Theodore Roosevelt 1858 – 1919, served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909.

The article that appeared in the New York World on March 20, 1902, revealed that President Roosevelt was training Jiu-Jitsu under Professor John J. O’Brien of Boston.

The article notes:
“Prof. O’Brien learned the Jiu-Jitsu tricks in Nagasaki, Japan, where he was formerly an inspector of police. He has holds which can be used in all circumstances under which a man may be attacked.”

“Roosevelt hopes soon to be able to break the arms, legs or neck of any Anarchist or thug who may attack him.”

Not much after that president, Theodore Roosevelt trained Jiu-Jitsu under the most notable Japanese Jiu-Jitsu instructor Professor Yoshitsugu Yamashita. The pioneer of Judo in the US Yamashita was the first person awarded with a 10th-degree black belt in Kodokan Judo. He was also a direct student on a Judo Legend Jigaro Kano. The interesting part is that Roosevelt was taught the same Jiu-Jitsu that Mitsuyo Maeda was teaching Gracies.

According to Yamashita Theodore Rosevelt was training Jiu-Jitsu for 3 years, 3 times per week. He also talked about Roosevelt for the New York Sun on September 27, 1914. He said that Roosevelt was his best student who was very heavy and impetuous and it cost him many bruisings and infinite pains during Theodore’s rushes.

Theodore Roosevelt’s letters to his children

According to Theodore Roosevelt’s letters to his children, we can see that he was training Boxing and Wrestling before he took classes from Jiu Jitsu. And in his letters, he made a comparison between wrestler Grant and Jiu-Jitsu Professor Yamashita. It’s a very interesting read as it’s probably something we know now and Roosevelt was saying that more than a hundred years ago.

The first Theodore’s Letter to his son Sturgis

White House, Jan. 14, 1905.

DEAR STURGIS:

Last year, when I had Professor Yamashita teach me the “Jiudo”—as they seem now to call Jiu-Jitsu—the naval attache here, Commander Takashita, used to come around here and bring a young lad, Kitgaki, who is now entering Annapolis. I used to wrestle with them both. They were very fond of Archie and were very good to him. This Christmas Kitgaki sent from Annapolis a little present to Archie, who wrote to thank him, and Kitgaki sent him a letter back that we like so much that I thought you might enjoy it, as it shows so nice a trait in the Japanese character. It runs as follows:

“My dearest boy:

“I received your nice letter. I thank you ever so much. I am very very glad that you have received my small present.

“I like you very very much. When I have been in Judo room with your father and you, your father was talking to us about the picture of the cavalry officer. At that time, I saw some expression on your face. Another remembering of you is your bravery when you stepped down from a tall chair. The two rememberings can’t leave my head.

“I returned here last Thursday and have plenty lessons, so my work is hard, hard, hard, more than Judo.

“I hope your good health.
“I am,
“Sincerely yours,
“A. KITGAKI.”
Isn’t it a nice letter?

The Second Roosevelt’s letter to his children about Wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu

White House, Feb. 24, 1905.

Yesterday afternoon we had Professor Yamashita up here to wrestle with Grant. It was very interesting, but of course, jiu-jitsu and our wrestling are so far apart that it is difficult to make any comparison between them.

Wrestling is simply a sport with rules almost as conventional as those of tennis, while jiu-jitsu is really meant for practice in killing or disabling our adversary. In consequence, Grant did not know what to do except to put Yamashita on his back, and Yamashita was perfectly content to be on his back.

Inside of a minute, Yamashita had choked Grant, and inside of two minutes more he got an elbow hold on him that would have enabled him to break his arm; so that there is no question but that he could have put Grant out. So far this made it evident that the jiu-jitsu man could handle the ordinary wrestler.

But Grant, in the actual wrestling and throwing, was about as good as the Japanese, and he was so much stronger than he evidently hurt and wore out the Japanese. With a little practice in the art, I am sure that one of our big wrestlers or boxers, simply because of his greatly superior strength, would be able to kill any of those Japanese, who though very good men for their inches and pounds are altogether too small to hold their own against big, powerful, quick men who are as well trained.

