American Jiu-Jitsu's Most Devastating Weapon
足緘
Roberto Pedreira
Posted May 13, 2022
(JST)
As everyone has heard, the Gracie family of Brazil, Carlos and Helio in
particular, improved and Brazilianized the inefficient and power based
jiu-jitsu that Carlos learned in his lessons with a student of Maeda
Mitsuyo (Conde Koma) named Jacyntho Ferro. According to Roger Gracie's
mum, Reyla Gracie, her dad, Carlos, improved and
Brazilianized Maeda's jiu-jitsu, making it efficient for real
fighting. But Carlos' jiu-jitsu was rigid and power-based and too
frozen in ancient Japanese traditions.
Helio came along and dared to make it efficient for someone like himself,
who was champion swimmer and rower (although Helio and Rorion didn't
mention that but instead gave the impression that Helio grew up in an iron
lung).
Gracie jiu-jitsu proved
to be efficient for real fighting in the first two and the
fourth UFCs. Or at least, Royce won his fights using something he called
"Gracie Jiu-Jitsu" that looked like a combination of rugby and
judo. (It was unclear what UFC 3 proved except possibly that
winning and losing are matters of degree and interpretation, as discussed here.)
Rorion later admitted that it actually was judo here,
with possibly some minor modifications.
But there was plenty of room for improvement. The
evolutionary solution was to
Americanize jiu-jitsu, making it efficient for real fighting. Jiu-Jitsu
needed to be improved to be more fit for the conditions of the new (American)
martial arts marketplace. Nothing is more adaptive than giving customers what they want
at prices they can afford to pay. One of the things Americans (and lots of
other people) want is the latest cool thing. Post-UFC 1 Gracie jiu-jitsu
was that. It was inherent in the sales model that sooner or later there would
be a glut of black belts with no better way to flourish in the postmodern
global neocapitalist economy that had scarcely any use or place for anyone but coders,
internet scammers, burger-flippers, cam-girls, and tech-billionaires (nothing wrong with
that, not being judgmental). If people were going to train for ten or more
years, they wanted something to show off for their money and effort.
Black belts! The
ultimate symbol of coolness. TKD black belts no longer guaranteed respect
and the confidence that one needn't fear any attack or any assailant. Not
when even Beavis and Butthead made fun of the honorable Korean combat art
(actually Shotokan karate). Twenty years after Rorion launched the
Revolution, black belts abounded, some legit, most with medals. No one had
a monopoly. It would be wrong to say that unless your name is Gracie, you need titles, crowns,
Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter accounts, and a Youtube channel and a professional web
designer and SEO consultant to stand
a chance at getting any attention. Wrong because even Gracies need them. The black belts did what they had to do.
They gave the customers what they wanted. Some would say it was the beginning of
a Second Restoration, a Brave New World of "modern jiu-jitsu" and 13 year old black
belts. Anyone can get a black belt, everyone can be a winner. No Child
Left Behind without the black belt she or he "deserves". Others would
say "jiu-jitsu is drowning."
Still others would say jiu-jitsu is already dead, replaced by seed-pods
that resemble real jiu-jitsu in every way except efficiency.
In the now
improved American jiu-jitsu, better known as AJJ to distinguish it from
BJJ, the idols of BJJ would not be worthy of coveted AJJ "black
belts"
because their knowledge was so old, so fundamental, and so uncool. What would grand master Helio
do if confronted by a "jail-break" or a "dead
orchard?" Not to mention a "mission control" or a
"carnie?" Or an "Indian Death Lock" or a
"Centipede Guard." According to at least one AJJ spokesperson, Helio would
be only a blue belt in American jiu-jitsu. as seen below (and
here). Rickson was only slightly less under-appreciated. A ten-grau
red-belt in Gracie Jiu-jitsu would only be equal to a purple belt in AJJ. Rickson
needs to watch more Youtube instructionals, it seems.

Above, Blue belt holder, Helio Gracie (left). Royce Gracie
(center) brown belt Yoshida (back to camera, hiding face, possibly
embarrassed). |
AJJ was created by
"borrowing" from Gene Lebell's book Pro-Wrestling
Finishing Holds (reissued as Grappling Master, rvd. here).
There we will find most of the innovations of AJJ, minus a few exceptions,
those being a group of lapel holds that were banned in judo for being
excessively defensive, or designed to fight without fighting and win by not losing. Something that is
applauded in Enter the Dragon and in some sub-styles of BJJ but not respected in judo or
wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai, or UFC fighting [although some deluded
former Ultimate champions feebly argue that they "controlled the fight" by
not fighting].
Some of the new AJJ holds are low percentage
to put it mildly. The reason they work at all is often because the
opponent
cooperates in making them work (or just pretends that they work. Although
some actually do work. They are called "judo.")
But, to be fair,
what "works" depends on what we are trying to accomplish. These
cool techniques work to get Youtube views.
