Customer Reviews

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

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3 star:		(5)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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! :-)

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.

Kid Peligro did a great job with this book. It is filled with rich insights and extremely readable.

Yes, it is a celebration - not a critique or objective history, but a very well put together book.

Apart from the wins and losses, it gives you some idea of the soul of the Gracies, a unique family like no other.

Anyone vaguely interested in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu or the world of fighting should take a look.

We need more books like this one!

If you love martial arts and no-holds fighting, then this is going to be your favorite all-time book. The Gracie family changed martial arts forever, and here are the stories and photos to prove it. I'd seen Royce fight in the UFC, but until now had no idea of the incredible things his family has done. The historical photos are fascinating, and the modern fight shots are unbelievable! Even without all the photos, the stories would keep you riveted. I just bought three more copies for my friends!

The Gracie Way is an incredible book with amazing pictures and great stories about the Gracie family. It is divided in ten chapters covering the top Gracies of alltime. It is loaded with old archival pictures intermixed with current pictures of the Gracies fighting and hanging out.

The book goes back to the origins of the family and traces their evolution from the early days in Brazil, their move to America and the UFC, their forrays in Japan.

There are many great, behind the scenes stories.

With its stunning printing it is a must have!

If you enjoy curling up with a good martial arts biography after practice, this book is most definately written for you. Here is the opportunity to read not about one man, but about an entire family of superb competitors and technicians!

This large, high-quality volume (same size & style as his other books) includes a vast number of color & black & white photographs, many previously unpublished. Kid Peligro has utilized his friendship with the Gracie Family, knowledge of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and his access to the Gracie Family archives to present to us one of the most complete volumes on what may be the greatest martial arts dynasty of our time.

Finally we can read about-and SEE!-the amazing Carlos Gracie, the man who studied under Mitsuyo Maeda and started it all. There is a lot of info on Carlos's brother Helio, as well as subsequent generations of Gracies including Rolls, Rickson, Royler, etc. photos include the men in competition, training, and in more quiet interludes with family and friends. This volume is fun to read, and includes many old pictures of the Gracies and their students from the "old days".

As did another reviewer, I too noticed the lack of info on recent events not in the Gracie family's favor, such as some of the recent defeats in both Brazilian Jiu jitsu competition and NHB contests. I find this odd as there is a thorough treatment of the only two defeats Helio Gracie ever suffered. Yes, the Gracies still win much more often than they lose--but why omit blow-by-blow info on recent defeats? That alone however, does little to dim my entheusiasm for this work much.

All in all, this book is very worth the money. If you like to read about heart and spirit, I don't think there is a better volume in the martial arts field right now. The Gracie art is practical, sensible, and full of history. It seems an understatement to mention that the Gracies are a fascinating family.

As an admitted Gracie fan and BJJ practitioner, I couldn't get enough of this book. The history, photos, and inside stories are terrific and make this book impossible to put down. What really surprised me is how much my wife and non-martial arts friends loved it too. Whether you appreciate the Gracies and Jiu-Jitsu or not, you will be inspired and astonished by the exploits of this large and famous fighting family. These are extraordinary men who have lead remarkable lives.

I've been training with the Gracies for about 3 years now and have always been reading about them online. This book has tons of information and great pictures that I had never seen before. It really is a great book that brings you into the Gracie family. It's a testament of what human beings can do when they are passionate about something and put their minds and hearts to the task.

Kid Peligro nails it from an (almost) insider's perspective. As someone who started training with the Gracie family before there was even a UFC, I believe Kid is dead on with his take on the family and the martial art of Brazilian jujitsu. A lot of MMA fans today don't even realize there would be no UFC (or formerly Pride, or any other MMA organization) without the Gracies. Must read for Gracie and MMA fans.