A chronological account of one of the biggest rivalries in martial arts history and the events that led to it. The jiu jitsu vs. luta livre lasted for almost a century, starting in the early 1930’s until de end of the 20th century.
Gianni Grippo is widely regarded as one of the leading figures of the ‘Berimbolo Generation’ of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, having built that reputation in the lower belt divisions of the sport where he conquered 6 world titles (4 with the gi and 2 without). Grippo competed for the Renzo Gracie Academy up until brown belt, when he switched to Marcelo Garcia’s Alliance, continuing his grappling career at the multiple time world champion academy.
BJJ Heroes went to a few of Rolls Gracie’s most famed students to find out about the first American competitor in Jiu Jitsu, Mr Scott Cowboy who competed in the 1970s.
One of the top competitors of his generation, Victor Silverio became a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt in 2013, a grade he earned training under the supervision of the illustrious Master Julio Cesar of the Grappling Fight Team (GFT).
Shimon Mochizuki was the first Dane to achieve the status of black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a rank awarded by Leonardo Vieira, being also one of Europe’s most successful coaches.
The inverted guard, also known as Roleta guard, tornado guard or upside down guard, is a creative grappling position developed in the 1990’s by Roberto Magalhães. The term upside down/inverted guard is utilized when the guard player goes upside down and uses his legs and grips to keep the fight at a desired distance.
The mission of JJGF is to unite and serve the Jiu Jitsu community, rescuing it back into a more traditional and less sport oriented martial art, but what about the organization itself, how did this project come to be, who runs the organization, and what are the main rule changes? Find out here
Gustavo Dias is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Cristiano Marcello and Ocimar Costa, who competes for the Gracie Humaita team, Dias has a long list of accomplishments
The Miragaia is a Jiu Jitsu position developed in the early 1990s by Renato Miragaia. The position became popular in the competitive circuit of the sport as it allows the fighter on top to limit the mobility of the guard player, utilizing this control to his advantage.
Marcio André is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and one of the top athletes of his generation in the sport, being also one of the prime representatives of the Nova Uniao team in the gi.
The rubber guard is a grappling position of origin unknown that was first seen being put to use in competitions by Nino Schembri in the late 1990s decade, later being also picked up by Eddie Bravo in the early 2000s.
Thiago Sá Fortes is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Ricardo Vieira, and a top level competitor in the IBJJF tournament circuit, representing the Checkmat academy.
The half guard, is a grappling position developed in the early 1990s by Roberto Correa, a well known Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete. The position has since then transformed the landscape of combat sports, having particular use in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Submission Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts.
Marcio Dos Santos is coral belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and a leading figure of the sport during the 1980s decade, being directly involved in the development of Osvaldo Alves’ and Carlson Gracie’s teams, two of the most dominant academies in Jiu Jitsu during that era.
The Estima Lock is the name given to a specific footlock developed by two well known Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors, commonly known as the ‘Estima bros’, popularized mainly by Victor Estima who submitted some of the world’s best grapplers with this same move.
Fabio Caloi is a Jiu Jitsu world champion competitor and a black belt under Fabio Gurgel. Fabio, also known as ‘Fabinho’ Caloi, belongs to an elite generation of grapplers developed by the Alliance Academy, a generation that raised waves in the lower belts of the sport, continuing in great form through the black belt divisions.
Janni Larsson is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the illustrious instructor Shimon Mochizuki of the Arte Suave Academy (Checkmat affiliate) in Copenhagen, Denmark. A native of Sweden, Larsson is one of the most accomplished European black belts, and the first Swedish black belt world champion (2014).
Fantastic text written by Protocolo BJJ and Eduardo Flexa, describing the essence of being a good coach in extraordinary circumstances. An example to follow in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
One of the most popular back takes in the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the Berimbolo was popularized by lightweight fighters in the late 2000s decade, though this ‘scrambly’ position originated in the mid 1990s. Find here all you need to know about one of the sport’s most revolutionary moves.
The De La Riva started being developed in the early 1980s by a Jiu Jitsu practitioner named Ricardo De La Riva. The position would play an important role in the development of Modern Day Jiu Jitsu and is taught today as part of basic BJJ by most accredited Jiu Jitsu academies.
