Brazilian Martial Arts

[Rex Cox]

It seems the only thing that is certain is change, and martial arts
aren't any different. Sure there are styles and techniques being
taught in schools today all over the world that have been around for
decades if not centuries, but there are times when some systems become
more popular than others. Right now Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is
enjoying great popularity largely thanks to the popularity of mixed
martial arts fighting competitions in the United States and other
countries. Though the combat sport is popular many people don't
realize that BJJ isn't Brazil's only contribution to combat sport.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is probably Brazil's best known sport and rivals
soccer in popularity there. The style traces its origins back to
Mitsuyo Maeda a Japanese Judo practitioner who was traveling the world
to promote cultural understanding and he did so by teaching Judo. Not
long after arriving in Brazil in 1914 Maeda put on a martial arts
expedition where he took on Brazilian boxers and wrestlers and
defeated every competitor easily. Among those watching were members of
the Gracie family who weren't satisfied to just watch the competition,
they wanted to learn the new style.
Carlos Gracie and his brothers began training with Maeda in Rio de
Janeiro, but the youngest of them H'lio would become know as the
sport's founder. Though originally developed for self defense the
sport aspects took over as the style grew in popularity. Judo remains
popular in Brazil today, and H'lio's one loss was Masahiko Kimura a
Japanese Judoka who broke Gracie's arm with an arm lock. The move is
now called a Kimura in honor of the fighter and is often used in
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matches.
While the Gracie family was developing their style Capoeira which was
brought to Brazil in the 16th century by African slaves was already
well established in the country. The style looks more like a dance,
but that only hid sweeps, kicks and head butts as well as other
strikes. It takes a lot of athleticism and skill to perform the dance
moves and acrobatics, and at one time the Brazilian government
outlawed the practice. Today though the style that combines martial
arts, dance, and music is still popular and is considered part of
Brazil's cultural heritage.
Regards of what style you do practice in Brazil the place where the
toughest fighters compete is in a Vale tudo match. Vale tudo which is
Portuguese for "anything goes" is the Brazilian predecessor to mixed
martial arts, but there aren't any rules to stop fighters from ripping
each other apart. In the early part of the 20th century these matches
went on in Brazil at fairs and circuses and any style of martial arts
could be used in a fight. In order to compete in these competitions
Luta Livre a freestyle form of wrestling was developed around the same
time as BJJ and includes both submissions and strikes.
If you want to get a handle on the martial arts scene today you can
look to Brazil and see where many of today's popular trends
originated. The martial artists of Brazil have done a lot to advance
combat sports and how competitions are run today, and they should be
respected for their contribution. The signs might have change on the
walls of the martial arts schools, but what is being taught hasn't
really changed all that much.