Gracie Jiu-Jitsu by Helio Gracie
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Book Summary Author: Helio Gracie Edition: Hardcover Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Format: Illustrated Published: 2006-05-01 ISBN: 0975941119 Number of pages: 284 Publisher: Black Belt Books |
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Book Reviews of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Customer Review: Excellent but overpriced presentation of the Gracie self-defense program
Summary: 4 Stars
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.