Gracie, a name that has made and will make history, the great revelation martial 90s! Gracie is the name, origin Scots, a family of great fighters Brazilians, in recent years came to the honours of chronicles sports world together with their style of jiu jitsu (the Convention is established to give the name to jiu jitsu Brazilian derivation Japanese art).
A name inextricably linked to overwhelming victories obtained in the various races combat extreme. Of course, in the world of martial arts - not only - have always existed challenges and comparisons that were settled in fierce fighting, but the races of "free fight" for some years both in vogue, as Ultimate figthing championships (Ufc), Vale tudo, Cage fighting, largely derive precisely from those already Vale tudo many years before were held in Brazil. Even today, in this country, which happens frequently when you approntino on small Vale tudo meetings between representatives of different schools that challenge. The students who at that moment are in the gym seat of combat, you have to circle and behold that the Vale tudo "home" is made.
Until one day the idea came from that country colourful and often lead to wild even in the homeland of the United States, and from there in the world. These races will not be maximum restraint and elegance, but their detractors are not limited to criticism of aesthetic and moral order; many of them, in fact, seek to underline the difference between a real combat - as they say, by road - and one of these races, without defined rules ( "no rules"), while the few safety rules that would have a decisive difference.
It 'an old problem, which came to the honours at the chronicle of an overwhelming victory of a group of Thai boxer on Thai fighters of a style of kung fu Hong Kong. They, in fact, addussero defeat because of the requirement to use rokavice and fight according to the rules of muay thai. Without doubt, even in "free fight" current rules such as the prohibition of strike eyes, genitals, neck or, in some regulations, the articulation of the knee, as well as save (fortunately), that little semblance of civilization that can be attributed to these races, make a certain difference with a battle to the death.
The fact is that the boxing is a sport, full of rules and restrictions, but a professional boxer trains his mind, your body and its techniques in a manner so intense and sophisticated that even in the street, with no rules whatsoever, reveals a very formidable fighter. The same applies to the brazilian jiu jitsu (Bjj): we should not forget the harshness and cruelty of these races, so the fighters who participate are quite accustomed to violence, whether inflicted that suffered.
To participate in these events we want first and foremost a mentality and personality fit ( "This for me is not just sports, this is my life, my tradition, my honor ... I fight for my family honour, my father ";" I arrendo God, and I am ready to die or kill. "Rickson Gracie). To participate you can do this and have a physical by nature and / or training. As always, behind the phenomenon "free fight" is not the only method, but also the fighter.
This is true for Gracie, for their relatives and Machado for all athletes fighting in the "free fight", whether or not students of the first. None of these fighters is a great teacher, so removing them kilos of muscles and doses of aggression channelled well, and leaving only the technique, their destructive power would be reduced? In some cases, probably yes, but certainly not in the case of brazilian jiu jitsu. Mentality and physical enough equipped to participate, but not to win.
A raise at least a little "free fight" over the squalid brawl, in fact, there is a technical factor: If participate in competitions only people with certain characteristics, then wins the technique better, who fights better, assuming that is quality psychomotor Basic similar for all, win the technique. And here lies the glory of Gracie jiu jitsu: for decades its wrestlers win races in "free fight" Brazilian and continue to win in international competitions because of current technical and spirit that hovers in their schools. Although their opponents will come increasingly attentive, and after (apart from cases in which the organisers recruiting fighters less prepared because cost less). In sport, the social progress that supports athletic performance and the same applies to fighting extreme: there are opponents in previous races, which now are beginning to reach discreet, then develop winning strategies.
And today, appropriately, the men to beat are mainly those of brazilian jiu jitsu. The result, as logical and fair, is that after winning expertise with many meetings, in recent times the jiu jitsuka game no longer so easy.
Schiere of fighters from other systems struggle, which luta livre (Brazilian version of the fight free), sambo Russian, Japanese shootfighting - the success of which has followed that of a wheel jiu jitsu - aspire to achieve fame defeating those who fought in the name of Gracie.
