Most people know of or have heard of Judo. Since its inclusion in the
Olympic Games, Judo’s popularity as a sport and martial art has grown greatly.
Yet, despite this popularity, most people do not think of Judo in terms of
ground fighting.
In 1880, Professor Jigoro Kano took his expertise in many forms of jujutsu
and developed a new form, which he named “the gentle way” or Judo. Kano
named this new system “the gentle way” because of its exclusion of strikes and
kicks. While Judo does not feature striking, it did maintain the rich heritage
of throws and grappling techniques taught in Jujutsu.
Modern day Judo revolves mainly around the competitive sport where rules
regulate many aspects, including the application of chokes, locks, and
submissions. However, Judo is still a valid and effective martial art. Before
its inclusion in the Olympic games, Judo placed equal emphasis on ground
fighting and throws. That history still remains today, though the emphasis has
changed slightly. For the person interested in self-defense, you won’t be led
astray by the competitive side of the sport. For the ground fighter, the
techniques taught in Judo are primarily the same as those taught in Jujutsu.
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
In the early 1900s, Gastao Gracie brought his son Carlos to Maeda, a Judo
instructor. Carlos studied under Maeda for a time and shared the teachings with
his brothers Oswaldo, Jorge, Gastao Jr., and Helio. In 1925, the Gracie
brothers opened their first dojo and from those origins Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has
spread across the world.
As you can tell from its history, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu springs directly from
pre-WWII Judo, which emphasized more of the grappling than the throws. So,
while Brazilian Jiu-jitsu does have throws, the emphasis is more on the ground
techniques. Additionally, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu does not focus on competition.
Rather, it is purely a fighting art.
Since the advent of Ultimate Fighting and Prize Fighting, Brazilian
Jiu-jitsu has enjoyed an explosion of popularity. The Gracie family has
continued to dominate in this arena—as is evidenced by the prowess of Royce
Gracie. Other Brazilian Jiu-jitsu artists have gained notoriety and many
martial artists find this form to be rewarding and exciting.