— ROBERT DRYSDALE (@robertdrysdale)
January 13, 2023
Following the success of his first book, “Opening Closed Guard,”
multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Robert
Drysdale has released its sequel, “The Rise and Evolution of
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: From Vale-Tudo to Carlson Gracie to its
Democratization.”
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The new book is divided into four parts —or four waves of
practitioners (1930-1967; 1967-1993; 1993-2007 and 2007-present) —
as these practitioners were exposed to different brands of
jiu-jitsu as the art evolved over time, in both cultural and
technical terms.
For this, the author takes a dive into the importance of vale-tudo
(anglicized into “MMA”) in shaping the Gracie fighting system away
from judo and into a more reality-based approach to combat. It also
investigates jiu-jitsu’s continuous evolution inside its first
federation as well as how the family feud between Helio and Carlson
Gracie played a vital role in this evolutionary process.
Furthermore, the book discusses the importance of the brotherly
rivalry between Carlson and Rolls Gracie as setting the foundation
for jiu-jitsu to evolve from its previous form into the brand of
jiu-jitsu practiced by millions of people today around the
world.
According to the author, it was Carlson’s role in insisting on a
competition-oriented approach to jiu-jitsu open to all that
breathed life into the brand of jiu-jitsu that took the world by
storm after the rise of Royce Gracie
and the UFC in 1993. For these and other reasons discussed in the
present work, the author places Carlson at the center of this
history as the father of modern BJJ and MMA.
Lastly, this book discusses the struggles and importance of Carlos
Gracie Jr. and the IBJJF in giving jiu-jitsu structure, shape and
professional credibility at a time where jiu-jitsu was under threat
of becoming simply another fad. It also discusses the greatest
challenges the art faces today as its popularity exposes it to new
problems that threaten to fragment precisely some of the qualities
that set jiu-jitsu apart from other martial arts to begin with.
The book is available for purchase here and also on
Amazon.