In the early 1900’s Mitsuo Maeda arrived in Brazil from Japan and started teaching Japanese Ju-jutsu. Due to his frail physique, Helio Gracie couldn’t perform the fast and explosive movements of this art. Instead he had to adapt and refine the techniques taught by the Japanese Master to make them work for him. By doing so, he created Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, a new martial art based on leverage, timing and natural body movements rather than strength, speed and explosiveness.
