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

A Brief History of Judo

Adam Victor is an accomplished entrepreneur with a wealth of experience in the mining and oil/gas exploration industries. For the past 13 years, he has served as the president and chief executive officer of TransGas Development Systems. In his free time, Adam Victor is an avid martial arts practitioner who holds a second-degree black belt in judo.

Translating into English as “the gentle way,” judo originated in Japan shortly before the turn of the 20th century. Founder Kano Jigoro developed judo out of the foundations of jiu-jitsu as a physical, mental, and ethical way of life. 

Judo ultimately evolved into a modern martial art that incorporated the best forms of self-defense throughout the history of Asian martial arts. Practitioners of judo strive to achieve maximum efficiency with a minimum of effort as a physical manifestation of softness defeating hardness. 

Growing in popularity throughout the 1900s, judo became an official Olympic sport at the Tokyo Games of 1964. In more recent years, the sport has found new life in the worlds of mixed martial arts and ultimate fighting. Champions such as Ronda Rousey and Hector Lombard rely heavily on the tenets of judo while competing in the ring.