At first races also participated representatives of styles that give priority to the shots, but little by little, partly because of poor results, this participation has been waning among these styles emerge the Thai boxing (the rest fighting in small and large stadiums Thai not the least violent of these races, while providing the rokavice), and then karate, taekwondo, boxing. This overwhelmingly drew the attention of the whole world on martial arts to fight hand-to-hand.
It was perhaps time the introduction of judo in the West that this value was not recognized these arts. Speaking in terms of martial art in itself is very simplistic, because the marked prevalence of techniques of percussion, or vice versa to fight hand-to-hand, is a symptom of depletion of the same, decay of the original wealth. Why complete martial art should contemplate all the possibilities of combat. Indeed before, in recent times, the martial arts with bare hands is specializzassero or strokes in the fight, even ju jitsu Japanese existed a system of refined and deadly blows.
That is why many "traditionalists" do not recognize all the Brazilian jiu jitsu completeness or greater effectiveness compared to traditional ju jitsu. We can not, however, deny that the evolution that the Japanese style has been meeting on earth carioca is highly functional. Nothing abstract theories: Gracie and their acolytes not sbandierano belts and titles, but on the ground demonstrate their value and that of their style. Of course, it is equally well known that any combatant "free fight" from combat systems must also know hitting and physical conditioning to which they are subjected gives power to their fearsome blows.
But what is the relationship between the Brazilian jiu jitsu and traditional Japanese ju jitsu? The story invests recognized the important role of stretch of the Rising Sun union between Brazil and a Japanese nobleman named Mitsuyo Maeda, a young Kodokan judo champion of Jigoro Kano. Maeda left Japan in 1904 and traveled extensively in America and Europe until a decade after no settled in Brazil. It is said that this Japanese, which was the nickname affibbiato Count Koma, has claimed more than 2000 fighting, the first to choose a student to forward his art. His choice fell on young Gracie family. Even within the family, there are discordant views on who, between Carlos and his brother Helio, has been the initiator of the brazilian jiu jitsu (the famous son of Carlos, Carlson, maintains that Koma taught to his father and to the Helio ).
However, Count Koma was a great fighter and had to give valuable knowledge to its students Latin American countries. The who, it seems, knew how to make changes to the style that made him famous. Moreover, it was Helio who seemed to inherit the attitude of Maeda several decades ago and began to challenge anyone, whatever their style, it always came out the winner, in part, it seems, in two meetings: the first, fully recognised, against his pupil of 30 kilos heavier, Valdemar Santana (then beaten by a just eighteen Carlson), and the two fought for four hours. The second defeat, less famous, appears to have been inflicted to Helio in 1951, from the sample of judo Masahiko Kimura, who won for technical ko after breaking arm opponent.
It can then consider the fact that two samples judo were respectively the origin of Gracie jiu jitsu and one of two people to defeat the patriarch of the family. Information to give credit to what I said an expert in combat, according to which a great ex-athlete and judo master of many problems would not have to face a fighter of Vale tudo. Despite those who see only as the judo Olympic sport, devoid of martial effectiveness.
Neither rabbrividiscano the deserving teachers who wisely put the emphasis on the education of judo. The martial arts are a large container in which different aspects together, in some cases almost antithetical, but it is only of the various aspects of the same reality, which shows how the alien is completely dichotomous philosophy that dominates the West. It remains one wonders what will differentiate the Brazilian jiu jitsu by Japanese ju jitsu and is not easy to make a comparison in general terms. The ju jitsu more traditional, often even before the Japanese art of fighting with bare hands to take this name, includes a wide range of techniques to use against opponents in armor, weapons or armed classics of Japanese warriors, as swords, spears or sticks. For example, it is rich in technical leverage to wrists, to be used to disarm the opponent who challenged a weapon or to prevent these estraesse his sword.
The Brazilian jiu jitsu, on the other hand, defence sword from not knowing what to take, because its leaders think they have different needs. Changes of this kind are often based on the underlying reality, which must adapt a good combat system that in reality be working.
In some cases, even in Japan styles ju jitsu born in times of peace are less effective than others that were founded and tested in turbulent times. Similarly, the suburbs of Bangkok or the ghettos of Harlem of the past have created formidable fighters from the grit.
