The story of Brazilian jiu-jitsu

For teenagers and adults: age 12 and up. Switch to for younger readers.

1. 1Who was Conde Koma?A judoka leaves Japan in 1904 to test his art against wrestlers and boxers, takes a ring name in Spain, and in 1914 steps off a ship in Brazil. · 3 min
2. 2How did a circus lead to a family of fighters?A Scottish name in Belém, a boy who watched a demonstration in 1917, a move to Rio, and the brother the family says was too frail to train. · 3 min
3. 3Who taught jiu-jitsu for free on the beach?A marine called Oswaldo Fadda, his teacher Luiz França, free classes in parks and on beaches, a challenge match, and the first official belts. · 3 min
4. 4What happened when Hélio fought Kimura?A shoulder lock that took a judoka's name, a fight that lasted over three hours, a television show that named a sport, and the hard school of Carlson Gracie. · 3 min
5. 5How did a garage in California change fighting?Rorion Gracie teaches in his garage in 1978, the first UFC is won by the smallest man in it, a sheikh starts a championship, and the great teams are born. · 3 min
6. 6Who brought jiu-jitsu to Britain?Seminars at the end of the 1990s, two black belts in a Birmingham factory and a London judo club, a son who opened an academy in Hammersmith, and a governing body formed by rivals. · 3 min
7. 7What happens on the mat tonight?A free first class, a lent gi, a tap that ends every hold, the belts a child and an adult wear, and why the professor's word is the one that counts. · 4 min

Written from checked sources, listed on the sources page. Pictures are drawn, with computer help, under our direction; none shows a real child. Recorded chapters and words are read by a computer voice; a word not yet recorded uses your device's own voice.