What is Machado Jiu-Jitsu?
In 1914, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu champion Esai Maeda arrived in Brazil. Once in Brazil he was aided by Gastao Gracie and to show his
gratitude, the oriental master taught Jiu-Jitsu to Gastao's son, Carlos Gracie. Carlos taught Maeda's techniques to his brothers:
Oswaldo, Gastao, Jorge and Helio and in 1925 they opened the first Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Carlos took what he learned and developed it further through no-rules competitions and self defense situations until it became the martial art we know today as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). He learned through these competitions and self defense situations that almost all fights end up on the ground. Operating under this premise, Carlos and his brothers expanded on their grappling knowledge, developing new and innovative techniques.
Later, Carlos' youngest brother Helio began adapting the techniques to maximize leverage, thus minimizing the force that needed to be exerted to execute the technique. Using these new techniques, smaller and weaker opponents gained the capability to defend themselves and even defeat much larger opponents. Helio's work evolved Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu into the art we know today.
BJJ is a system of one-on-one ground fighting, where the objective is to achieve a superior position for joint locks, chokes and strikes. Carlos and his brothers passed this new form of Jiu-Jitsu on to all in their families, including their cousins, the Machado's.
The Machados' philosophy is not to prove or impose their system onto other styles or martial artists. Their main concern is to share
what they have, always with their minds open for new ideas. This attitude has helped the Machados' to establish themselves in the
martial arts community and given them many, many friends. Their attitude of balance is reflected not only in the way they fight, but
also in the healthy lifestyle they have adopted since childhood.