The Gracie Way: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Martial Arts Family (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series) [Paperback]

Kid Peligro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

The faces and stories of the sprawling Gracie family, who transformed Brazilian jiu-jitsu from an unknown street technique into the dominant form of martial arts today, are captured here. Introduced are Grandmaster Helio Gracie, who as a frail boy in Brazil in the 1930s developed the art, creating leverage techniques that allowed him to overcome other martial artists, regardless of size or strength; Rickson Gracie, the mystical family champion who has never been defeated in combat; and Royce Gracie, the most famous active martial artist in the United States, who put Brazilian jiu-jitsu on the map by winning the first three Ultimate Fighting Championships before the largest pay-per-view audiences in history. In addition to stunning action shots of the Gracies in all the legendary matches and their unique perspectives on what really went on during those fights, this book includes archival photos of the family, from their beginnings in Brazil in the 1930 to the present day and the new generation of champions. Fans will learn of Renzo's transformation from Rio street brawler to New York celebrity and revered teacher; of Royce and Royler's exploits as mischievous kids; and of Rickson's battle against one of Rio's toughest drug gangs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kid Peligro is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the winner of two World Titles. He is a columnist for Grappling and Gracie and the coauthor of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Self-Defense Techniques. He lives in San Diego, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Invisible Cities Press Llc (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931229287
• ISBN-13: 978-1931229289
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Celebration of the Gracies, not a History, July 22, 2003

By 

Jeffery Steele (Taipei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gracie Way: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Martial Arts Family (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series) (Paperback)

This book is called an "illustrated history" of the most famous family in martial arts. While it has some useful information about the Gracies, it is less a history of the family by an outside and objective observer than it is a celebration of the family's achievements by someone who is almost part of the family himself.

First, the book's good points. The illustrations are beautiful. Many photos are in color, including some that are large enough to cover two pages. There are also a few black and white photos of Carlos and Helio in their fighting prime. The book gives ample space to not only the more famous members of the Gracie family from an American or European perspective -- fighters such as Rickson, Royce, and Royler -- but also to those Gracies who are not as well known -- fighters such as Rolls and Carlos Jr. Finally, the book is generally well-written and well-organized.

Unfortunately, despite these good points, the book's author, Kid Peligro, simply doesn't have the emotional distance from the family to cover it objectively. For most U.S. and European readers, this will be evident when the book turns to more recent events. An especially egregious example is the coverage of Royler Gracie's fight against mixed martial arts legend Kazushi Sakuraba in the Pride Fighting Championships.

To anyone who didn't have a dog in that fight, Sakuraba obviously destroyed Royler. It was such an embarrassing mismatch that in the middle of the contest Royler was reduced to asking -- pleading, really -- for his Japanese opponent to go down to the mat and wrestle him. Near the end of the fight, Sakuraba did indeed go down with Royler and quickly put the Brazilian in an armbar (in what is known as a "Kimura"). He held it for about fifteen seconds to a half minute, slowing torquing it as Royler refused to concede. With less than a minute left, the Japanese referee finally decided to call the match in Sakuraba's favor out of fear that Royler's arm might break. As the match was without judges, and any fight that did not end in a knockout or submission was to be ruled a draw, the Gracies were upset at the referee's decision. Royler had not been knocked out or submitted, but the referee had given Sakuraba the victory anyway.

In his book, Peligro gives Sakuraba some credit (how could he not?), but basically argues that his victory was tainted and that Royler had learned a valuable lesson from the fight: "I learned jiu-jitsu has no limits." Actually, the lesson Royler should have learned from the fight was that if he takes on a great opponent in a mixed martial arts contest, he has a good chance of being crippled. The punishment he absorbed, especially to his legs, was enormous. If the fight had not been just two rounds, Royler would have quickly decided that jiu-jitsu did indeed have limits and that he had reached them. Peligro also mischaracterizes Sakuraba's Kimura: it was well-set and there was nothing Royler could do to defend against it other than to hope he was more flexible than Gumby. If you watch the fight, there are a couple camera shots where Royler grimaces when Sakuraba twists his arm. He was clearly in pain. He also could not hit Sakuraba or otherwise improve his position. A referee is well within his rights to stop a fight if he thinks a fighter's well-being is in danger.

There are other examples of this kind of coverage in the book. Why doesn't Rickson fight quality opponents? Why isn't Royce's jiu-jitsu match against Wallid Ismail included in the book? These omissions and the slanted view of several fights show that Peligro is not interested in history so much as he is in celebrating the Gracie family. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. The Gracies deserve credit for revolutionizing martial arts and popularizing mixed martial arts contests. But an honest history would also address the fact that the Gracies are no longer at the cutting edge of mixed martial arts as they once were. This book does not do that.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding history, pictures and annecdotes, May 18, 2003

By 

therosen "therosen" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Gracie Way: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Martial Arts Family (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series) (Paperback)

This is truly a unique write-up of the Gracie family, pioneers of Brazilian jiu jitsu and modern martial arts. The book is organized around chapters from the founders of Gracie Jiu Jitsu (Carlos and Helio) through the family champions (Carlson, Rolls and Rickson), famous instructors (Rorion and Carlos Jr.) and modern champions (Royler, Renzo & Royce).

Behind the backdrop of personal biographies is a history of the art. Brazilian jiu jitsu started with Count Koma, who taught it to Carlos, who in turn taught it to Helio. Helio, Carlson and Rolls all put their own personal imprints on the art while in Brazil. Rorion brought the art to the US, introducing it to the masses through the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Although the book paints a very positive picture of the family, it does cover some of the troubles the family has seen. Royler, Renzo and Royce's defeats at the hands of Sakuraba are covered, as well as the breakup of Carlos's team of champions.

The photographs alone make the book a treasure. Kid Peligro has unequaled family archives, which provides stories not heard elsewhere. In addition, he was able to interview many friends of the family such as Romero "Jacare" Cavalcanti and Carlao Valente.

A very interesting book to anyone interested in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the history. There's something new for everyone. Except maybe technique - that's another book! :-)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Illuminating..., May 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Gracie Way: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Martial Arts Family (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series) (Paperback)

Alright, I have been won over. I have been practicing the de-fanged form of jiu-jitsu known as judo for quite some time now and always thought it was an effective martial art. But after being bested in tournament after tournament by novices in the devastatingly effective South American art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I decided to buy this book to see what all the fuss was about. I was blown away.

Though it doesn't really include techniques (there are many other books by Royce, Ralph, Renzo, or Cesar that do), it did inspire me with tales of the first family of vale tudo fighting. Each chapter detailing the exploits of a Gracie family member makes me wish I wasn't suffering in this bleak Michigan landscape, but learning from the originators of no holds barred combat in beautiful Brazil.