Gene's book is a
repository of old wrestling techniques that eventually will be uploaded on Youtube.com
with new names and declared to be AJJ innovations. Some already have and the
names haven't even been changed (without giving due credit to Uncle Gene).
On the other hand, to be fair, some modern no-gi jiu-jitsuistas come right out a
say, "it's American high-school wrestling."
There is the usual exception. A technique that really works. And it
is devastating. in pro wrestling and sport grappling without jackets,
occasionally in sport BJJ, and once in a while in MMA when the opponent
doesn't know what to do, as Rickson says (here
and here).
The most devastating technique of AJJ is
coincidentally a judo technique,
known as ashi-garami, (足緘)
which is the last of the 15 techniques included in the Katame no Kata (固の形
) originally
devised in 明冶 17
aka 1884 (Although
the kata had 5 techniques and
was later revised to include 15).
Ashi-garami is explained in detail in a book by Kotani Sumiyaki
(小谷澄之)
and Ôtaki Tadao (大滝忠夫) written in
1953, revised in 1957, 1971,
and 1978 (7th printing of the 1971 revision in 1980). The 1957 revision
was for the purpose of introducing the Kodokan Goshinjutsu (講道館護身術)
which
was "established" (制定された)
in January 1956 as a "new kata"(新たに「形」) after
several years of consideration and research by 25 high ranking Kodokan
men.
Coincidentally Kotani visited Brazil in 1939
(with Sato Chugo) and gave a
demonstration of Kodokan judo for the public, attended by Helio Gracie and
some of his students, among many others. Helio was impressed, describing
Kotani and Sato as "veritable masters" (Choque
1, chp. 19).
Also
interestingly, Kotani was a wrestler in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics
although he returned home without a medal, being eliminated by Joseph
Tunyogi of Hungary (1). He
was encouraged to wrestle by Kano (嘉納冶五朗)
and a few other higher-ups, such as
Okabe Heita (岡部平太,
who learned wrestling as a student in the USA). Kotani had
also studied Aiki-budo with Tomiki Kenji prior to his Brazil visit. (Kano was a huge fan of
American wrestling and Aiki-Budo and encouraged all Kodokan men to
practice them. Far from being frozen in tradition, Kano was totally all
about cross-training.)
Below is a translation of Kotani and Ôtaki's explanation of
ashi-garami (they provide five photographs of the technique in action). Note.
Uke 受 refers
to the training partner or opponent. Tori 取 is the individual performing the
technique (ashi-garami). With
no sexist intention we will use masculine pronouns (he, him, his) because Kotani and Ôtaki identified as, or actually were, male
in the traditional Japanese system of sex classification.
**
When applying for a tomoe-nage [from standing], tori
places right foot in the lower abdominal region of uke.
Tori drops down directly below uke [foot still
in lower abdominal region, or 下腹部].
Tori pulls uke down and forward from upper body grips
[the grips that he/she/etc started with while standing]
Uke will step forward one foot step with right foot and
will try to raise the upper body [to reestablish an upright natural
position, aka shizentai 自然体].
To avoid being pulled down, uke will try to pull tori up.
Tori puts left leg through the middle of uke's two
legs.
Tori passes the front part of his foot around from behind and outside the
front of uke's leg around uke's right knee.
Tori wraps uke's right leg with his (tori) left leg.
After that, tori wraps or winds (巻きつけ)
around uke's left inner thigh [the inner side of the left knee] and inserts his foot in a wedge-like
condition. [Note: the extent of this wedge-like condition depicted
would be considered an infraction in current IBJJF rules].
Then extend uke's right foot by pushing, thereby making uke step
forward.
Tori grabs uke's collar and sleeve with his (tori) right and left
hand, respectively [standard grip shown]
While pulling, tori uses right foot to turn uke over.
Tori extends directly in front with left leg.
In this case, uke will fall in front.
Tori extends the left leg.
And, uke's right knee joint will be "locked"
Uke will make the "signal of desistance"
(mairi no aizu, 「参り」の合図).
Tori will promptly release the lock.
Both individuals will then assume the starting
position. [Note. The starting position is known as kyoshi, 距姿
aka,
idori 位取り, which
is basically shizentai with one knee on the tatami and one knee up
in a 90 degrees position.]
**
Note(s)
Note
1. Kotani was eliminated by Tunyogi on August 2 (by decision) having previously
been thrown by Ivar
Johansson of Sweden in 6:14. (Two losses = out.) However he defeated Stockton of
Canada by pin in 3:19. Johansson and Tunyogi took gold and bronze,
respectively, so Kotani's performance, coming from judo, was respectable under the
circumstances (Oakland Tribune, Aug. 2, 1932; Imperial Valley Press [El Centro,
CA], Aug. 3, 1932; The Gazette [Montreal] Aug. 2, 1932.
(c) 2022, Roberto Pedreira. All rights reserved.
Updated June 3, 2022.
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