Customer Reviews

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Very good book! It's a great book for all of those Jiu-Jitsu or grappling enthusiasts and a great collector's item as well. The book emphasizes more on street self-defense rather than a full grappling instructional book as it was intended by Master Helio Gracie. So, again if you are looking to learn total grappling by the Gracies then this is not the book for you. I personally bought this book more as a collection, because I believe that Master Helio Gracie is a big part of the martial art history. I am an Aikido practitioner and I have a lot of respect to the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. I realized that no matter what art you practice, it is still important to learn the proper way of ground self-defense and the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has it all.

This book covers jiu jitsu fundamentals and self defense as good as any. For what it aims to do - preserve the simplicity of Helio's high leverage innovations - it is a fanstastic, if slightly pricey, book. There's answers to many questions that don't appear in daily jiu jitsu training. ("How do I use what I know to defend a knife attack?") It's also great for reminders - "What's the perfect posture to avoid a triangle?" - Helio demonstrates the correct way.

All this said, do buy the book for what it is, not what it isn't. It isn't a manual on modern innovations - there are better places to learn the X-guard, the De La Riva Guard, the Rubber Guard, and other no Gi techniques. The focus is on gi jiu jitsu fundamentals and self defense. For that, it succeeds greatly.

Very good book! It's a great book for all of those Jiu-Jitsu or grappling enthusiasts and a great collector's item as well. The book emphasizes more on street self-defense rather than a full grappling instructional book as it was intended by Master Helio Gracie. So, again if you are looking to learn total grappling by the Gracies then this is not the book for you. I personally bought this book more as a collection, because I believe that Master Helio Gracie is a big part of the martial art history. I am an Aikido practitioner and I have a lot of respect to the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. I realized that no matter what art you practice, it is still important to learn the proper way of ground self-defense and the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has it all.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary legend comes from the Latin adjective legenda, "for reading, to be read". It is therefore appropriate that a true Living Legend such as Helio Gracie has finally created a written manual that can truly be referred to as the definitive guide to the martial art that has elevated him to this legendary status.

Grandmaster Helio demonstrates the lessons with the assistance of his oldest son Rorion, who is also quite an accomplished martial artist. The lessons concentrate on the true essence of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu: personal self defense. Those seeking sport grappling tactics and flowery Hollywood martial arts moves may be disappointed with the book's practical self defense applications.

I was somewhat reluctant to pay $70 for a training guide when so many other Jiu-Jitsu manuals were in print for a fraction of that cost. However, the price was easily justified after my first reading of this work of art. It was quickly apparent that I was learning the proper techniques, the family history, and even the specialized Gracie diet from the point of view of the legend himself. While many of the manuals written by his descendants and students make excellent training accessories these lessons come directly from the source, directly from one of the founders of this discipline which is the true value of the book.

This book contains the complete foundation of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. The theory, principles, and technique are invaluable; and come directly from the source. Grandmaster Helio Gracie is no longer with us, but anyone new to the practice of GJJ can use this to learn his amazing self-defense/fighting art. I am a GJJ Brown Belt with over 9 years of experience and still constantly reference this book. In addition, there are historic photographs and stories that any student will enjoy.

A must have detailing graphically almost all the techniques perfected and developed by Grand Master Helio Gracie which comprise the most effective self defense system known to man with a proven track record spanning back to 1925. It doesn't compare to real classes with a Helio Gracie certified instructor but it helps refresh the concepts.

You have to thank Helio for modernizing jiu jitsu. The family name and contribution to jiu jitsu / mma are what made me buy this book. I am grateful and will remember Helio Gracie forever. I purchased it about a week after he died as a personal memorial to him. The content is great if you train with the gi. I would recommend it to everyone just to see the man that really started it all as it relates to modern jiu jitsu.