gracie barra belfast bjj academy (northern ireland)
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is widely acknowledged as the most effective martial
art in the world. The Gracie family, from Rio De Janerio, Brazil, are considered
the founding fathers of BJJ, having learnt a hybrid form of judo and traditional
Ju Jitsu from a travelling Japanese prizefighter, Mitsuyo Maeda, in the early
1900s. The creator of Judo, Jigoro Kano had tasked Maeda with spreading his new
sport around the world, and when Maeda left Brazil, the Gracies started their
own academy, teaching their modified ‘Gracie’ (Brazilian) Jiu Jitsu. For the
next 80 years the Gracie family modified and refined their art, holding public
challenge matches to prove the effectiveness of their blend of jiu jitsu.
Despite these very public, and often controversial, matches, the art remained
largely unknown outside of Brazil. This changed in the 1990s. In 1993 the
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was established. This competition pitted
various styles of martial arts against each other. Royce Gracie, son of one of
the founder of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, dominated the event, beating each of his
much-larger and stronger opponents with ease. Royce’s performance in the UFC
changed the martial arts world forever: his performance demonstrated that with
the correct application of technique and leverage the weaker and smaller man
could defeat any adversary. Since 1993 there has been an explosion in the growth
of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, with clubs in Los Angeles to Australia, China to Russia.
BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU IN BELFAST Closer to home, in the late 1990s Mauricio Gomes,
a representative of Gracie Barra and an extended member of the Gracie family,
arrived in the British Isles and set up BJJ clubs in London, Birmingham, and
Belfast. Gracie Barra Northern Ireland was constituted, and since then the club
has grown from strength to strength. Maintaining close ties with its sister
clubs across Britain and Ireland, the club has hosted some of the most highly
regarded practitioners in history of the art, including Mauricio’s son Roger
Gracie (the most successful BJJ competitor of all time), as well as four-time
world champion Braulio Estima (IBJJF Hall of Famer and ADCC champion) and his
brother Victor Estima (NoGi world champion). In 2011, and with Maurico’s
blessing, Braulio Estima awarded Graham Keys his black belt in Brazilian Jiu
Jitsu. He was the first person in Northern Ireland, and the third in Ireland, to
attain this rank. Under Graham’s tutelage, Gracie Barra Belfast has become
Northern Ireland’s most successful Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academies, having
produced Irish, British, European and World champions. Recently, and in
recognition of the Graham’s expertise, Ulster Rugby approached the club to help
with their training and preparation for their up-coming 2014 season. Today,
Gracie Barra Northern Ireland is the only official Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu
Jitsu club in Northern Ireland, and the largest and most successful BJJ club in
Belfast. Everyone is welcome to come and train, at our classes held in a number
of locations across Belfast. The club can trace its lineage directly back to the
founders of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