The third letter from Roosevelt to his Son Ted

White House, April 9, 1904.

DEAR TED:

I am very glad I have been doing this Japanese wrestling, but when I am through with it this time I am not at all sure I shall ever try it again while I am so busy with other work as I am now. Often by the time I get to five o’clock in the afternoon, I will be feeling like a stewed owl, after an eight hours’ grapple with Senators, Congressmen, etc.; then I find the wrestling a trifle too vehement for mere rest.

My right ankle and my left wrist and one thumb and both great toes are swollen sufficiently to more or less impair their usefulness, and I am well mottled with bruises elsewhere. Still, I have made good progress, and since you left they have taught me three new throws that are perfect corkers.

As we can see in Theodore Roosevelts Letters to his children he made a clean statement on Jiu-Jitsu vs Wrestling. He said that Wrestlers are good enough to put any Jiu-Jitsu practitioner on his back but after they land wrestlers will be handled by Jiu-Jitsu practitioners.

The Difference Between Japanese (traditional) Jiu-Jitsu And BJJ

How To Practice Jiu-Jitsu As You Get Older

Actor Tom Hardy is Now a Head Ambassador of REORG Jiu-Jitsu Foundation

Rener Gracie launched a new company named Hero Hoodie. It’s a company that will convert every garment like Hoodie or jacket into a functional backpack.

Rener Gracie’s first invention is Hero Hoodie. It is using Rener’s patent called “QuickFlip technology” which will turn your hoodie into a backpack.

If you want to buy Hero Hoodie check it here on AMAZON

Rener Gracie’s Hero Hoodie Backpack is Perfect For Any Outdoor Activity

The main reasons for this patent and Rener’s invention of Hero Hoodie are the fact that carrying your hoodie around once you’re not wearing it cause you a lot of problems. The most efficient ways till now were to carry your sweatshirt on your waist, over your shoulder or in your hand. All of those ways were problematic as the hoodie would be loose and would fall off when you move.

Rener Gracie was thinking a lot about it and came up with the best way to carry an unworn sweatshirt. He invented a patent and technology that really solve a lot of problems we all experience.

All you have to do is to flip your sweatshirt upside down. And in a few seconds the entire hoodie goes into it self creating a fully functional backpack.

For instance, if you’re engaging in any outdoor activity the Hero Hoodie is perfect for you. It solves your problems of carrying your sweatshirt once and for all. Either you’re skating, biking, climbing, running… the Hero Hoodie will be tight on your back.

The other impressive thing about Rener’s invention is that it contains extra space for your items. Besides that, you even have hidden pockets inside for your wallet, cellphone, jewelry or any other personal stuff.

Rener Gracie Hero Hoodie Into a Backpack Video

In a video below Rener Gracie Shares his newest invention with random people on the streets near Venice Beach in California. As you can see, the reactions of people are great and a reason why you should really consider to buy Hero Hoodie for yourself HERE.

If you want to buy Hero Hoodie check it here on AMAZON

The first question about this video is, did a police officer use unnecessary and excessive force to take this woman down? But what else he could do? She was an obvious threat to him in this situation?

After the double leg takedown he went for kimura hold probably to bring her arm behind her back to keep control, detain and handcuff her. We were able to see a lot of videos where cops are having huge problems to detain people on the streets and this could be a good way to do it.

Check out a video where Police Officer is trying to arrest a BJJ Black Belt. It seems like mission impossible to him and it opens up a lot of questions on why Police officers should train Jiu Jitsu.

In the background of the main video scene you can see a woman using self defense groin kick on a cop. It doesn’t end very well for her.

https://vimeo.com/248261324

Kosen Judo is a Variation of the Kodokan Judo competitive release that was developed by Kyoto Senman Gakko in the first half of the 20th century. It’s now mostly known as Judo Ne-waza. Ne-waza means “ground techniques” and it takes place in competitive Judo today.
Kosen Judo today is not popular, but it’s not “dead also. Kosen Judo is regaining its popularity mostly because of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the way that ground fighting is promoted today, as a super effective way of fighting and self defense. The sport, rules of Kosen Judo are similar with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu rules so today we can usually hear old school Judokas talking how Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is nothing more than Kosen Judo was at its best days.

