Ralph Gracie Jiu- Jitsu Academy
Written and Designed by: Kyle Knochenhauer
Acknowledgement I would like to thank: All the Freestyle teachers, along with my family, and friends. This project has been extremely rewarding and difficult, but I am extremely happy that I have this opportunity that freestyle has provided me. Lastly, thanks to all my classmates for the camaraderie that we all shared throughout the year, and this project in particular.
Table of Contents
Foreword........................................................ 7
Introduction..................................................... 9
Chapter 1....................................................... 13
Chapter 2....................................................... 16
Chapter 3....................................................... 19
Conclusion..................................................... 24
Foreword I heard about Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu through my friend Carter Lee, and it sounded like the kind of place that would have what I wanted: an untold story. I wanted to learn about the effects on the community of this specific Jiu Jitsu studio, and the history of how the Gracie family has evolved over the past 100 years. It also helped that this particular location was so conveniently located, so I could get the pictures and interviews that I needed for this paper. I had never heard of Ralph Gracie before, and didn’t even fully know what Jiu Jitsu was until I started this paper. As I entered the studio for the first time, I came to understand all the hard work and dedication that has been invested there. The smell of the place on its own was enough to sense the dedication. Observing the students who practice at this studio was extremely eye opening for me. I have practiced Tae Kwon Do, but was never as focussed as the students who at this dojo. The Jiu Jitsu students listened intently as the instructor directed them on what they were supposed to be doing. They had an attention that many people search for, but often don’t find. The research involved in writing this book was not an easy task to uncover, but I am so grateful for the opportunity for this difficult, but important opportunity. The struggles and hardships throughout writing this book have made it such a rewarding experience that I will always remember. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Mr. Greco, Ms. Parkinson, Mr. Florendo, Ms. Kefauver, and Mr. Taylor; In addition to the cooperative staff at the Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy in Mountain View. Thank you!
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Introduction
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu started at the beginning of the 1900s with Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese judo master, and the first master of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; he passed on his knowledge to two extremely capable students: Carlos Gracie and Luiz Franca. Carlos Gracie passed the knowledge of Jiu Jitsu on to his family. Eventually dozens of Gracie dojos started popping up on the west and east coasts of America, including the Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy in Mountain View, California. The first time I came into the studio, I noticed the simplicity to it, as well as the hours of work that have been dedicated there. You could compare this studio to an artist practicing her brush stroke. She could have a canvas that has only been used for practicing her brush stroke, although some may see it as another canvas, per-
haps, even, an unimpressive one as it is not an “actual” work of art that she made. But there are a select few who could see the work that has been put on that canvas, as her stroke becomes more refined and she becomes more adept at her art form. This academy is a very unassuming building, only noticeable by the “Ralph Gracie” signs; it is located in a very diverse neighborhood, perhaps by design. Within a 2 mile radius one can go from upscale, nice neighborhoods to poorer and more rundown areas. The diversity of the neighborhood in the Mountain View Gracie academy is important to an underlying message that is at the heart of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. What message is that? Anyone can learn and master Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. 9
“Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focusses more on groundwork, so when an altercation is taken to the ground, Brazilian JiuJitsu deals with moves specifically to advance your position or keep you safe.�
-David Lee
Chapter 1: “...and so Helio took the Art and made it very specific.�
Originating in India over 4000 years ago, Jiu Jitsu was created by weaponless monks who needed self defense against barbarian attacks. This art form spread into China and found a strong following in Japan. In 1914 there was a revival of Jiu Jitsu when a master of this form of self defense, Mitsuyo Maeda, migrated to Brazil. He ended up establishing a Japa-
nese immigrant community. Eventually Maeda met Gastao Gracie who helped him with the community, and Maeda repaid Gracie by teaching his oldest sons the art of Jiu Jitsu. Over the years the Gracie family has spread throughout the United States, and they have become a strong influence in the world of martial arts and self defense techniques.
