How Rickson Gracie feels about modern BJJ, and why we should learn 'invisible' BJJ
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ค. 2011
- www.getBJJsponsorship.com - Upgrade your passion from a pastime to a profession. || Filmed in Rio de Janeiro in July of 2011 shortly before he taught a seminar on his "invisible jiu-jitsu", this rare interview gives us an insight into this master's philosophies and attitudes like never before. This exclusive English language interview, BJJ legend Master Rickson Gracie discusses topics such as:
* How his philosophy and attitude toward jiu-jitsu has changed with age.
* Why people should learn his "invisible jiu-jitsu".
* How he feels about modern techniques and positions such as 50-50 guard.
* His attitude toward modern advancements in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* Who he feels will carry on the family legacy by promoting the art of jiu-jitsu.
Interview by Hywel Teague for BJJHacks.com -- www.bjjhacks.com
Soundtrack:
Sweet Dream by 'Angry'
/ the-angry-buddah - กีฬา
"The mind is like a parachute, it works only if it is open." I am stealing that.
King Idiot one of the best quotes I've heard anywhere.
He should live by and practice some 50/50
well not invented by Rickson, but ok.
Zappa quote
This dude...
A true warrior, but also an intelligent, empathetic person.
Not many people embody the MA spirit like this guy.
Well said
If couldn't agree more. Everyone is so focused on winning tournaments. What is the point at the amateur level or for the guy who trains casually. Whenever I come across a guy with the latest and greatest guard I like to make a point of smashing through and showing how the basics work. With a good base you will always be okay. The problem is the basics take time to learn and people have such a short attention span.
I once took a private lesson from Rickson 20+ years ago. Great man. Wonderful teacher. His emphasis on fundamentals cannot be overstated.
"it's never about the win, but never allow yourself to lose" - Rickson Gracie
someone should make a T-shirt :)
Rickson talks a lot of sense, A great Martial Artist !
I feel like Rickson Gracie is one of the last samurais on earth
Grande mestre Rickson Gracie. Ninguém hoje em dia tem uma visão tão profunda e abrangente sobre a arte do jiu-jitsu e sobre lutar como ele. É um sábio das artes marciais. Um verdadeiro samurai moderno.
The problem is that it's more about business than anything else so that means entertainment. The fighter who makes the most money is the one who the fans want to see fight, not the best fighter, not the fighter who has the best mentality. Rickson was arguably the best fighter of all time in bjj and mma. He was special in that he was a student of fighting, the physical and the mental game. Too bad we don't have more Ricksons. But that's life.
No, he was never the best fighter in MMa but for BJJ he was the best of his time. One of the few, if only of his generation to submit every one of his opponents in BJJ competition as a black belt.
this dude is a God damn Samurai
You win the best comment here award!
@mark daniels Yeah I bet he really meant Rickson was a literal japanese samurai. Smh
Samurai who avoid real warrior Sakuraba
This interview is pure gold...thanks for posting
Genial Rickson, isso explica toda a diferença dos lutadores atuais para os da nossa epoca. Habilidades como paciência, estratégia, sobrevivência...
i love how he says: perfect technique and special attitude towards it lends itself to effectiveness and efficiency of technique application...and he's right, no such thing as luck...only hard work and time in the trenches will get you realworld results...nice to see he's still grounded in work ethic...
This guy has a role in the modern martial arts....thank you master
Nice to hear a recent interview - thanks!
This guy has a mentality so pure that if you think things through to the very core, you see there is no other truth to the martial arts than the words he speaks, i always say if you are trying to be something or to live something than you have to be that to the very core of the art
"dedication to technique". awesome words of wisdom.
My favorite Gracie. I don't see how some people think the Gracies are closed minded, in that they feel only their way works. All the videos I've seen of them all have them basically saying that, their way is not the only way. Do what works best for you.
Sport and entertainment vs survival and conquering, the latter wins for me every time. Gracie's are compelling to watch and learn from, interesting philosophies of life. Well done that family!
Such an inspiration! A true martial arts master!
that man is amazing ! he dedicated his whole life to JIU JITSU
I feel exactly the same for judo as well, especially as the sportive aspect is being more and more diluted by the IJF's constantly changing rules that take away a lot of elements of judo
One of the few real martial arts artists still alive. A blessing
This is a very good interview here. I completely agree with it and I have been saying this for a long time.
