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Jiu-Jitsu

Mission

Spread the legacy created by grand master Carlos Gracie Sr within its true principles, and contribution in people’s development based in Rilion Gracie Jiu Jitsu philosophy.

Vision

Teach with excellence, impact positively people`s life and be reference and innovation in our field, being a reference in BJJ of the world.

Values

Integrity, discipline and respect

History of Ancient Jiu-Jitsu

India 2000 B.C.

Some historians say that Jiu-Jitsu, or the “gentle art,” emerged in India circa 2000 B.C., and was practiced by buddhist monks. Concerned with self-defense, these monks developed a fighting technique based on principles of balance and awareness of the body and joints, allowing them to neutralize aggression without necessarily hurting the aggressor. Jiu Jitsu served well the monks’ need for self defense extremely well, and quickly spread throughout Asia, first towards China and later Japan, following the spread of buddhism through the continent.

Japan 17th Century

The term Jiu-Jitsu was not coined until the 17th century, becoming after that period the common term for a wide array of practices connected to body-to-body fighting. It was in feudal Japan that the art found a fertile atmosphere that allowed it to grow and establish itself as a widespread fighting style. Jiu-Jitsu developed among the samurai as a way to defeat armed adversaries protected by armor without using weapons themselves. Practitioners learned that the most efficient methods of neutralizing an enemy take the form of immobilizations, locks (or wrenches) in joints and falls. These techniques were developed around the principles of utilizing an aggressor’s own energy against them.

19th Century

The radical political, cultural, and social transformation s that took place in Japan in the 19th century caused public perception of Jiu – Jitsu to change from that of a respectable combat art to an illegal practice, as the government attempted to break up the bloody conflicts between the now – desolate samurai and t heir followers.

A member of Japan’s Ministry of Culture and Martial Arts, played an important role in restoring Jiu-Jitsu’s reputation in times of peace. Jigoro Kano (1860-1938) realized that Jiu-Jitsu could be used as a powerful learning tool, capable of tailoring to each individual’s development. He saw it as beneficial to the Japanese goals of social and economic development and adopted new teaching methods removing dangerous techniques as such as the ground fight. With this new approach the main component of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was cast aside, restricted to few movements. This created an interesting paradox: although the changes made by Kano contributed tremendously to Jiu-Jitsu’s survival, the focus on falls created a style of fighting that is fragmented, furthering its connection to the original essence of Jiu-Jitsu, as well as the reality of a true conflict. The new approach to the practice of Jiu-Jitsu became known as Kano Jiu-Jitsu and later, Judo.

Among Kano’s most gifted students was Mitsuyo Maeda (1878-1941), a fighter that benefited from Kano’s innovations but that had his roots in other schools of Jiu-Jitsu that emphasized ground fighting and self-defense in real-life combat scenarios. Maeda, who later became known as Conde Coma, was gifted, and was sent abroad to help defend Jiu-Jitsu around the globe. After traveling to the United States, Central America and Europe, Maeda landed in Brazil in 1914.

Birth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

THE MARTIAL ART THAT CONQUERED THE WORLD

1915

Starting in Belém do Pará, it was only
natural that Maeda make use of his notable
fighting skill in public demonstrations, and even by performing in circuses as a way to both earn a living and disseminate the Japanese culture. In one of these demonstrations he met Gastão Gracie, and the two formed a friendship. A father of eight children, five boys and three girls, Gastão became a Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast and brought his oldest son, Carlos, to learn the martial art.

A slight but rebellious and active young man at 15, Carlos Gracie became captivated by Maeda’s ability to defeat opponents much bigger and stronger than himself with superior technique.
It was then that he began to see Jiu-Jitsu as a channel for personal realization.

Training under Maeda’s orientation had a profound impact in Carlos’ mind. He had never felt the degree of self-control and self-confidence that Jiu-Jitsu provided. The connection he felt with his body after each training provided him with a greater understanding of his nature, his limitations and strengths, and brought him a sense of peace that he had never known. And yet, trainings under Maeda did not last long, as less than five years after he started training, Carlos had to move to Rio de Janeiro with his father and siblings. Arriving at the then-capital of Brazil at 19, Carlos faced a hard time adapting to this new life and finding a normal job. Despite working in governmental institutions, the rebellious spirit from his youth did not let Carlos settle. The desire to perfect and teach the art that he had learned from Maeda was alive inside him and he decided to pursue it.

