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The Gracie Family is legendary both in the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and in the arena of mixed martial arts, not only as fighters, but also as instructors and developers of this special style of Brazilian martial arts. Without the Gracie's, MMA would arguably be a much different sport.
In 1917, Carlos Gracie was a young man in search of a purpose. His father was a difficult man, the co-owner of a circus. The circus hired Mitsuyo Maeda to present the unique martial art of Kodokan Judo to its audience. After watching Maeda perform, Carlos asked to become one of his students. Maeda agreed, trained Carlos and Carlos in turn taught these skills to his brothers. He then opened a martial arts school with himself and his brothers as instructors, thus securing an income and protecting his family from their abusive father.
The youngest boy in the family was Helio, and he was just fourteen when he came to live with his brothers. However, Carlos felt he was far too weak to train and instruct at the school, so Helio merely watched his brothers and students in action. He learned enough from observing that he was able to act as an instructor one day when Carlos was late to class. When Carlos arrived, he found to his surprise that Helio had taken over the class, and was even more surprised when the student asked to continue taking lessons from Helio. Carlos agreed, and Helio became an official instructor.
Because of his limited physical strength, Helio was unable to use many of Carlos' techniques. So he modified each technique to provide an advantage for a smaller or weaker fighter. Between Carlos influence on the art and Helio's adaptation, the Gracie method of Jiu-Jitsu was developed.
Helio Gracie's son Rorion is another important member of the clan. Rorion cut his teeth on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before he even had all of his teeth, and was doing demonstrations of the art form before he turned 2. He decided to immigrate to the United States in the late 1970s and start teaching Americans the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At first, his garage served as his school and soon his brother Royce came to the U.S. and joined him as a teacher. Eventually they had acquired 120 students and the garage was hardly a suitable spot anymore, so they moved into a larger facility, officially opening the first school of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 1989.
Rorion is also one of the key developers of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which he formed in 1993 along with businessman Art Davie and movie producer John Milius. All three men saw the huge potential of broadcasting the young sport of mixed martial arts live on television. The result was UFC 1, which was broadcast via pay-per-view.
Rorion's brother Royce Gracie had his own part in promoting mixed martial arts. Royce was the first UFC champ, defeating three strong opponents during UFC 1 in 1993. Royce defeated Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau to win the title. Both Shamrock and Gordeau were larger and heavier opponents, but Royce defeated each in 57 seconds and 1:44, respectively.
In 1917, Carlos Gracie was a young man in search of a purpose. His father was a difficult man, the co-owner of a circus. The circus hired Mitsuyo Maeda to present the unique martial art of Kodokan Judo to its audience. After watching Maeda perform, Carlos asked to become one of his students. Maeda agreed, trained Carlos and Carlos in turn taught these skills to his brothers. He then opened a martial arts school with himself and his brothers as instructors, thus securing an income and protecting his family from their abusive father.
The youngest boy in the family was Helio, and he was just fourteen when he came to live with his brothers. However, Carlos felt he was far too weak to train and instruct at the school, so Helio merely watched his brothers and students in action. He learned enough from observing that he was able to act as an instructor one day when Carlos was late to class. When Carlos arrived, he found to his surprise that Helio had taken over the class, and was even more surprised when the student asked to continue taking lessons from Helio. Carlos agreed, and Helio became an official instructor.
Because of his limited physical strength, Helio was unable to use many of Carlos' techniques. So he modified each technique to provide an advantage for a smaller or weaker fighter. Between Carlos influence on the art and Helio's adaptation, the Gracie method of Jiu-Jitsu was developed.
Helio Gracie's son Rorion is another important member of the clan. Rorion cut his teeth on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before he even had all of his teeth, and was doing demonstrations of the art form before he turned 2. He decided to immigrate to the United States in the late 1970s and start teaching Americans the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At first, his garage served as his school and soon his brother Royce came to the U.S. and joined him as a teacher. Eventually they had acquired 120 students and the garage was hardly a suitable spot anymore, so they moved into a larger facility, officially opening the first school of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 1989.
Rorion is also one of the key developers of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which he formed in 1993 along with businessman Art Davie and movie producer John Milius. All three men saw the huge potential of broadcasting the young sport of mixed martial arts live on television. The result was UFC 1, which was broadcast via pay-per-view.
Rorion's brother Royce Gracie had his own part in promoting mixed martial arts. Royce was the first UFC champ, defeating three strong opponents during UFC 1 in 1993. Royce defeated Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau to win the title. Both Shamrock and Gordeau were larger and heavier opponents, but Royce defeated each in 57 seconds and 1:44, respectively.
About the Author:
Nolan Barias likes blogging about mixed martial arts benefits. For further information about San Diego MMA lessons or to find a San Diego boxing gym, visit The Arena MMA website today.
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