Gracie Jiu-Jitsu [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Helio Gracie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

GRACIE JIU-JITSU - THE MASTER TEXT THE DEFINITIVE TEXT ON BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU FROM GRAND MASTER HELIO GRACIE HIMSELF! This 8.5 x 11 inch 284 -page hardbound full color masterpiece is packed with over 1, 300 photos! This collector quality first edition will be one of the most sought-after books in the martial arts world for years to come. Get in on the ground floor and be one of the few to own the first edition of GRACIE JIU-JITSU - THE MASTER TEXT. In a clear and easy-to-follow format, Grand Master Helio Gracie addresses different aspects of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu method that bears his name. From the first page to the last, you'll get a simple break down of how to systematically progress and technically improve your mat game regardless of your background or grappling ability. Now over 90 years old, still training and teaching, Helio Gracie has left an enduring worldwide legacy that can only be found in GRACIE JIU-JITSU - THE MASTER TEXT

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Helio Gracie was born on October 1, 1913 in the city of Belem, in the state of Para, Brazil

Product Details

• Hardcover: 284 pages
• Publisher: Black Belt Books; 1ST edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975941119
• ISBN-13: 978-0975941119
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #578,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but overpriced presentation of the Gracie self-defense program, September 1, 2005

By 

blankpage (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (Hardcover)

According to an interview in the April '05 edition of the magazine Grappling, Grand Master Helio, now 92, wrote this book to show what Gracie Jiu-jitsu is and what it isn't. This book represents "the result of my life's work. All the moves are demonstrated step-by-step. You might say that it's the dictionary of Gracie Jiu-jitsu." Those looking for information on the growing sport/competitive side of the Brazilian art will come away greatly disappointed. Nearly 70% of the book's instructional pages are devoted to the self-defense program developed by Helio and his family, an aspect of Gracie's jiu-jitsu that is often (and unfairly) disparaged or ignored by sport jiu-jitsu and other martial arts practitioners.

However, as Helio emphasizes in his interview, "the jiu-jitsu I developed is for self defense, so you do not get beat up on the street. It's not for tournaments." And that is exactly what is on display in this book. While Helio and son Rorion have done an excellent job, all of the information in this $70 Gracie Jiu-jitsu book can be obtained (and is presented just as clearly) in Helio's son Royler's "Brazilian Jiu-jitsu: Theory and Technique", and son Royce's "Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Self Defense Techniques" for a combined total of less than $40 on Amazon. While a beautifully laid out book, I would only recommend "Gracie Jiu-jitsu" as a coffee table item for the jiu-jitsu devotee or to someone interested in the academic question, "what specifically has Helio Gracie (and brother Carlos) contributed to martial arts?".

The sportive side the Gracies' jiu-jitsu was conceived as a supplementary means of training the ground-fighting (wrestling and submission) phase of the overall defense system. Helio's nephews, particularly Carlson and Carlos Jr., and their students subsequently cultivated and promoted competitive jiu-jitsu as a separate sporting activity in its own right. Nowadays, under the banner of "Brazilian Jiu-jitsu" this competitive form of ground fighting has taken on a life of its own with new techniques evolving far outside the realm of Helio's and son Rorion's Gracie Jiu-jitsu academies. Those interested in the growing sport of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu would be better off buying any number of books on this topic listed here at Amazon, especially those written by the Machado brothers, Gene Simco's Master Text or any book co-authored by Kid Peligro. (Helio's jiu-jitsu also spawned the "no holds barred" form Vale Tudo -"anything goes"- that is very well addressed in son Royce's "Ultimate Fighting Techniques" and great nephew Rodrigo's "Brazilian Jiu-jitsu - No Holds Barred".)

Regrettably, Helio's historical account of his family's jiu-jitsu continues to contain a few inaccuracies. Mitsuyo Maeda, the Japanese immigrant who taught older brother Carlos his martial art was not simply a "jiu-jitsu teacher" but a high-ranking black belt in Kodokan Judo sent to the Americas by Judo founder Jigoro Kano. Masahiko Kimura, the international champion who defeated Helio in a match in 1951 was not the world champion of jiu-jitsu, but of Judo. Much of this is done to build up the uniqueness of Gracie Jiu-jitsu and obscure its origin as being derived from Judo in order to protect the brand name of a very lucrative family business. (For an accurate, well-researched account of the origins of jiu-jitsu in Brazil see the chapter "The Circle and the Octagon" in Thomas Green and Joseph Svinth's excellent "Martial Arts in the Modern World".) Nevertheless, the impact of Helio Gracie (and son Rorion) on martial arts in America cannot be overstated, nor can the unmatched courage of family members in the ring be disputed.