1925

Carlos traveled to Belo Horizonte and then to São Paulo teaching classes and beating opponents that were physically much stronger than him. In 1925, he returned to Rio and opened the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy at 106, Rua Marquês de Abrantes.

At 23 years old, Carlos Gracie was well-aware of the extraordinary benefits that Jiu-Jitsu could bring to a person’s life and the founding of a school represented a very important step in his project of turning Jiu-Jitsu into a national sport. And yet the school at Marquês de Abrantes was not exactly what one would expect from an organization so powerful and pioneering as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. With few resources and worried about the well-being of his younger brothers, all that Carlos could offer was a small house where he transformed the living room into a training area. In this house, Carlos gathered his brothers and turned them into his life project.

He knew that it would be impossible to realize such a big project alone, and began to teach the youngest ones – Oswaldo, Gastão, George and Hélio. The first generation of Gracie brothers that lived and worked in this house seems to have created the family spirit that has survived for generations

The Gracie Brothers

Carlos, Gastão, Oswaldo, George and Hélio form the first generation of Gracie fighters. Despite Carlos and Hélio having grown very close and having worked and lived together for decades, the five brothers greatly contributed to the growth of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil in the first half of the 20th century.
Carlos also transmitted to his brothers his life philosophy and natural diet, being himself a pioneer in the creation of a special diet for athletes, the Gracie Diet, branding Jiu-Jitsu as synonym with health.

Carlos Gracie (1902-1994)

Responsible for the transformation and fine-tuning of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, creator of Brazilian, or Gracie, Jiu-Jitsu. He taught and mentored his younger brothers, and created the Gracie dynasty. By changing the techniques of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, innovating, refining and adapting them to his slight body type, then applying these in the fights he and his brothers fought, Carlos Gracie kickstarted the first case of a change in nationality of a fight or sport. Years later, the martial art was renamed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and spread worldwide, including to Japan.

Osvaldo Gracie (1904-1944)

In his early twenties, Oswaldo was a very talented fighter. As such, he helped consecrate the Gracie name and contributed as a teacher in the school. In 1934, Oswaldo moved to Belo Horizonte and opened a Gracie School following the same structure of the program created by Carlos at Marquês de Abrantes. Years later, he became an instructor of the local police, a position he kept until the end of his life.

Gastão Gracie (1906-2002)

When the Gracie School was opened, Gastão was only 19 years old and had a basic knowledge of Jiu-Jitsu. Since he did not enjoy fighting, he became responsible for the classes and the administrative part of the school, continuing with his studies until graduating.

George Gracie (1911-1985)

Born in 1911, the “Gato Ruivo” (Ginger Cat) as he was known, received special attention from Carlos due to his exceptional abilities. This might explain why he was the brother that participated in the most MMA and Jju-Jitsu competitions. Other than a great fighter, George was a teacher and mentor and greatly contributed to the dissemination of Jiu-Jitsu throughout Brazil.

Hélio Gracie (1913-2009)

Hélio was a child when the Marquês de Abrantes school opened its doors in 1925. He developed gradually with the teachings of Jiu-Jitsu. Under the instruction of his brother and mentor Carlos, Hélio fought numerous times, including a fight that lasted 3hrs and 43min against Valdemar Santana, a former student. The courage, persistency and discipline Hélio showcased turned him into a national hero. As he grew older, Carlos dedicated himself more to research on nutrition and exercise, and to searching for spiritual enlightenment. At that point, Carlos switched over control of the academy to Hélio, who became directly involved with the administration. He continued having Carlos as his guru and spiritual leader. In 1967, Hélio founded with Carlos and chaired himself the 1st federation of Jiu Jitsu (Federação de Jiu-Jitsu da Guanabara).

The Globalization of Jiu-Jitsu

While in Brazil Jiu-Jitsu evolved to levels of technical skills never before reached in the ground fight, other arts like Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Judo became popular greatly due to Hollywood movies and the Olympics. Despite these martial arts having great techniques, they restrict themselves to only one aspect of a real fight, and only work so long as a series of rules are being respected. Generations of practitioners of martial arts spent years learning one aspect of the fight (punches and kicks, or falls and immobilizations), believing that would be enough in real-life situations. In 1993, this assumption faced its biggest challenge when Rorion Gracie organized the first UFC in the United States, exposing to the world a competition of “Vale Tudo” – a precursor to MMA – in the mold of the “Gracie Challenge” created by Grand Master Carlos Gracie in the 20s in Brazil.

