Rolled Up - interviews and techniques

Budovideos.com has a great series of video interviews with some of the interesting and exciting BJJ practitioners/competitors.



There's some really nice techniques shown.

http://www.budovideos.com/online/category/shows/rolledup/

The arrival of Judo in Brazil - Koma

Here's a nice short article with interesting pictures of Maeda, Maeda's colleagues, and students.

It's in Portuguese but the link has it translated into English via Google.

Jiu-Jitsu loses another grandmaster - Master Jurandir Moura

by Carlos Eduardo Ozório — February 5, 2010.

Jiu-Jitsu has lost another grandmaster. He died on January 28, aged 86, the pioneer of the sport in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, Master Jurandir Moura. Promoted to black belt by George Gracie, Jurandir was an 8^th-degree Jiu-Jitsu red-and-black belt.“I’m sure all the fighters in the North and Northeast know the story of this great fighter. He certainly is part of the history of Jiu-Jitsu in Pernambuco! ” said the master of Gracie Barra-PE, Zé Radiola.

Master Jurandir arrived in Recife in the mid-‘50’s, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was just getting started. He opened his academy in 1955 and also competed in MMA at the Portuguese Club, between ‘60 and ‘64.

Black Belt George Gracie was the largest producer of champions in MMA at the time, at the old Pernambuco Academy of Jiu-Jitsu. From there came such stalwarts as Ivan Gomes and his brother José Gomes, the brothers Stariovitis (known as the Gypsies), Amaro Pé de Pombo, Cabo Vasco (aka Calango Elétrico) and many others who fought MMA on the old TV Ring-Torres.

Source: http://www.graciemag.com/en/2010/02/jiu-jitsu-loses-another-grandmaster/

Evolution of BJJ Book & DVD with Oswaldo Alves & Fredson Paixao

Oswaldo Alves contributed much to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu according to this biography on him at
http://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/osvaldo-alves-facts-and-bio.

His speciality is in wristlock and the high guard. He also introduced techniques for side control which is considered one of major positions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He also trained the legendary Rolls Gracie. Oswaldo's Judo background introduced standup techniques as well as ground techniques such as side control. His book with Fredson Paixao is excellent. It shows many of his wrist lock techniques as well as drills demonstrated by Fredson. You can purchase the book with an included DVD from budovideos.

Here's a screenshot from the DVD:


There's an interview with him from On The Mat website:
http://www.onthemat.com/articles/Interview_with_Oswaldo_Alves_10_28_2004.html

An Interview with Carlson Gracie Jr.

This is an informative interview with Carlson Gracie Jr., son of the legendary Carlson Gracie. Carlson Jr. talks about the academies that existed when he was a young lad in Rio.

CG: Jiu-Jitsu has been a part of my life for the last 38 years. The first technique I ever learned was a front roll, and my first submission was a straight armlock from the mount. It all came naturally to me, just by playing with my father. My first tournament I actually lost in the finals. I went for a takedown and my opponent threw on a guillotine. Man, he held that choke like crazy for four minutes. I didn’t tap and the score was zero-zero, but they gave the match to him. I don’t remember my opponent’s name; he was a black guy from Oriente Academy. When the match was over my face was almost the same colour as his, very dark red. But my father wasn’t mad – he was happy that I didn’t tap. I was seven years old. When I was twelve or thirteen I lost again, but all I can say about that fight is that the guy looked VERY old for a twelve year-old.

As a blue belt I lost again to another guy from Oriente. It was scored 4-4, but they gave the match to him. But I got my revenge one month later when I beat that guy really badly, like 28-0. As a brown belt I fought and beat him again. This guy was very good. I think he was a student from Oriente or Kioto – it was a long time ago. Back then there weren’t many Jiu-Jitsu academies in Rio. There was the Gracie Academy, Oriente Academy headed by professor Amélio Arruda, Francisco Mansur’s Kioto Academy, and there was Monir: the academy of Monir Salomão. Those were the four strong Jiu-Jitsu teams in Rio de Janeiro at that time. I especially remember the fighters from Monir and Oriente were very, very good with footlocks. That was their specialty. Those two teams still exist by the way; Oriente is located in Niteroi across the big bridge in Rio, on the other side of the bay. I think their master Amélio Arruda just turned ninety years old.


To read the entire interview, please check out this site, bjjlegends.com, and link:

http://bjjlegends.com/bjj/bjj-news/jiujitsu-mma-news/item/475-an-interview-with-carlson-gracie-jr.html

Fadda JJ challenges the Gracies

Another article about Oswaldo Fadda, a contemporary of the Gracie brothers.

link:
http://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/oswaldo-fadda-facts-and-bio

Oswaldo Fadda (15th of January 1921 until 1st of April 2005) was one of the greatest figures in Jiu Jitsu History. Not comming from a Gracie lineage, Fadda reached the “nono grau” (9th Dan) – Red Belt in BJJ, the greatest honour a non Gracie can ever achieve, he was also the first instructor to take Jiu Jitsu to the poor(er) comunities living in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro were only the rich practiced the sport.
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Full Name: Oswaldo Baptista Fadda
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Oswaldo Fadda’s Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Luis França > Oswaldo Fadda
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Oswaldo Fadda’s Favourite Technique: His school was famous for using footlocks
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Oswaldo Fadda’s Association/Team: Academia FADDA

Oswaldo Fadda Biography

Oswaldo Fadda was born in Bento Ribeiro a City in the State of Rio de Janeiro on the 15th of January 1921.

Fadda started training in 1937 after he joined the Brazilian Marines. His training began with Luis França one of Mitsuyo Maeda’s students that earned his belt at the same time Carlos Gracie was taught Jiu Jitsu.

Oswaldo Fadda received his Black Belt from the hands of his instructor (França) in 1942 and soon started giving Jiu Jitsu classes in his home town on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Always trying to promote the BJJ way of life through discipline and honour, he would often do demonstrations in public squares, beaches, favelas (slums), ouside churches and even circuses and church patios.

On the 27th of January 1950 Oswaldo was abble to finally open his very own academy fully dedicated to Jiu Jitsu, but he was always seen as an outcast by the Gracie’s who failed to see the potential of a BJJ team in the suburbs.

In 1951 Fadda issued a challenge to the Gracie Academy. He issued the contest through the Media stating in the Globo journal: “We wish to challenge the Gracies, we respect them like the formidable adversaries they are but we do not fear them. We have 20 pupils ready for the dispute.” Helio gracie accepted to have his students face Fadda’s.

The event took place in the Gracie Academy and Fadda’s team won, making better use of their footlock knowledge, something the Gracie’s lacked and frowned uppon ever since, calling it “suburban technique” (Tecnica de Suburbano). The highlight of the competition was when Fadda’s pupil “José Guimarães” choked Gracie’s “Leonidas” to sleep.

The event had good media coverage, which had a double effect. While the victories gave Oswaldo’s team notoriety (and more students) it also brought the interest of all the hardman of the nearby cities who would often come over to the academy to issue challenges to Fadda and his students. The occurence gained such proportions that Fadda decided to make a weekly event in which all challengers could compete against his students in a closed door environment. For many years, these fights took place and it is said that never did Jiu Jitsu lose a fight.

Oswaldo Fadda spent the rest of his days in his hometown of Bento Ribeiro, like the humble man he was, with his students and his family. With age he started suffering from Alzheimer’s desease struggling with the illness for years. He finally succumbed to bacterial pneumonia in April 2005, he was 84 years old.