What makes this style of Jiu Jitsu different from any other kind of martial art? Based on my observations, Gracie Jiu Jitsu is not so much of a quick type of martial art, like Tae Kwon Do, where you strike and retreat, but it is more about trying to achieve control over your opponent. One must use technique to their ad-
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vantage to force the opponent to make the wrong move, and once they have fumbled, the proper use of Gracie Jiu Jitsu can render the opponent immobile under the control of this art form. Furthermore, the philosophy of Gracie Jiu Jitsu is that “...anyone can do it” (Will Diaz), which can help a lot of people who feel that they aren’t a
part of something. This philosophy rang true to Helio Gracie who was in poor health and rather small when he was learning Jiu Jitsu. He often had to stay on the sidelines, and watch his older brother, Carlos, teach classes. One day, when Carlos didn’t show up to class, Helio was asked to teach one of Carlos’s students. This student
asked Carlos if he could be taught by Helio instead; Carlos said yes. “And so Helio took the art and made it very specific for joint locks and chokes, for a smaller opponent like him to beat a larger opponent” (David Lee). This feat of Helio’s cemented this ideology that is now infused in the Gracie Academy in Mountain View.
“People are here to serve. We cannot waste potential or any other resource.�
-Rickson Gracie
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Chapter Two:
Are Shoes relevant to Jiu Jitsu?
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“...researchers from the University of Kansas and Wellesley College found that certain shoe characteristics are telling of the wearer’s personality” (Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz). One glance at the old, rustic shoe rack at the threshold of this unassuming studio shows the diversity of people practicing tirelessly for proficiency in this art form. Pink shoes,
“...it’s had a great impact in helping kids stopping themselves from being bullied.” - David Lee
running shoes, skate shoes, crocs, boat shoes; sizes 2-15. But how do shoes compare to people? Many people think that only certain people with a certain body type can do a martial art. Will Diaz, the main instructor doesn’t think so, when he told me that Jiu Jitsu “...allowed a
regular person without having to be very athletic to be able to practice martial arts… you can be short, you can be tall, man, women, children…”. The students who train under Will, range from children to 50 year old men. Diaz also explained that they “...had some people with physical restrictions, back injuries or asthma, but they started… and it’s the job of the teacher to be able to teach this person in a certain way so that they can all participate and benefit from it.” Just as all the different types of shoes are able to be put on the shoe rack, all different types of people with different backgrounds are able to come in to the Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy and learn about themselves; and about something that they can apply to every aspect of their life. Everyone is welcome. Part of the reason that there is so much diversity in the people that come to the academy is because of the diversity in the neighborhood. According to www.mountainview.gov, their charts about race and ethnicity say that 56% of the population: white, 21.7% are Hispanic, 26%: Asian, 2.2%: Black, and 10.8%: other. This diversity is apparent around the city. Some Mountain View neighborhoods, for example, have homes selling for $1.5 million; if you go 3 miles down the road however, you may see people renting a cheap
apartment. This kind of diverse environment reflects the important philosophies of Gracie Jiu Jitsu.
Chapter 3:
Jimmy Clark’s Project
Gracie Jiu Jitsu is flexible and can undergo change without the central core of it being broken, which is a necessary characteristic when diversity is a factor that the instructors embrace. Helio Gracie was the first person to show the dramatic changes he made to the fighting moves, when he fought Masahiko Kimura, Japan’s best Jiu Jitsu fighter ever. Gracie lost the fight by a narrow margin, but had caught the attention of Kimura who stated that many of the moves Helio used did not exist in Japan, and he wanted to learn more about Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Just as Kimura had questions for Helio Gracie, we can ask questions about Gracie Jiu Jitsu as well. What can the students learn about the philosophy of Gracie Jiu Jitsu that they may be able to apply to their lives? Consider this: Jimmy Clark, a 5th
grader, has been going to the Ralph Gracie Academy for 2 years because his mom thought it would be a good
what it was describing. Looking at the instructions, Jimmy wanted to do something different, and decided to take action with his idea. One week later, Jimmy walked into school with a 3D model of his project. And the teacher told him that he had done it wrong. In Jiu Jitsu, however, he knew that doing something a new way and being wrong were too very different things. The teacher accepted his project, however, and noticed that he had more content in his project than the others did; the information were facts that most other students hadn’t thought to write down. Jimmy got an A on this project, and the teacher understood that she had made a mistake by questioning him on his choice to do something different. Jimmy, even though he doesn’t re-
“Jiu Jitsu is not only on the mat, but how you behave yourself outside, how you help your community...martial arts is a family.”-William Diaz way for him to get exercise. Although he has made a few new friends, Jimmy doesn’t really enjoy learning about Jiu Jitsu very much, but has learned many life lessons. One day when Jimmy came to school, he heard the teacher say that they were going to be doing a project, and had very specific instructions for it: A poster stating the history of colonial America in a flow chart, working from left to right with text being in speech bubbles. And there must be pictures each one of the bubbles depicting
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Students run as a warm up before class.