We can’t really agree on that as BJJ today have much more practitioners than Kosen Judo ever had. So, with having more practitioners, more tournaments and being much more popular overall, BJJ are evolving very fast. There are new techniques popping out almost every day and it looks like it will never stop.

The only thing that BJJ practitioners can’t deny is that some “modern” techniques that are used in todays BJJ were very well known before almost a century. We just can’t say that some guards like De La Riva Guard or spider guard are BJJ specific moves. Even the names of techniques like “De La Riva guard” is suggesting that it’s BJJ specific guard because it’s named by Ricardo De La Riva who brought it to attention to the world around early 90’s.

We can be sure that, for example, De La Riva guard today, is probably much more versatile than it was ever before, but the base of most techniques today lies in the past.

In a video below, we can see a Kosen Judo tournament from 1952 where we can see many popular guards like Spider Guard, de La Riva Guard, Z guard etc.

Check Out the Jiu Jitsu highlights from John Wick 2 Museum Scene and also check out the Breakdown of all techniques Keanu Revees used in these scenes.

Grappling Techniques:

1. Pulling Web Guard Part 1 – Firas Zahabi – Guard Pulling 2.0 Series Uploaded by Tristar – https://youtu.be/K2SvF6kXNGk

2. Koga Judo ● Seoi nage of a King Uploaded by Baki Martial Arts – https://youtu.be/Xmhu7zYVblE

3. Aikido – Shomen Uchi Sumi Otoshi ZoominMartialArts – https://youtu.be/sB1YdkVFcco

4. TONY “EL CUCUY” FERGUSON – MY TIME Pulse Vision – https://youtu.be/DIBDeJTIwp8

5. Te gaeshi Uploaded by zanzeoo – https://youtu.be/HPhrCxBg5L0

6. Behind The Back Guard Pass With Coach Neil Melanson (No-Gi) Uploaded by Hayabusa – https://youtu.be/mGmX014R4bE

7. How to Do the Basic Clock Choke (Plus Some Advanced Variations) Uploaded by Stephan Kesting – https://youtu.be/Hmz6VXltm9E

8. Kurt Osiander’s Move of the Week – Kata – Guruma Uploaded by Kurt Osiander Move of the Week – https://youtu.be/COdOiUrbxNs

9. Finalização Sergio Moraes x Neil Mangy Uploaded by Combate – https://youtu.be/zIbO3WrUGCs

10. Sode Tsuri Komi Goshi Compilation Uploaded by TheMilestone19 – https://youtu.be/4z9T4gBQ7UY

Keanu Reeves: Deeper You Get into Jiu Jitsu The Less You Have Normal Life

Master Carlos Machado On Keanu Reeves, Chuck Norris, and Rickson Gracie’s Red Belt

This is an anonymous letter from a transgender person who trains BJJ. She’s talking about her life struggle, grappling training, and problems around competing in martial art she loves.

I grew up in North Carolina and moved to Oklahoma when I was 13. I started my wrestling career early on when I was 7. I then went to wrestle for my mid-school and my high school. It was when I was 16, in my sophomore year, I learned an adjective that would affect the rest of my life then after: transgender. I was assigned male at my birth, but I am not who my body may have to lead you to think I am; I am a woman, I use female pronouns she, her, and hers.

Transitioning can take a long time, but not everyone wants the same thing from it. I started my medical transition earlier in life than most people do, at 19 years old. As a transwoman, the medicine given to me is estradiol and spironolactone. Taking estradiol and spiro is where a lot of physical changes come from. In the 9 months since taking them the most notable effects for me have been my drop in weight, loss of muscle mass, loss of some bone density, wider hips, breast growth, and softer skin; I had already feminine features, to begin with, though the “results” are a little different from person to person depending on a multitude of factors, including age.

