Multiple time world champion Robert Drysdale came onto The Strenuous Life Podcast to share the discoveries he’s made while studying the history of BJJ for his forthcoming documentary ‘The Closed Guard’ and accompanying book “Opening Closed Guard.”
There’s a TON of good stuff here, including how Judo slowly evolved into BJJ, the role of George Gracie, why the Japanese (including Mitsuyo Maeda) were even in Brazil, the connection to catch wrestling and the carnival, and so much more. If you’re interested in the history of BJJ then this is a must-listen!
Here’s just some of what we talked about…
00:52 – Opening Closed Guard, the book
06:16 – The first Japanese martial artists in Brazil
16:51 – Who was Mitsyuo Maeda?
19:27 – The role of the circus in the development of BJJ
23:20 – Early lineages of jiu-jitsu in Brazil
31:02 – The development and role of Vale Tudo fighting
33:08 – Why jiu-jitsu became so ground oriented
43:41 – The importance of George Gracie
45:47 – Helio Gracie’s early fights
47:58 – The period of decline in jiu-jitsu
52:36 – BJJ between the 1950’s and 1990’s
1:02:26 – The role of jiu-jitsu federations
1:09:07 – Effects of legalizing heel hooks
1:15:16 – BJJ in the Olympics
How to Listen to Robert Drysdale on the History of BJJ
1) I’ve released this as episode 296 on my podcast (The Strenuous Life Podcast) which you can listen to on all podcast players, including the following popular platforms and apps…
2) If you don’t have a preferred podcast player you can can listen on the Grapplearts BJJ Master App which you can download for free for iPhone and iPad in the Apple App Store here or for Android devices in the Google Play Store here.
3) Or you can stream the audio right here without leaving the page by clicking play below…
I hope you enjoy both this and other episodes of The Strenuous Life Podcast!
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Cheers!
Stephan Kesting
The post The Road from Judo to BJJ, with Robert Drysdale appeared first on Grapplearts.