Jiu-Jitsu, translated as 'the gentle art,' is the oldest form of martial art. It has also been defined with terms like yielding, softness, subtleness, and pliability. Its origins date back to India more than 2,000 years before Christ. From there it spread throughout Asia and eventually settled in Japan.

In 1914, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu champion Esai Maeda arrived in Brazil to help establish a Japanese immigration colony. Once in Brazil he was aided by Gastao Gracie, a Brazilian scholar and politician of Scottish decent. To show his gratitude, the oriental master taught the ancient secrets of that ancient fighting style 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 Botafogo, a district of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is where the brothers, prompted by Carlos, essentially designed and laid the foundation for 'Brazilian' Jiu-Jitsu.

Carlos, a boxer, was also interested in no-rules type competitions. He took what he learned and developed it further through these no-rules competitions and street fights until it became the martial art we know today as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). He learned through these competitions and street situaitons that 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. (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.

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