Judo began as a very rough and violent activity in late 19th Century Japan 6 years after the banning of the carrying of swords.  Interest in traditional weaponry understandably dropped to almost nil as a result of the sword-carrying ban, and the interest of the Japanese people shifted to that of unarmed fighting methods.  The same ardent desire for prowess in weaponry was now applied to developing skill in unarmed combat.  Judo combines the samurai art of Jiu-jitsu with concepts drawn from Japanese swordsmanship and Western wrestling, as a method of steeling the Japanese people's bodies and minds for legal self-defence and for war. Due to too much emphasis on ground grappling, leading to almost utter neglect of standing fighting which is necessary for self-defence, battle and law-enforcement, rules were instituted in the 1920s to place more emphasis on standing techniques, in a roughly 50-50% ratio. A judo throw onto concrete, solid ground, down a flight of stairs, off a ledge or onto a hard object like a fire hydrant can end a fight instantly, and that was the reason given for this emphasis. Therefore, in judo practice groundfighting training is balanced equally with standing-fight training in typical judo training halls in a 50-50 split. At some clubs, the emphasis is traditionally very strongly in favour of groundfighting.  Judo is now one of the world's most popular sports, martial arts and methods of self-defence.

In 1970s Brazil, 6th Degree Judo Black Belt Helio Gracie and his brother Carlos developed unique rules, based on their experience in vale tudo (mixed martial arts) fights, that emphasize ground techniques and at the same time promote movement on the ground, by awarding points for transitional ground techniques and for short pins. These unique and novel rules solved the problem of stagnation on the ground by encouraging the player in the dominant position to keep transitioning to new moves instead of just keeping the stronger position he had already attained on the ground. These rules marked the differentiation of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu from Judo, creating a new sport. The rules are known as "Brazilian Jiu-jitsu" outside of Brazil. The no gi form was begun in the 1990s. Both have a very wide following throughout the world. There is roughly a 90-10% emphasis on ground techniques in this system. The highest ranked Brazilian Jiu-jitsu fighter and trainer in Canada is Marcus Soares, 7th Dan, (who is also a judo black belt with an excellent competitive career in judo as well.) Mauricio "Tinguinha" Mariano, 3rd Dan, is a pioneer in reducing the vast array of BJJ techniques to an effective, teachable system as well as being a highly decorated BJJ champion! He is our club's professional mentor for the sport.

Training in both Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Judo together is a popular way to master the art grappling in Brazil and around the world: Judo for the throws and a top-oriented control and submissions game on the ground, and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for almost complete focus on groundfighting. One pioneer in this approach outside of Brazil is the world renowned judo and BJJ champion Dave Camarillo.

 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Points:

· 1 point. Advantage (ALMOST passing the guard, ALMOST sweeping, ALMOST executing a takedown)

· 2 points. Takedown from standing

· 2 points. Knee-on-belly position

· 2 points. Scissor, sweep, or flip, using legs (from bottom position to top)

· 3 points. Passing the guard

· 4 points. Mount

· 4 points. Mount on back (with heel hooks inside the inner thighs)