Jiu-Jitsu Explained by Henry Agallar
The term jiu-jitsu comes from two Japanese words, “jū,” which means “gentle,” and “jutsu,” which means “art.” Jiu-jitsu practitioner Henry Agallar says that the best way to understand this ancient “gentle” martial art is by taking a closer look at how it has evolved in Brazil.

Traditional jiu-jitsu emerged about 2,000 years ago in India as a way for traveling Buddhist monks to protect themselves on their travel. They used precise knowledge of leverage, angles, timing, and the human anatomy to subdue their opponents into non-violent submission without harming them. Instead of focusing on kicks and strikes, jiu-jitsu emphasizes grappling, choke holds, and immobilizing joints.
These methods arrived in Brazil in 1915 Henry Agallar notes, with a world-renowned Japanese judoka named Mitsuyo Maeda. At the time, judo and jiu-jitsu were regarded as the same martial art. However, three of Maeda-sensei’s Brazilian students, Luiz França and two brothers, Helio and Carlos Gracie, created jiu-jitsu as a separate specialty, improving old techniques and inventing new ones.
The new Brazilian variety of jiu-jitsu slowly spread to other countries. The first dojo for jiu-jitsu in the United States appeared about 1970, but it wasn’t until the 1990s, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brought jiu-jitsu to broad public attention.
The son of one of the originators of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Carlos Gracie, Jr., founded the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation in 2002. They started an annual calendar of competitions worldwide, with many of the most important tournament held in the USA.… Read More