A Brief History of Jujitsu

Brazilian jiu-jitsu
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The president and chief executive officer of TransGas Development Systems in New York City, Adam Victor builds on more than three decades in the field of energy development. Outside of the professional arena, Adam Victor practices multiple martial arts, including jujitsu.

The roots of jujitsu stretch back more than 2000 years, when ancient Indian Buddhist monks developed basic martial arts to defend themselves from attacks by barbarians. These monks brought jujitsu philosophy and practice with them when they migrated to China. From China, jujitsu spread to Japan. 

Modern jujitsu came to the United States from Brazil. A single Brazilian family is largely responsible for popularizing the sport and standardizing it through an official federation. The Gracie brothers founded an influential jujitsu teaching academy in Brazil after the eldest, Carlos Gracie, trained in the martial art under Japanese jujitsu champion Esai Maeda.

Over the years, the Gracie family continued to spearhead the development and proliferation of jujitsu around the world. The martial art received international attention in the early 1990s when jujitsu master Royce Gracie won the fourth annual Ultimate Fighting Championship