The social reality of Brazilian cities is very violent: for example poverty and degradation of shanty towns on the outskirts of cities such as Rio de Janeiro is a source of widespread petty crime, with gangs of children of school age who sow terror with the their violent attacks. Until recently it was not uncommon to see these bands fall on the tourist beaches catapecchie hills behind the town, they furiously aggredivano the victims and derubavano them. A witness significant voice comes from the same Rickson Gracie: "... In a country like Brazil, there are more fights and people have an aggressive nature ... You have to defend yourself constantly. Often you can not rely on the law, you must cavartela alone ... In Brazil, defend yourself if you do not know, you have a problem. " This is the environment in which it was born and raised the Bjj.
Today, the jiu jitsu fighters who want to compete in "extreme fighting" know that they must train specifically for these types of competitions, which means being able to fight at all distances. Thus, far from despise kickboxing, they spend a lot of time preparing to defend themselves from all sorts of shots and hit from every position, with kicks, punches, ginocchiate and gomitate. So much so that the jiu jitsuka Victor Belfort, according to critics one of the best fighters of the current "free fight", pondered long ago to switch to professional boxing. But the success of BJJ also derives from a basic law of combat, which already made great service to martial arts and ancient armies: the smart trick. As in a game of chess, these fighters are acting in order to confuse the enemy and leads to moves that will allow them to prevail.
The jiu jitsuka not use blows to end the meeting, as to create openings in the guard's opponent by which to get hand-to-hand, and from there, with imbalances and took more than projections, try to take it on the ground. The main feature of the brazilian jiu jitsu remains the fight on the ground, real trademark of Brazilian art. Here, where many traditional styles of ju jitsu ending the confrontation, the Brazilian jiu jitsu begins its work sull'avversario. Thus, once on the ground, as well as hitting the shots and defend others, this type of fighter tries to take positions as the so-called guard the jiu jitsu, which can be "closed" or "open". In the first case, the fighter lies supino hooks and their legs around one's life, while the arms are free to bring various techniques (the "guard closed" is usually preferred by fighters heavy and strong), in the second legs remain on the ground, so that we can have four limbs.
The practitioner continually adjust the position of your body, helping with reconstruction movements and maintaining contact with the bodies of others, as long as the opponent does not make a mistake, one false move, then jiu jitsuka running one of his favorite techniques: a lever, a choking, or a reversal opponent on the ground. The important thing is not to allow leaving the position of guard "(ie," pass the guard "). From the opposite side is not easy to hit a jiu jitsu fighter who is in this position, because the closeness that he keeps with the body that is above, often prevents enough to load the coup, nor leaves room for his right angle . So it is a strangulation or a lever that often stopped clash (one of the most deadly applicant is a technique in ju jitsu and judo, the key to articulate juji-gatame elbow). Of course, the brazilian jiu jitsu has also its limitations on them and held a keen work: on the one hand the opponents style studying ways to exploit them, the other its practitioners seek to eliminate or reduce them. A major limitation on which experts are working regards the habit of wearing combat style of the typical Japanese gi, whose jacket is often used in fighting traditional strangolamenti, taken or projections. Most fighters "free fight" to combat the naked torso, thus invalidating that type of advantage.
This demonstrates how the brazilian jiu jitsu is constantly evolving methods of training included: the fighters were introduced in ju jitsu more or less traditional physical preparation of a full-time full modern athlete, including special diet. Everything in the service of combat.
For some time the jiu jitsu Gracie family has achieved considerable fame in Italy, although its spread is still at an early stage. In the eyes of public opinion that there are several other smaller groups, including even in their training techniques of this style. One of the schools closest to us, also active in the national territory, is switzerland Franco and Demetrio Vacirca (tel. 0041-1-8133539), who refers to Carlos Gracie junior Directly linked to the world of "extreme fighting" is Brazilian School Davide Ferretti (0335-6225803), a pupil of the famous fighter Marco Ruas, founder of the system applies Ruas tudo. Recently it was established in Spain Robin Gracie, whose presence who knows that it can not influence even italic shores.
Stefano Pernatsch
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(This article was translated by a machine translation software and not by one person)