Early on I knew there was something about me that was different from my peers, but I wasn’t yet sure why. I knew how I was inclined to behave in certain mannerisms, but everywhere I went I was told that I am “strange”, “weird”, and even an “F*g” for doing so. I always felt shut out and put off to the side for only being myself. When I was 7 my home life got awful, my stepfather made us fear for everything, so I built up a shell and hid. I even went to wrestling practice the first time that year. There I found something I didn’t think I’d ever find. I found a sport that traditionally people would call masculine, so it was a great way for me to “conform” to a standard I was always told I needed to live up to, but I also found I love wrestling.

I would love to go to practice and compete whenever I could, and people never thought twice about who I was. I wrestled all the way up to being in high school, but when I moved to Oklahoma the social attitude about wrestling changed. It wasn’t just a masculine thing here, it was something the men did. That is when I felt the sudden dynamic about this sport I loved so much change, it seemed to me it was not going to be something I can enjoy dedicating myself to.

I have always been a feminine person, so going on the mats the first time I could feel the stares coming my way. Whenever we would go live I felt I could no longer be the me I once was. I couldn’t be too offensive or I might be seen as the “f*g” kid trying to force myself on someone and I couldn’t be too passive either as to be seen as willing submissive. Somehow me being me, was now more wrong here. I mainly watched and shadow practiced with myself to get better, and I had to now focus a lot on my defense and not let anyone throw me around. After my freshman year, I decided that wrestling may not be for me after all.

That summer, talking to one of my friends, they said a word that I never heard before: transgender. I looked it up to see what it meant, what I found was a whole community of people. I found people who were like me growing up. I found people who needed to hide. I found people I could open up to. I found a resource of self-discovery and the reasons behind why I ever felt weird or strange. I am transgender too.

Growing up wasn’t only wrestling. It was my family and the people around me saying these things I enjoyed are not things a “boy” should. I couldn’t play dress-up, learn how to apply to make up, design the fancy clothes I wanted to have, nor confide in anyone what I was feeling. I grew up with a diagnosis like major depression and anxiety without yet knowing why. Once I did come out at 17, my life went for a spin.

I could no longer stay with my parents and I had to move in with my uncle in Oklahoma City. There I was told I had to hide the fact I was trans, or I could not live there. What got me by day today wasn’t anything at home or school, it was the BJJ academy where I could learn and compete without questions. I just was who I was. But even there I felt the ever-present need to hide.

Being trans, you never know what your neighbor thinks. You don’t know what someone may want to do to you based on factors out of your control. The longer I hid, the more depressed I was. It wasn’t till I said no more that things got better. I was kicked out on my own, but on my own is where I learned to survive. I moved away from Oklahoma to get a new start, begin a new life as me, and start my transition.

Bjj is what helped me get through it all after I was on my own. I remember how I felt back home in martial arts, and I got the impression no matter where I went to train it was only going to be an unsupportive community. I found I couldn’t compete now that I am out and especially after I started HRT (hormone replacement therapy). The stigma behind trans athletes was everywhere following behind people like Fallon Fox, Chris Mosier, and Mack Beggs (another trans wrestler). One of my favorite things about wrestling was competition, but I found that it may no longer be something I can do.

I didn’t want to compete in the male division, I’m not a male, but I also couldn’t compete in the female division either. I felt like the kid off on the side again having to watch. And watch I’d see people compete at a weight category called “x” weight. People of various different sizes and weight classes would elect to compete against each other, the elegance that is BJJ was beautifully put on display with David vs Goliath type matches. I thought to myself if “x” weight can be a category of competition what possibility could there be of “x” gender competitions where any people of various different sizes and abilities could elect to compete against each other. Sadly I found no such competition in grappling where a similar format is proposed or used. It’s going to be some time till my hormone levels will be in a consistent range that I would be allowed to compete in the female division, so “x” gender competitions is something I look forward to seeing someday as an option for not only people like me to compete in without stigma, but anyone can test themselves against anyone willing.

Fallon Fox, Transgender MMA Fighter Who Broke The Skull of Her Opponent

Olympics To Allow Transgenders to Compete! Are We Becoming Too Politically Correct?

Joe Rogan on Female Transgender Athletes who Compete: It’s Bizzare and Ridicolous

An Interview with a GAY Guy BJJ Practitioner!

First BJJ Black Belt Awarded to Transgender BJJ Competitor