The world was shocked when a lighter and seemingly weaker fighter, Royce Gracie, beat all of his challengers fighting almost entirely on the ground, using various chokes to make them tap out. The practitioners of other martial arts began then to realize that if they did not know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, all that they did know would become useless against a Jiu-Jitsu fighter. This realization provoked what many refer to as the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Revolution in the martial arts. What followed was a great change in focus and training in ground fighting. An impact as large as this in the universe of the martial arts caused a great rise in the search of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teaching worldwide.

A Tribute to One of the Most Talented Fighters in the History of Jiu-Jitsu

Extremely talented and motivated to train and reach the maximum of his potential as a fighter, Rolls also had an open mind and a desire to learn anything that could improve his Jiu-Jitsu. What impressed many was not only his physical prowess, but also his moral profile and desire to perform the best he could in everything. As a teenager, Rolls had the opportunity to visit many countries and train Sambo, Judo and Greco-Roman Wrestling. A black belt at sixteen, he became a strong and determined young man, with a great vision for Jiu-Jitsu and his career as a fighter and teacher. One of the ways in which he spread the sport was by fighting in tournaments, and by doing so motivating others to do the same.
In 1976, he participated in his first MMA tournament after a Karate teacher challenged him, questioning the efficacy of Jiu-Jitsu during a televised demonstration. The challenge was promptly accepted and many fights were scheduled between Jiu-Jitsu and Karate fighters in a single day. All of the Jiu-Jitsu fighters won that day, but the main event was certainly the one that brought the greatest audience. Rolls Gracie versus the Karate Master. They fought for a few minutes, until Rolls applied a crafty fall, got into his opponent’s back, and finished the fight with a
“Mata Leão” (rear naked choke). At 31 years of age
(1982), Rolls passed away in a hang gliding accident in Rio de Janeiro, but
his legacy remains among us.

In the 1970s, Carlos son Rolls Gracie was the one responsible for the bedinning of a new era of Jiu-Jitsu. Many people see Roles,” as he was known to close friends and family, as the connection between the old and new Jiu-Jitsu. Brazil was in a tumultuous political atmosphere due to the military dictatorship, and that meant Jiu-Jitsu was losing its glamorous appeal as media coverage significantly decreased. Using his talent, charisma, and natural leadership abilities, Rolls influenced a generation of young people in Rio to practice Jiu-Jitsu, surf, and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Generation to Generation

Rilion Gracie is the youngest male son of the Grand Master Carlos Gracie Sr. (the founder of Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the creator of MMA). He has been involved in his father’s tradition since he was born. He has grown up in the world of mats, healthy living, improved life skills and philosophic concepts of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

Rilion is proud to have had his father Carlos Sr. and his brother Rolls (the forefather of modern Jiu-Jitsu) as his mentors and professors.

Rilion fought competitively for 15 years in both Jiu-Jitsu and free style matches. In his competitive career as a Black Belt he was never submitted, neither in competition nor in sparring sessions. He is recognized in the Jiu-Jitsu world for his mastery of the art and has become known for being “100% technical”.

in the early 1980’S besides teaching at
the Gracie Ipanema academy, he was a founding member of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu School in the Barra da Tijuca
neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, along with his older brothers Crolin and Carlos Jr. In 1988, he was one of the instructors at the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Seminar in the United States hosted by the actor and Martial Arts enthusiast
Chuck Norris.

Before Jiu-Jitsu became a sport, it was a martial art based on the principals of:

Respect / Hierarchy / Discipline / Self-control / Self-confidence / Patience / And more

The objective is rendering the opponent into submission.

in the early 1990’S, Rilion decided to move to
Santa Catarina (a state in south Brazil) to spread his family’s legacy, establishing the Rilion Gracie Academy in Florianópolis. Through his dedication and expertise, his academy grew into what today is one of the strongest Jiu-Jitsu academies of South Brazil. Rilion has been acclaimed by the most prestigious newspaper in Brazil (Jornal do Brasil) as the “…most technical Jiu-Jitsu Master in the world.”

Before Jiu-Jitsu became a sport, it was a martial art based on the principals of respect hierarchy discipline self-control self-confidencE patience and many others. The objective is rendering the opponent into submission.

Rilion believes that the most important thing in life is the search for true essence, spiritual development to overcome life’s difficulties and to contribute to a better world for all of us. There is a no doubt that Jiu-Jitsu, when practiced and taught with its true principles, bring about physical, mental and spiritual benefits.