The Legend of No-Holds-Barred Fighting Speaks Out on the State of the Grappling Arts Part 2
Black Belt: What is your current training routine?
Rickson Gracie:I have two ways to train: One is when I’m just teaching and trying to maintain my level. The other way is when I’m preparing for a fight. That’s when I increase the intensity and the rest periods so I can recover and reach maximum performance.
BB: When you’re not training for a fight, what does a typical day consist of?
Gracie: It always has some kind of recreational activity—like surfing, bike riding or some kind of cardio. And then I teach and eventually spar.
BB: Do you consider teaching a workout?
Gracie: Yes. It’s not a very stressful workout or something I need to recover from, but I always break a sweat and get my blood circulating. I definitely get something from it.
BB: Do you lift weights?
Gracie: Sometimes prior to a fight, I exercise with weights.
BB: Is most of your sparring grappling, or do you also practice stand-up?
Gracie: I do a little bit of everything. But I always try to establish a purpose for my secondary training: to bring something to my abilities. I don’t try to be the best in every segment of the martial arts.
BB: In a previous interview, you said you have no favorite technique—that you use whatever opening your opponent gives you. Is that still true?
Gracie: Definitely.
BB: Do you have a favorite way of ending a fight?
Gracie: As quickly as possible. (laughs)
BB: Your fans might not like that because they won’t get a chance to see a demonstration of Brazilian-jujutsu techniques.
Gracie: Yeah, that’s a problem. (laughs)
BB: What effect has your family had on the status of Brazilian jujutsu around the world?
Gracie: There has been an explosion of jujutsu. The exposure it has today is 100 times more than it had eight or 10 years ago. That has a lot of positive elements because Brazilian jujutsu has such a good reputation and good credibility. But there are also negative elements, such as when people think only of the effectiveness of jujutsu so they can display their power and superiority. They don’t know that being a true warrior means you don’t need to beat people or prove you’re better. Because of them, some people think Brazilian-jujutsu fighters are like animals who don’t understand the true martial arts. Personally, I am very concerned with balancing those two elements: the Zen aspect of the martial arts and the effectiveness of jujutsu.
BB: A few years ago, everyone thought Brazilian jujutsu was unbeatable. But now some people are defeating the best Brazilian fighters. Has that affected the state of the art?
Gracie: Always it is the individual that wins or loses. A fight is not won because of a technique or specific drill. It is won because of the physical, strategic, emotional and technical qualities of the fighter. At one point, Brazilian jujutsu was so unpredictable for other fighters that it was easy to win because no one knew what to expect. Now everyone knows. Now everyone trains in Brazilian jujutsu—even if they are boxers or karate experts or wrestlers. They develop a sense of where the danger is, and that brings the fight to a higher level. Fighters who practice Brazilian jujutsu now have to develop their other senses: their strategic sense, their heart, their emotional control. Sometimes those elements—if they have been developed so much during a fighter’s life—will allow even a guy who has not trained a lot in Brazilian jujutsu to succeed without being technically superior. Now that the raw techniques of Brazilian jujutsu are not a secret anymore, you have to prove yourself as a fighter in a more general way.
BB: If a big wrestler on steroids acquires a basic understanding of jujutsu—enough to avoid leaving his arm to be trapped in an armbar, for example—is that a great advantage for him?
Gracie: Just being big and well-prepared is already a great advantage for him. That makes the smaller guy the underdog no matter what he does. I still believe it’s possible for the smaller guy to win because a fight is not decided by the prevention of one technique. He has to create a nightmare, create smoke, then all the elements must be pushed to the limits. Even if he gets tired and confused, he has to be able to make quick decisions because that’s when the opportunities start to pop up. It’s hard to win quickly against a tough opponent.
BB: Do you think all NHB fighters—even those who deny it—train in jujutsu?
Gracie: They definitely have a sense of the positions they need to avoid, and to develop that physical sense they have to practice.
BB: NHB competition was recently legalized in New Jersey and California. What effect will that have on the fledgling sport?
Gracie: As I follow the progress of NHB fighting, I try to stay balanced. I can’t say it’s great because a lot of people are still interested in wiping NHB from the face of the earth. For any promoter or producer to grow strong in the United States, he must have a plan for making a positive image for the sport. But once that is established, NHB can become bigger than boxing. If a positive image is not established, NHB will be only a fire in a light wood—a couple events will take place, but then someone with an ax will come and just cut it down. And we’ll disappear.
BB: If an NHB show is presented in a positive way, do you think the sport will be able to get back on pay-per-view TV?
Gracie: I’m 100 percent sure that will be possible.
BB: Are you training any fighters who will be able to compete and help you promote those values?
Gracie: No professionals at this time.
BB: Why not?
Gracie: I cannot train a professional fighter if I’m still in the race. Soon I’ll retire, and then I’ll prepare my horses to win.
BB: How do you plan on contributing to the rise of the sport after you retire? Will you start an event of your own?
Gracie: Anything is possible. Right now I don’t think about the day after tomorrow; I’m too busy thinking about today, about the projects I have going on now. But I do plan to be involved not just in Brazilian jujutsu, but also in the positive development of the martial arts. That’s my mission in life—to give people a sense of how the warrior spirit can make them more peaceful.
BB: Why aren’t there any Rickson Gracie instructional videotapes on the market?
Gracie: Because I’m a perfectionist. I like to do my best. And I don’t feel comfortable doing my best in a video and giving any guy with no respect for me, my family or my art a chance to pay $50 or $100 to buy everything I value. I prefer to teach people I trust—or at least people whose eyes I can look into. I have no interest in just becoming richer by selling tapes.
BB: You’re saying that you don’t want people you don’t know to learn your techniques?
Gracie: It’s not about “people I don’t know” because I teach and I have in my association a lot of people I don’t know. It’s just about putting my heart and my essence up for sale without any interest in who’s buying it or what benefit it’s going to bring.
BB: Some martial artists believe that videotape cannot convey the highest teachings of any art. Do you regard “creating confusion”—the term you just mentioned (in part one of this interview)—as the highest level of jujutsu?
Gracie: I think that’s the highest level of any sport where you compete against a human being. It’s different from surfing or skiing because in those sports you play against nature. When you have to create confusion, you have to flow in harmony. When you play against an opponent, you have to play all the different levels: mental, technical, concentration, intimidation, emotional and so on. Competition is very tricky because you are either the hunter or the prey. The confusion comes when things get involved—like you have to perform under pressure and you do it once, twice, three times as the pressure and confusion build. The decisions must be quicker, and even though you’re prepared to do it, all those elements make you make mistakes. That’s the sublime element that makes the difference between the champions and everybody else. It’s how Michael Jordan performs when the pressure is on. I feel the same way in a fight. When things are boiling, I’m happy to be there. Every opponent is tough, but when things get messed up and you have to recover and do what you have to do in a fraction of a second, it can be challenging. Sometimes you do it one second late, and then for the next step you do it two seconds late, and then it gets bigger and bigger and worse and worse.
BB: Ten years ago, there was no career path for NHB fighters in the United States who had reached such an advanced level. But now, mostly through the efforts of your family, practitioners have the option of becoming professional athletes. How does it feel to be responsible for a giant leap like that?
Gracie: I feel very good about it because once more of the population sees the benefits of jujutsu, the Gracie family will always have the option of continuing to do what it does. But it also brings more respect to society and enhances the whole element of being a professional in what I do. I’m proud to be part of that.
Positioning drill for ground speed and mobility: Rickson Gracie starts on his back (1). He then turns his body to the left (2) and winds up on his stomach (3). He finishes on his hands and knees (4).
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