Rorion Gracie:
2006 Instructor of the Year
Rorion Gracie:
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In the 1920s, when a young, frail Helio began to experiment with Japanese jujutsu and adjust its techniques to suit the needs of smaller, weaker practitioners, he created an art that, eight decades later, would send shockwaves through the martial arts world and become a staple of every mixed-martial arts fighter. Between 1932 and 1957, as a testament to his system’s effectiveness, Helio fought many highly publicized matches and became a Brazilian national hero. He taught his new form of jui-jitsu to his seven sons, and the family continued to refine it over the years. In 1978 oldest son Rorion set off for the United States, intent on bringing Gracie jui-jitsu to the masses. Rorion moved from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to New York, then on to California. For a decade, he struggled to make ends meet, working primarily as an extra in movies and television shows. Despite the financial hardship, he invited everyone he met to drop by his garage for a free jui-jitsu. Gracie and his virtually unknown art slowly began to gather attention. In a 1987 issue of Playboy, he issued what became known as the Gracie Challenge: He invited anyone—regardless of style, weight or reputation—to prove his skills in a no-holds-barred match against Brazilian jui-jitsu. The same year, a production assistant for Lethal Weapon saw Gracie in a challenge match and hired him to choreograph Mel Gibson’s fight scenes. His movie connections added to his growing student base, and his reputation as a world-class martial artist grew. In 1990 he founded the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California. Unable to keep up with the influx of new students, he was forced to expand it twice in the following years, and it now boasts a 15,000-square-foot training center with private instruction rooms, an apparel store, a juice bar and a museum showcasing the family’s history. In 1993 Gracie and associate Art Davie created, financed and produced the Ultimate Fighing Championship, which brought mixed-martial arts competition into the mainstream. Hundreds of thousands of viewers were convinced of Brazilian jui-jitsu's effectiveness as Rorion’s 175-pound brother, Royce Gracie, beat the likes of Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau. In 1994 and 1995, Royce won two more UFC titles—again by defeating larger competitors, including Kimo Leopoldo and the 260-pound Dan Severn. The Gracie name, already legendary in Brazil, was gaining the same status in the United States. Rorion continues to teach at his academy and present seminars around the world. In addition to his jui-jitsu curriculum for youths and adults, he developed a self-defense system called Women Empowered, as well as programs that focus on the needs of military personnel, law-enforcement agencies and air marshals. He’s received more than 100 Recognition Coins from the U.S. military and various government agencies, including the FBI, Department of Justice and United Nations Security Council. To ensure that the Gracie tradition lives on, he’s groomed his sons—Ryron, Rener and Ralek—to teach the grappling art. For all his business and educational innovations, and for his dedication to sharing Brazilian jui-jitsu with students across the globe, Black Belt is proud to induct Rorion Gracie into its 2006 Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year. (This profile originally appeared in the December 2006 issue of Black Belt.) 
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