Gracie Jiu-Jitsu history

Where did Gracie Jiu-Jitsu come from?

Jiu-jitsu arrived in Brazil in the early twentieth century with Japanese judo and jiu-jitsu teachers. Carlos Gracie learned it, and taught it to his brothers. The youngest, Helio Gracie, was small and light, so he adapted the techniques to rely on leverage and timing rather than strength and speed. That adaptation became Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: a martial art built so that a smaller person can defend against a bigger one.

What is Gracie Humaita?

Gracie Humaita is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu association with its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, led today by the brothers Rolker and Royler Gracie. Schools that belong to it teach the Gracie Humaita curriculum and trace their instructors back to it.

How did Gracie Humaita come to Brownsville?

Professor Manny Galvan started teaching jiu-jitsu in Brownsville in 2003, at the first school in the Rio Grande Valley to teach it. His instructor is Master Paulo Brandão, who was promoted to coral belt at the Gracie Humaita headquarters in Rio de Janeiro in January 2026. More about Gracie Humaita Brownsville.

Honor – Family – Legacy