Will Lee and Chris Louie are flailing on the giant blue canvas,
wrestling one another with limbs flying in all directions while
their heads spin like clockwork.
A somersault here and a tuck and roll there. Not to mention the
occasional forearm shiver to the sternum.
The beads of sweat drip down their foreheads as they exchange
joint locks in an attempt to put a submission chokehold on their
opponent.
Lee gets behind Louie and firmly puts Louie’s head between
his two biceps. Louie taps the ground to signal that he has been
defeated.
The cardiac maneuvers appear savagely dangerous to the distant
observer, an example of misplaced aggression.
However, once the fighting is done, Lee and Louie rise to their
feet and respectfully bow their heads, then return to the canvas
and begin happily dissecting their tactics during a cool-down
period.
And this was all in the first three minutes of the training
session on a Thursday night in August, on the second floor of the
John Wooden Center.
They’ll be doing this for the next hour and a half, three
nights a week, at the same place, in preparation for the South Bay
Open, an upcoming Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition in the L.A.
area.
Lee and Louie are just two of a number of UCLA students and
Westwood residents who are part of the campus’ Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu club. The nearly 50 people who participate have been part
of the program since its infancy about two years ago, or have
recently joined in hopes of getting in shape, learning self-defense
and harnessing their physical aggression.
The formation of a martial art that stems from Far East cultural
discipline combined with a Latin American fluidity and style might
take a student at UCLA by surprise, even if the combat sport has
been around for over a century.
That’s why Brazilian countrymen Jappa Neves and Fernando
Reyes continue to develop a BJJ team that competes with other
martial arts academies in Southern California.
“Jappa and I really want to build a solid foundation
because Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is becoming more popular, and the
competition is getting to be better and better,” Reyes said.
“Hopefully the popularity of the sport will carry on into
America.”
Over the course of the past two years, more students have taken
the instructional classes through the UCLA Recreational Department
and a good portion have gone on to join the team.
While the organization is not an official UCLA club that
receives funding, Reyes believes that the growing support for the
club in Westwood, as well as international backing (it is highly
speculated that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will be added to the upcoming
Olympics by the International Olympic Committee) could result in a
financial boost from UCLA Recreation and an official title.
“With (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) likely becoming an Olympic
sport and our continued improvement in local competitions, we hope
that the team can become an official club,” Reyes said.
The athleticism and endurance required to perform several of the
premier chokeholds and maneuvers gives the participants an intense
workout.
Several students have joined the team because of the peak
physical shape that one must attain to compete at a high level. For
example, Reyes is quick to share that he will lose between five and
seven pounds during just one workout.
“The biggest advantage to BJJ is that you work muscles
that you would otherwise probably not exercise because of the
unique moves,” said Scott Moser, a 2002 UCLA graduate and
former track and field athlete. “Jiu-Jitsu is challenging,
and forces you to use your athletic potential just during practice
and warm-ups.”
During his time in Westwood, Moser set UCLA weightlifting
records for the power clean, squat and snatch. However, he
intimated that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t necessarily reward
brute strength, but quickness and efficiency.
“To be successful, you can’t just hit someone as
hard as you can,” Moser said. “It’s better to
have balance so you don’t fall to the ground easily, and then
have explosive holds that catch the opponent by
surprise.”
The physicality of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, no matter how demanding
or rewarding, really doesn’t delve past the surface level of
the martial art.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Reyes maintains, is a martial art
that’s filled with such a rich tradition that the sport
invokes a sense of respect from its participants ““ a respect
for their opponent, their decorum and especially the
instructors.
“Those who learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu don’t just
learn the moves and try to get in shape,” Reyes said.
“It’s about learning the culture of physical
discipline and truly gaining an appreciation for those who came
before you. We all learn from each other, and each of us are
teachers. So it’s important to respect everyone as teachers.
Jappa and I stress these things, like respect for one’s
opponent and the sport itself, more than just the
workout.”
The progression of Brazilian JiuJistu has such a whimsical
quality it reads like a recent addition to Aesop’s
fables.
A Japanese judoka, prizefighter and former member of the Kodokan
named Mitsuyo Maeda emigrated to Brazil in the 1910s and was helped
greatly by a Brazilian politician named Gastão Gracie.
In return for his aid, Maeda taught Kosen Judo to
Gastão’s son Carlos, who then taught the art to his
brothers, including Hélio Gracie. Through their own study and
development, Carlos and Hélio are regarded as the originators
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a style distinct from Kosen Judo.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became internationally prominent in the
martial arts community in the 1990s, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
expert Royce Gracie won several single-elimination martial arts
tournaments called Ultimate Fighting Championships, sometimes
against much larger opponents who were practicing other styles.
Contributing factors to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu include the
Gracies’ desire to create a national martial art, the
influence of Brazilian culture, the non-participation of the Gracie
schools in sport judo, and the post-World War II closing of the
Kodokan by the American Occupation Authority (which were only
allowed to reopen on the condition that emphasis be shifted toward
sport).
Also important were the Gracies’ own additions to the body
of technique and opinions regarding self-defense, martial arts and
training methods, as well as more recently the influence of
mixed-martial-art competitions such as the Ultimate Fighting
Championship.
And having two Brazilian natives instruct the group only adds to
the sense of tradition.
“Jappa and Fernando are always talking about the mysticism
of the exchange of energies between one’s self and the
opponent,” said Lee, a third-year ecology, behavior and
evolution student.
“I don’t think two instructors who aren’t
Brazilian, who don’t know the culture, would be as insightful
about the sports or as inspiring.”
The perspective that Reyes and Neves instill in their club,
according to Lee, is a tribute to their ability as instructors, by
showing that the correct approach and broad-minded mentality is as
important as winning.
“When we compete, a lot of other guys don’t get
it,” Lee said. “They are fighting dirty and talking
trash, when you are supposed to be modest. I’m proud of our
guys for not doing that.”
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club is confident that the hard work
will pay dividends.
“It’s getting to be really exciting because all the
time dedicated to the practicing and learning about jiu-jitsu is
starting to pay off,” said Louie, a fifth-year philosophy and
linguistics student.
In the recent South Bay Open that Lee and Louie were preparing
for, the club placed three of its five competitors in the medals,
with Moser receiving third place in the unlimited weight division
and Lee getting a third-place finish in the super-featherweight
division.
As the summer instructional classes have ended and the optional
practices continue, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club will piece
together its full squad once fall quarter begins and will continue
to try to gain UCLA Recreation sponsorship.
Until then, the team is content with independent competition in
hopes of spreading the popularity of a martial art that has
international roots. It soon might have international appeal.