Amazing submission warrior , a really great legend
My brother inlaw meet him here in Northern California and five years later my nephew started training from one of his school he was cool and down to earth..
Very cool interview, thanks for sharing man
Rickson Gracie,..super legend.
"IF SIZE MATTERED , THE ELEPHANT WOULD BE KING OF THE JUNGLE" Renzo Gracie
The only reason why people say that lions are the kings of the jungle is because lions are smart enough to run away from Elephants. If they fight, one elephant can kill a whole pack of lions without a scratch. Do not follow slogans like that one without a little bit of thought. An African Bull Elephant is over 4 tons and a male lion is about 600 pounds. A lion cannot win even if it uses BJJ.
lions often eat elephants...Sometimes they eat adult male ones as well. Sometimes a lion or 2 will lose it's life in the process. The point is, you are afraid to do something in the fear that it might harm you. That is the difference between bravery and cowardice...I just gave what you said plenty of thought
The reason there are different weight classes is because " We wanted to look more like the boxing league so people and the Federal Sports Commission would except us more and not looking at us like barbarians" Dana White.....................its not because of big guys dominating little ones
Anthony Banks You need fear to survive, everybody feels it. Cowards let it control them and brave people use it on their favor. Fear is what gets the best out of you in a real fight or any dangerous situation. The best for you
Anthony Banks Weight classes exist for financial matters. It is more profitable to have 10 champions than one overall champ.
He is awesome and sincere. The things he talks about, how jj influences the rest of your life, is really important to me. He comes to our small school once a year, and it's amazing to put your hands on his sweaty gi. (No I'm not gay) lol
This man's philosophy impresses me every time he speaks.
great comment. change your perspective from trying to win to never losing. this is one of the 20 principles that funakoshi put forth, and the difference between a life art and a sport.
Rickson Gracie fan for life!!!
This is completely true. I've been teaching for 50 yearsand this is the truth. Plaain and simple.
Size and strength matter...right...that the point of BJJ. We train for a lot of reasons, but for the scenario that you do end up in a fist fight with a much bigger opponent, you'll have a chance of not being demolished and maybe even walking away the winner. Guarantees nothing, and you might get your ass kicked, but at least you're not defenseless. I've trained for 8+ years and beaten very skilled opponents 100+ pounds bigger than me. I've been beaten by guys 50 pounds smaller than me...many times. Use all the hypothetical scenarios you want to rationalize why BJJ doesn't work, but at the end of the day that big dude had better watch that arm. People think a lot of shit that isn't true.
Those were some great interview questions.
Imagine seeing Rickson in his prime rolling with Marcelo Garcia in his
marcelo would win, easy...
I did.
I would love to see Rickson vs Marcelo Garcia, but as that is not possible, how about a Metamoris - Kron vs Garcia?
Lol sure I guess although I've already seen Kron and Marcelo go at it.
maNukush
That could be the dumbest statement I've ever seen on YT.
He is a fascinating man.
Porrada timey
I love his stance on modern techniques like 50-50 guard. As a competitor I have to learn that kind of stuff but I feel like it detracts from the self defense aspect of BJJ
Kron says it's good to familiarize yourself with the sport techniques so you're not caught guard in that environment, but once you know how to defend those positions, you don't need to spend much time on them
He's a Philosopher of his art/craft
I wish I could learn from you Rickson Gracie!
I think more people should train to fight against anyone and be prepared for as many scénarios as possible. To train or fight against any size or weight enables you to build mental endurance and technique essential to survive à real life scénario.
thanks for sharing!
Rickson is the GOAT
+THE REAL HARD CORE CHAMP Greatest Joke of All Time fool.
+THE REAL HARD CORE CHAMP baa baa baaa
Always talkiimg. Nut nevet fought sakurada spanknt sll thr Gracies
Alwsys talk nrver fought sakurada wat happn there. Saku spankntnall them
He truly is The Last Samurai, no question.
Rickson is the Heart and soul of Jiujitsu .
True WARRIOR!
Master Rickson's first answer makes me think about Xande Ribeiro vs Roger Gracie. Xande acted like a douchebag the whole time. Xande didn't do anything in any of their fights, trying to score stupid points. It was SO FUCKING STUPID. I always get mad when I remember those fights.
you are amazing sir
Love this guy!
