Brazilian jiu-jitsu is one of the best-known sports in Brazil. This is no coincidence; whilst jiu-jitsu is commonly associated with Japan and indeed finds its roots there, Brazil and Brazilians played a major role in transforming it into what it is today. Indeed, outside Brazil it’s often referred to as Brazilian jiu-jitsu or BJJ.

It all started in 1904, when Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese jiu-jitsu instructor and son of a sumo wrestler, embarked on trip around the world to spread his art by demonstrating its efficacy against opponents of different sizes and disciplines. He went to various countries including the United States, England, Belgium, Argentina, Chile and Costa Rica.

In July 1914, he arrived in Belém do Pará. It was Brazil where he would put down roots, eventually becoming a naturalised Brazilian citizen in 1930 and taking the name Otávio Maeda.

Maeda died in Brazil in 1941, but not before he had trained Carlos Gracie. Carlos, having seen him fighting and earn impressive victories, wanted to be trained.

Maeda offered to train Carlos as a thank you gift, because Carlos’ father had helped him settle down in Brazil. He went beyond mere moves, also teaching him about the values of the art as well as encouraging a healthy diet.

It was Carlos who passed jiu-jitsu on to the rest of his family, including his brother, Hélio. In 1925, Carlos opened the family’s first academy. It was the Gracie family that would eventually become the big name of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Both Carlos and Hélio had a number of black belted children, and both were essential in the creation of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Since Hélio was very slim, he developed and adapted jiu-jitsu and the two brothers had different styles of fighting; this is how Brazilian jiu-jitsu came about.

As the family grew in size and in expertise in jiu-jitsu, the sport was becoming better known.

Curiously, it was Rolls, the biological son of Carlos, but who was raised by Hélio, who really formalised the sport that his family had worked so hard on developing and spreading.

Rolls spent a lot of time travelling and experiencing different cultures. This was something he brought into the way he practised jiu-jitsu. He studied many different forms of fighting which could be introduced into the martial art.

Rolls also introduced more structure, creating boundaries and tournaments. He was crucial in the creation and growth of the Federation of Jiu-jitsu in Brazil, which defined belts and rules.

Since then, the family has grown and spread out. Jiu-jitsu still runs in the family’s blood (including the women’s). Rolles, Rolls’ confusingly named son, now lives in the United States, where he gives jiu-jitsu classes in his cousin’s academy.

He believes that had Rolls not passed away in a hang-gliding accident at the age of just 31 in 1982,  jiu-jitsu would have become an Olympic sport.

The story of jiu-jitsu is one of sharing cultures, experiences and talents. It is one of discipline, struggle and a lot of training. Without an open mind and commitment to sharing this art with the world on the part of Maeda and the Gracie family, jiu-jitsu would not be what it is today.

At Compassiva, we run a project called Dojo. In Japanese, ‘Dojo’ means ‘the way’ or ‘the path’ as well as ‘place of training’.

Through this project, which offers classes every Tuesday and Thursday at Compassiva’s headquarters, we seek to show children and teenagers living in vulnerable situations a positive path for their lives.

They learn teamwork, discipline and a way to channel their emotions and energy. We offer healthy snacks, including fruit donated to the project every week, after the training.

Besides this, naturally the students have fun while our instructor volunteers his time to teach them jiu-jitsu, just like Maeda did for Carlos Gracie.

By passing on jiu-jitsu’s values to these children and teenagers, we hope to bring about transformation in their lives. We want them to be able to dream as Maeda and the Gracie family did.