The book gets four stars for just what it is: an excellent if overpriced presentation of the complete Gracie Jiu-jitsu self defense program as taught at the Gracie Academy along with the essential techniques of his system's ground fighting.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Buy for the historical aspect, not the techniques themselves, October 23, 2005

By 

Steven Brown (Melbourne, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (Hardcover)

The reviews here are all good, and pretty much sum things up.
Buy it for the historical aspect - this is the man himself talking. There are more relevant up to date books that you can buy for cheaper if you are just after the techniques themselves.

I thought I'd write a review and give you some quick info on what actually appears in the book for those that want to know before they buy.

The book starts off with a preface by Rorian Gracie, about his father, putting the book together, and choosing the photographer (or as it appears, the photographer choosing them in a nice little story!)

After the table of contents and dedications there is a 10 page introduction and history of Helio and the art of Gracie Jiu Jitsu. There is nothing out of the ordinary here, and no information that doesn't appear in The Gracie Way (the official family biography). It does have some nice old pictures though.

Next is a good section on the art of teaching, and it is cool to hear Helio's thoughts on these things, and how different it is from much of todays schools.

On to the techniques:

Surprisingly, (or not surprisingly if you know Helio and Rorian I guess), literally half the book is taken up with standing self defence techniques. Lots of headlock and choke escapes, split into sections - attacker in front of you, attacker behind you, etc...
My favourite are the weapons defences! Defences against bats, knives and even guns. I'm not trying to be disrespectful but it is hilarious to see pictures of a 90+ Helio disarming a 50+ Rorian and then pointing his silver pistol at him!

For an art known pretty much soley for its ground fighting, it is fascinating to read and look at, and does give you an idea why Helio (and Rorian) claim todays current Brazilian Jiu Jitsu isn't 'the real' Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

The remaining sections deal with the more standard known Brazilian Jiu Jitsu positions. The Mount, The Guard, The Side Mount, The Back Mount. Techniques and pics deal with the old school basics and standards of each position.

Some of the techniques aren't commonly used today as counters to them have since made them difficult to do. eg. Helio shows the guard pass where you slip one arm through the legs in order to try and break the legs open. Someone doing this is VERY likely to be triangle choked. Keeping perfect posture and angle can stop this, but there are less dangerous ways to do it that are far more commonly taught today. (the triangle choke was brought into Gracie Jiu Jitsu by one of Rolls Gracie's students in the 1970s and I guess this is Helio's book and his personal techniques...)

After the technique sections there is approx. 10 pages on the Gracie diet including a one page introduction by Helio.

The book ends here and has no conclusion, final thoughts or closing philosophies, etc... which would have been nice.

All in all, it is a beautifully presented book, and represents one man's life work. The photography is perhaps the best ever to appear in martial arts book. The large hardcover looks amazing sitting on a coffee table and thats where mine sits, having pride of place.

I'm glad I spent the money on it.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essence of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, September 19, 2005

By 

D. Duarte (Torrance, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (Hardcover)

If you're interested in the essence of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which is reality fighting for potential street situations, then this is it!

There is a saying that, "God is in the details," and therein lies the difference between this book (in a sense, the father of all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu books) and the others. You get all the details and tips on how to properly execute each technique from the originator himself, Helio Gracie. And often times it's the tiniest detail that marks the difference between a black belt and a white belt knowledge of the sublime art.

Helio Gracie's system is called "jiu-jitsu" because it is based on the traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu which was practiced by Jigoro Kano until he decided to break away from the old school and organize the new system focusing on throws which was called judo (but came from jiu-jitsu).

While detractors like to point out that Helio merely used techniques taught by his brother's Japanese teacher, Maeda, they fail to recognize that no other student in Maeda's lineage has accomplished what Helio has. It's almost like saying that Einstein's first math teacher deserves credit for his accomplishments.

What made Helio stand out was his obsessive quest to test and refine the moves he was taught; first in the classroom then in vale tudo challenges, which he helped popularize throughout Brazil.

In addition to being informative, the hardcover format and full-color photography give this book an artistic coffee table display quality as well.

A note on the sportive side of jiu-jitsu: Helio Gracie founded, and was the president of, the first Federation of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil, to promote sportive competition. After many years he stepped down when he found the sportive aspect of jiu-jitsu moving away from the original intention of promoting reality self-defense. This explains why some top competitors in sport jiu-jitsu don't fare as well in reality-based mma--while Royce remains a viable competitor late in his career.

More than just a mere self-defense book, this is the take-home version of the Gracie Academy, for less than the price of a month's training at most academies. You get the life story, the origins, the philosophy and the diet of the man himself. Helio believes that mastering self-defense helps one to become a better person, more tolerant of others, and confident enough to achieve all other goals in life. The Gracie diet, included in the book, gives one the good health that supplements all of these benefits and is embodied by Helio himself who, at 92-year-young, still practices and teaches jiu-jitsu on a daily basis.