I like the point he makes about MMA matches being too short. That 5 minute round shit has to go. That's the only part of the sport that has taken a step back. Pride had it right. The sport has grown, fighters are in better shape, have better endurance and stamina so its time to step it up a notch and push for a longer time limit. Just think of all the fights you would have seen finish this year had there been one more minute.
Bu Jammy I’ve personally never heard anyone call MMA, “Ultimate Fighting”. Most people call it UFC without even knowing what it stands for. But I agree with your points.
I regard Rickson Gracie as a genius and as a Renaissance Man.
Fascinating guy!
I agree with everything he said but i also believe the rubber guard can be useful in a practical situation. I dont use it myself but ive seen others use it effectively
He is so right. And there is a difference between old school and new school, self defense vs sport Jiu jitsu. New school, for the most part, won’t prepare you for a fight. Of course some of the techniques will work, but there is so much to learn and so much that just isn’t practical. Thankfully I have a Gracie CTC nearby, even though I’d rather train under a Gracie directly. I left a sport school because after a few months I realized it was strictly competition with all 50/50, worm guard, etc. pointless crap for fighting
Awesome!
This men's fight philosophy is on the next level.
Very nice!!
I NEED THAT SHIRT!
Rickson will always be the greatest jiu-jitsu fighter in the universe.
If I could, I would sit here all day hitting the "Like" button.
he is right about the 'technical'. i am not sure in most of the fights he was in in japan, that you could even say that it was jui jitsu? now i see why they chose royce to be their bjj ufc figther. rickson was/is such a gifted athlete, that he would have made a good baseball,football, soccer, basketball, etc player. he could have beaten his opponents using boxing, karate, wrestling or any martial arts skill, he is just so gifted with physical ability unseen since before or after him. he is not the guy who you want to demonstrate bjj skills because he was so good as a figter. looking back, royce was the correct choice to showcase bjj, but rickson no doubt was the best fighter ever in MMA.
btw, as an afterthought, i would have loved to see a rickson vs. marco ruas fight! now there would have been a 'technical' bout of enjoyment. i think that ruas was also one of the best fighters except that he started late age and then got hurt to boot.
Amazing
a living ledgend
Awesome.
amazing
In both their primes a Garcia vs Rickson match up would be spectacular. However perhaps we should get a little idea about this matchup by looking at Kron vs Marcelo. Kron, arguably not quite yet in his prime, did very well against Garcia by just using basic jiu-jitsu. Rickson's pressure, from what I have been told, is like no other and his instincts just the same. So to say Marcelo would smoke Rickson is a little off to say the least.
in pure sport bjj i think marcelo would beat him. ricksons bjj wasnt mastered for sport, it was mastered for TRUE fighting, allow strikes on the ground, and rickson would maul marcelo. I love both guys but its two different worlds, and styles.
Rickson and Kron had a full out roll. Rickson beat him.......easily. And that was as a physically wrecked old man.
Great philosophy
Rickson is the best ever..
Where can I learn Jiu Jitsu directly from Rickson Gracie?
Very interesting.
pure gold
People here talking about selft defensa are quite lost
I love the sentence about skinny guys doing it right or not doing it at all, rememberd me of a sentece of the great Mifune "I thank my parents giving me a weak body cause that made me work twice as hard"..
1:04 sooooo Tru :) thank you
The AC/DC of BJJ.
Gracie Jiu Jitsu ist the best if not the only style of fighting. It enables you to defeat virtually any opponent in the world. It defeats all other Fighting Styles and Martial Arts with ease. And it's the only Martial Arts witch actually allows yourself to defeat people without getting hurt or even hurting them.
In regards to grappling maybe, Benito.
Fair Judgement
Nope, in regards to fighting period. When you achieve a dominant position through technique you can rain down ground and pound in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. In fact GNP is what will open submissions for you.
LOL. NO. Imagine you're being attacked on the street. Will you wanna get down to the ground on conrete or asphalt? Of course not, you would get hurt. A judoka or a wrestler would throw you down and break your skull.
amjan
Sure, a wrestler or judoka might. How many of those are you likely to encounter, and have to fight? Not very many. Even so, once you end up on the fucking ground, wouldn't you like to know what to do, and be comfortable in that position? If you fight someone larger it's almost a guarantee that you *will* end up on the ground (if not KO'd) and myself, I'd like to be prepared for that situation. Open your mind - just like Rickson said.