Water is available during breaks for students.
ally like learning about Jiu Jitsu, still applied some of their philosophies that he believes in to his normal life. He knew from Jiu Jitsu that adjusting something to make it more suitable for you, along with hard work, can have many positive benefits for someone when they are trying to accomplish something. In a survey taken by the American Psychological Association, 20% of adults stated that their stress level was an 8, 9, or 10 on a scale of 1-10. For a parent, there can be a lot of stress to provide for the family: afford christmas, birthday, and easter
presents, picking the kids up after school each day, and putting food on the table each night, all while making sure that they aren’t late for their sports practice. While a moderate amount of stress has shown to be effective in helping people finish tasks, too much of this stress can hinder their ability to perform in the workplace, causing them to fall behind further in their work. If only they had an opportunity to release some of that stress! They do! Monday through Friday there are adult classes from 6:00-7:00 and 7:00-8:00 at the Mountain View Ralph Gracie Academy.
Studies have shown that any kind of martial art has numerous health benefits, including stress reduction. While I’m sure your boss or teacher wouldn’t be ok with you actually practicing Jiu Jitsu on their watch, it is, however, still possible to apply the philosophies of Jiu Jitsu to everyday life to see solutions more clearly.
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Conclusion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu started at the beginning of the 1900s with Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese judo master, and the first master of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; he passed on his knowledge to two extremely capable students: Carlos Gracie and Luiz Franca. Carlos Gracie passed the knowledge of Jiu Jitsu on to his family. Eventually dozens of Gracie dojos started popping up on the west and east coasts of America, including the Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy in Mountain View, California. The first time I came into the studio, I
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noticed the simplicity to it, as well as the hours of work that have been dedicated there. You could compare this studio to an artist practicing her brush stroke. She could have a canvas that has only been used for practicing her brush stroke, although some may see it as another canvas, perhaps, even, an unimpressive one as it is not an “actual” work of art that she made. But there are a select few who could see the work that has been put on that canvas, as her stroke becomes more refined and she becomes more adept at her art form.
This academy is a very unassuming building, only noticeable by the “Ralph Gracie” signs; it is located in a very diverse neighborhood, perhaps by design. Within a 2 mile radius one can go from upscale, nice neighborhoods to poorer and more rundown areas. The diversity of the neighborhood in the Mountain View Gracie academy is important to an underlying message that is at the heart of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. What message is that? Anyone can learn and master Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Works Cited “Brazilian Jiu Jitsu The History of BJJ.” Web. Article Directory. 6/24/2011. Cairus, Jose. “The Gracie clan and the making of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: National Identity, Performance and Culture, 1801-1993”. Web. “Demographics.” Web. Based on 2010 Census. Dias, William. Personal interview. 20 Feb. 2014. Lee, David. Personal interview. 27 Feb. 2014. “Origins of the Gracie Family Rediscovered”. 25 March 2014. Web. Published: 3/11/2010. “Martial arts of the world: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation”. Editors: Thomas A. Green, Joseph R. Svinth. “History.” Ralphgracie.com. 12 Jan. 2011. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. “Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.” www.yelp.com. Used: “Door E. U”’s review. Web. 11/10/2009.
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Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy KyleKnochenhauer
Kyle Knochenhauer was born in Mountain View, California, and grew up in Los Altos. He went to Oak Elementary School for six years, and then went to Blach Intermediate School, and is currently a high school student at Mountain View High School. He studies English, Film Production, and Design at Freestyle Academy, a special media arts program offered by the MVLA school district. He loves the hard work and challenge that Freestyle provides him, and never thought that Freestyle would be as hard as it is; he also didn’t think it could be as rewarding as it has been. Kyle has a wonderful family who supports him. He likes to sing and go on bike rides, and enjoy the small things in life.
Ralph Gracie Jiu- Jitsu Academy
Written and Designed by: Kyle Knochenhauer