unless it's self defense or competition then why go through the trouble to fight for no reason(the guys that are out to pick a fight that is)especially when these days more and more are carrying a firearm or other lethal weapon, looking for a reason to use it. Hell some will use a gun just to avoid a fight (Scare Tactic) when the other has no weapon, which is crazy these days.
It seems that Gracie JJ tends to train and advocate the same kind of strategy I've always believed in. Funny I'm just learning that now in my mid 30's what the Gracies advocate with the Art.  Oh well guess I could always start to learn some advanced techniques I don't know and broaden my play book of options and submissions LOL

[artnos]

but rener your father wasnt the first to come to america, no? wasnt it clark gracie's dad that came first?

[tonysoza]

Wouldn't jiu jitsu be considered more dangerous in the eyes of the law? Cause if you learned to box or kickbox and you beat up the guy you can say you were defending your self cause all fights start standing and if he hits you you can hit back in self defense, right? But if you take him down then break his arm or choke him out won't that be considered attempted murder?

[nishadjoshi]

I'm dying to learn this martial art I don't like to learn through the videos does anyone knows any training center in India especially Mumbai?

[jaket]

There should be a movie about Helio Gracie and his brother Carlos..

[OldManDave]

Why does he pronounce it “Henner” when it’s spelled Rener?

[OldManDave]

And if his grandfather’s name was Helio, why wasn’t it spelled “Relio”? 🤔

[patrickfowler]

It was very good, but you are misinformed. It was neither the Gracie family nor Jigoro Kano who is responsible for our art. This has been shown by many historians, backed by many primary and secondary sources.

Kano did not like ground fighting, and famously said "Human beings were meant to walk, not crawl" (Stevens). It was only after Mataemon Tanabe's Jiu Jitsu beat Kano's students, in the many challenge matches between his Kansai ground fighting heavy Jiu-Jitsu and the Kodokan, that constant defeats at the hands of Tanabe's school, during the late 1890s to early 1900s that Kano finally gave into incorporating ground fighting into Judo. A few of his matches include beating a decorated 3rd Dan Judoka two years in a row, and even winning a challenge match by leg lock in front of the Imperial family (Barioli). He even challenged the famed, Shiro Saigo, the historical basis for the famed Kurosawa character Sanshiro Sugata, but he never received an answer. These many challenge matches inspired Judoka, Kodokan or the likes, to learn more ground fighting or were taught by Tanabe directly.

It is well documented that Tanabe was slight in stature. He developed his leverage dependent style as a consequence (Great Japan Judo History). Even students of his, including Yukio Tani, who was only 5 feet tall, defeated hundreds upon hundreds of larger and stronger catch wrestlers, folk wrestlers, strongmen, etc, who often weighed over 225 lbs (EJ Mas). Which makes this even greater of a feat, and is by his own humble admission, he admits that he was "third rate" when comparing his skill to his contemporaries back in Japan. Contemporaries who's skill easily beat the Kodokan using leverage based ground fighting.

Maeda was one of these Judoka who learned Jiu-Jitsu ground fighting.

After Maeda left Japan, ground fighting started to become more and more popular, and people like famed kosen rules practitioner Oda did research and training outside of Judo to learn more ground fighting (he did not get his black belt until around 1910). However, even though Oda insisted to make judo a "50% to 50%" style, directly to Kano, Kano resisted, and stifled kosen competition in 1914, and all but put an end to kosen rules by 1925, banning guard pulling, leg locks, etc. With the exception of the 7 Imperial Universities competitions, which still go on today but have been so diluted by the focus on Olympic rules training that the ground fighting is a shadow of what it was 100 years ago.

Maeda might have waived the Judo flag but his ground fighting was neither from Judo or Kano, it was from the "Kansai" Jiu-Jitsu style that Tanabe developed, which was bolstered by the contributions of many thousands of previous Japanese; and when introduced to Brazil it was further developed by many thousands of Brazilians. The Gracie family does have a larger role in "Kansai" ground fighting heavy Jiu-Jitsu of Tanabe, they kept it outside the hands of the medaling governing bodies of judo. Being so, and for the latter reasons and evidence above, our Jiu-Jitsu, "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu" is neither developed by Kano or Gracie.

[netovilanova]

Open a Gracie academy in Ireland EU.. the country is growing up so fast and they love BJJ

[Calwinn]

BJJ lineage =

Jiu Jitsu -> Judo -> BJJ

[claudinnhodorosa]

you are is campean de rio de janeiro sou daqui

[generatorx]

Sorry, but its not Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, its Judo. The closer truth would be BJJ is Brazilian Judo. Give credit where it is deserved and speak the truth please.

[danielsoliz]

Right... like he's getting choked out... smh...

It pains me that there are untrained people out there who think they could choke Hener out.

[JeremyHartley]

Wish Rener was still like this. So cringe watching him constantly trying to sell his content these days. Dude has no shame