Oh, and watch some Stephan Kesting videos - he talks a lot about practical BJJ on concrete... again, it might open your mind.
Someone's stuck in the 90s.
Where can I learn Jiu Jitsu directly from Rickson Gracie? Does he live in California?
If your not comfortable fighting an opponent 50 pounds heavier there is something wrong!
thats why we love him!
great, greater, rickson
That is easy to say coming from a light heavy weight. Rickson walks around at about 200 pounds. Tell that to a flyweight.
joe1max
Yeah.. I'm about fly/bantam size and I have to admit I don't really want to think about fighting a guy with any experience and 50+ lbs on me. Doesn't sound like a good scenario.
Thankfully my gf knows enough BJJ to climb on his back and choke his ass out, totally emasculating me in the process lol.
*****
Agreed, they claim Helio was "80 lbs lighter" than Kimura, when the difference was about 15-20 lbs. At least Helio - unlike some of his sons (not Rickson) and grandsons - had some respect for the people who beat him, naming the reverse ude garami after the man that beat him with it, and that's why we all know it as the Kimura.
Hmm... If you made a clone of yourself then just ctrl+shift+up arrow on the weight parameter and rolled with him and he didn't make you uncomfortable there's something wrong with your cloning app
Was the biggest Gracie's fans as a kid, but these days its real mix martial arts everyone knows BJJ. If it was any weight these days small guys would get killed.
This guy knows what he's talking about.
THAT THE RULES OF ADCC. RICKSON SHOULD DO IS OWN SHOW, NO WEIGHT CLASS AND NO TIME,
He is the man....
@monacode
he is the last and only real warrior. the spirit of warrior, philosophy of warrior. he is not making it for popularity or money. much respect.
@chozn11 Very good point. MMA today is something totally different from real combat. UFC1, UFC2, UFC3 adn UFC4 were relly nice.
does Rickson have any dvd or books out ? i doubt so right?
+Jeff Chen I don't believe he wants to publish techniques in media formats. Rickson wants you to be there with him for real to teach you. I think he's very serious about teaching and wants to be fully present with you for the experience.
Henry Aikins teaches Rickson's bjj beautifully. Buy his dvd's.
THE MAN
Bjj comps should be submission only no points, no time...
+Matheus I mean - that's great in spirit. But when you're in a division with 40+ competitors it could take all day. For just one division. Already, the IBJJF world championship is a two day event.
That sounds good in theory but with two top level guys matches would take hours. U think submission only would be more entertaining to watch but usually the matches mostly end in a draw and are usually boring to watch. In my opinion the best thing anyone's come up with is the EBI rules where if it's a draw then they do like a sudden death thing where u either start on the back with hooks in and seatbelt or the spider web position and if no one still wins then who ever had the fastest escape wins so at least u always have a winner, plus they only pay u if u win by submission. U don't get anything for overtime wins and that really makes both guys really go hard for the submission
+Aaron Wolbach Wimbledon lasts so so so much longer. Time shouldn't be a constraint.
Suhail Agha Really? Did you just compare BJJ to Wimbledon? How many competitors can afford to travel to New York and stay for a couple weeks just to *wait* for their turn to roll with someone? There's a reason that tennis is for snobby aristocrats.
Take forever
So true...
Modern sport BJJ has lost a great deal of its self defense aspect. Rickson's BJJ was much more oriented towards self defense. In regards to modern MMA, with everyone being able to wrestle, striking has become more and more important. MMA is still much more similar to a real fight.
So true
Bruce Lee talked about this. The balance between being scientific/robotic in your technique and reacting naturally and intelligently to your opponents movements.
@zjitheman, you can go to culver california, his son Kron have a school there and his dad moved back home to brazil, i might me wrong
I bow to you Rickson one day.
He's 100% right! Words of wisdom from the greatest fighter in the world
+Andrew Rai Greatest fighter? Hahahahaa...........he never fought anyone. It's all hype and bullshit. Ronda Rousey could squash him like a bug.
Live Long Rickson Gracie
You can learn more about it on ShepherdSurvives website I think.
Rickson breathes manhood. True master of the craft
i would have loved to see this guy fight vs saku, fedor, crocop, wanderlei silva, etc....
invincible
A wonderful man. I'm sorry he never let me match him with anyone real…
wise wise man.