Carlos Gracie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carlos Gracie |
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| Born | September 14, 1902 Belém do Pará, Brazil |
| Died | October 7, 1994 (aged 92) Petrópolis, Brazil |
| Style | Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo |
| Teacher(s) | Mitsuyo Maeda Jacyntho Ferro Donato Pires dos Reis |
| Rank | 10th deg. BJJ red belt (Grandmaster) |
Carlos Gracie (born September 14, 1902 – died October 7, 1994) was a Brazilian martial artist. He is known for helping to create Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Carlos, along with his younger brother Hélio Gracie, and other students like Luis França and Oswaldo Fadda, helped develop Brazilian jiu-jitsu. They based it on the teachings of the famous Japanese judōka (Judo expert), Mitsuyo Maeda. Carlos is often seen as the main leader of the Gracie family in martial arts. He learned his first jiu-jitsu skills from Maeda and his students in Belem. As he taught these skills to his brothers, he started a martial arts family. Together, they created their own self-defense system called Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. This style is different from older Japanese jujutsu because it focuses more on grappling (wrestling on the ground) and less on striking (hitting).
Contents
Biography
Early life and training
Carlos was born in Belém in 1902. He was the first of eight children. When Carlos was 15, his father, Gastão, took him to a professional wrestling show. There, Carlos saw the judoka Mitsuyo Maeda defeat a much larger man. Carlos was very impressed. He then started taking classes with Maeda and his assistant, Jacyntho Ferro. His family soon moved to Rio de Janeiro for work reasons.
In Rio, Carlos later became a student of Donato Pires dos Reis. Donato was a police instructor and also a student of Maeda. Under Donato, Carlos received his first formal training. He learned many self-defense techniques.
Carlos began his public career by challenging judoka Geo Omori in São Paulo in 1929. They had two exhibition matches (non-competitive fights) in January 1930. These matches were called "jiu-jitsu" at the time, but they were really a mix of judo and jiu-jitsu.
After this, Carlos and his brother George opened a small school. They even brought Omori to teach them more jiu-jitsu. Later, the brothers moved back to Rio de Janeiro. They joined Donato Pires's school there in September 1930.
Teaching and challenges
Carlos continued to teach and learn jiu-jitsu under Pires. In June 1931, Pires moved away, leaving his academy to Carlos.
On July 3, 1931, Carlos Gracie and Jayme Ferreira held a challenge event. Three jiu-jitsu fighters from Carlos's academy faced three capoeira fighters. The rules said fighters had to wear special uniforms and could not strike on the ground. This led to one capoeira fighter being disqualified. In the other two matches, Oswaldo Gracie and Benedicto Peres won their fights.
Later, a famous wrestler named Manoel Rufino dos Santos criticized the Gracie family. A fight was set up between him and Carlos Gracie for August 22, 1931. Before the fight, Carlos's former teacher, Donato Pires, said that Carlos was not a direct student of Maeda. This caused some trouble.
The match between Carlos and Rufino finally happened. Rufino seemed to be winning the first two rounds. In the third round, Carlos tried a special hold. There was some confusion about who won. The judges decided to restart the match, but Carlos refused, saying he had already won. So, Rufino was declared the winner.
The disagreement continued in the newspapers. Carlos, George, and Hélio later had another conflict with Rufino. This led to a serious dispute. After this, Carlos decided to stop competing.
Retirement
Carlos retired from fighting and focused on teaching and managing his brothers' careers. He moved to Fortaleza and began teaching jiu-jitsu to the national police. He also started researching what became known as the Gracie Diet. He also became involved in real estate.
In 1948, he published a book called Introdução ao Jiu-jitsu. This book was mostly about nutrition and philosophy.
Judo and Brazilian/Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Gracie Jiu Jitsu started in Brazil in the early 1900s. It used techniques learned from the great Japanese Judo champion, Mitsuyo Maeda. Maeda was taught by Jigoro Kano, who created Judo. Maeda was very skilled and fought many challenge matches against other martial artists, winning most of them. Kano respected Maeda so much that he sent him around the world to share Judo.
Carlos Gracie improved his jiu-jitsu system by fighting in matches open to all skill levels. He learned from these experiences to make jiu-jitsu more effective. Carlos claimed he fought anyone who was willing, no matter their size or fighting style. This idea of open challenge is a big part of the Gracie style of Jiu Jitsu.
After Carlos stopped fighting, he managed the careers of his brothers and sons. They continued to challenge fighters from all over the world. This tradition of open challenges is still carried on by his family members and students today.
Gracie diet
Carlos Gracie copied and changed a special eating plan from a naturopath (a health expert) named Juan Esteve Dulin. This plan is now known as the Gracie Diet. Carlos wanted this diet to help prevent illness, especially on competition days. The main idea of the Gracie Diet is to keep the body's blood pH level balanced. It does this by eating only certain foods together at each meal. The Gracie Diet is flexible, but it does not allow pork or its products. It also suggests not using alcohol or tobacco.
Personal life
Carlos Gracie had 21 children. Thirteen of them became black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. When he passed away, Carlos had 21 children, 106 grandchildren, and 128 great-grandchildren.
In 2009, Carlos's daughter Reila Gracie wrote a book about him. It is called Carlos Gracie – O Criador De Uma Dinastia (Carlos Gracie: The Creator of a Dynasty).
Instructor lineage
Kanō Jigorō → Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Carlos Gracie Sr.
See also
In Spanish: Carlos Gracie para niños
- Gracie family
- List of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners
