LINEAGE

Lineage is defined as lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry or pedigree, and our direct line of teachers include some of the greatest martial artists in history.

The Samurai Warriors

1100AD – 1900

A Samurai was a member of the Japanese warrior caste. This term was originally used to denote the aristocratic warriors (bushi), but it came to apply to all the members of the warrior class that rose to power in the 12th century and dominated the Japanese government until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The samurai trained extensively in warfare strategies and tactics, and utilized weapons like spears, bows and swords. Their empty-handed method of fighting “jujutsu”, employed throws, locks and strikes.

Jigoro Kano

1860 – 1938

Jigoro Kano was a practitioner of Japanese Jujutsu and the founder of Judo, which would later become an official Olympic sport. In his professional life, Kanō was an educator. Important postings included the Ministry of Education the President of Tokyo Higher Normal School. Kanō was also a pioneer of international sports. Accomplishments included being the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and represented the Japanese delegation at most Olympic games. Kano was also the Founder of the Kodokan Judo Institute.

Mitsoyo Meada

1878 – 1941

Mitsoyo Meada was a student under Jigoro Kano at the Kodokan in 1895. Meada traveled the world extensively as a prize fighter and performer under the stage name “Count Koma”. He was also one of the first martial arts teachers in both the United States and Brazil, opening an academy in New York in 1905. He also taught at the United States Naval Academy at the request of US President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1914 his travels took him to Brazil. It was there that Carlos Gracie, the teenage son of Gastão Gracie, watched a demonstration by Maeda at the Da Paz Theatre and decided to learn the art. Maeda not only taught the art of jujutsu to Carlos Gracie, but also taught a particular philosophy about the nature of combat. One common theme was that physical combat could be broken down into distinct phases, such as the striking phase, the grappling phase, the ground phase, and so on. This theory was a fundamental influence on the Gracie approach to combat.

Carlos & Helio Gracie

Carlos Gracie was the oldest son of Gastao Gracie and the first of the original Gracie Brothers to learn the art of Japanese JuJutsu. The other brothers practiced the art to varying degrees, however it is Carlos and Helio that are primarily considered to have provided the key contributions to the development of the Brazilian derivative of the art known today as Jiu-Jitsu.

Carlos Gracie

1902 – 1994

Carlos Gracie is widely considered to be the martial-arts patriarch of the Gracie family. As a young man, Carlos refined his system by fighting in matches that were open to all skill levels and learning from those experiences to make Jiu Jitsu more effective. Gracie advertised in newspapers and on street corners for new opponents, and is said to have fought anyone and everyone who was willing, regardless of size, weight, or fighting style.In his later years, Carlos Gracie experimented with diet as a way to prevent illness and strengthen the body for training in Jiu-Jitsu. Following the maxim of "Let your food be your remedy", the basic principle of the Gracie Diet is to consume only compatible nutrients at each meal.

Helio Gracie

1913 – 2009

Helio Gracie is one of the first sports heroes in Brazilian history. He was the youngest of the brothers and also suffered from asthma, and as a result Helio first learned Jiu-Jitsu by watching his older siblings train. Helio’s first experience on the mat was when a prominent student arrived for a lesson with his brother Carlos, who was absent. Hélio offered to teach the class, and when Carlos arrived with apologies, the student requested that he be allowed to continue learning with Hélio.Over time, Gracie realized that even though he knew the techniques theoretically, the moves were much harder for him to execute because of his size. Consequently, he began adapting the original Japanese techniques to allow smaller and weaker practitioners the capability to defeat much larger opponents.Gracie began his professional fighting career at 18 years old. For the next twenty years, he competed extensively against wrestlers and judoka in both grappling matches and “anything goes” matches known as vale tudo. In his final match before retirement in 1955, Gracie fought in a match that was the longest fight in history, lasting three hours and 40 minutes. Helio died at the age of 95 years old, was teaching/training on the mat until 10 days before his death.

Royce Gracie

1966

Royce Gracie is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of mixed martial
arts (MMA). One of the seven sons of jiu-jitsu grandmaster Hélio Gracie, he learned the art from his
father from childhood. [10] He had his first competition at age 8 and started teaching classes when he was
14 years old. When he was 17, Royce was awarded a black belt by his father, and a few months later
moved to Torrance, California to teach at the Gracie Academy alongside brother Rorion Gracie.
The Gracie brothers in the United States continued the family's tradition of the "Gracie Challenge", in
which they challenged other martial artists to a no-holds-barred Vale Tudo match in their gym in order
to prove the superiority of Gracie jiu-jitsu. When Rorian Gracie created the Ultimate Fighting
Championship it was Royce that represented the art of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Between 1993 and 1994, Royce
was the tournament winner of UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4, which at the time was an openweight single-
elimination tournament with minimal rules.

Royce would later compete in PRIDE Fighting Championships, where he is most remembered for his 90-
minute bout against Kazushi Sakuraba in 2000, [7] and subsequent matches against Olympic gold-medalist
in Judo Hidehiko Yoshida. He also competed in K-1's MMA events and at Bellator. In 2003, he was the
first athlete to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, and in 2014 was named one of the “50 Greatest
Athletes of All Time.

Tosh & Brittany Cook

Tosh Cook

1974

Tosh Cook is a widely respected Jiu-Jitsu instructor who started learning the art in 1997 at the original
Gracie Academy in Torrance, California.

In his childhood he struggled to participate in traditional sports like football and baseball, however he
found both success and satisfaction in martial arts like Judo, Karate and Boxing. After moving to Los
Angeles for graduate school, he became a dedicated student of Royce Gracie on the famous green mat
of “The Academy”. Because Royce was still competing throughout the world and dojo “challenge
matches” were a common occurrence, the approach to Jiu-Jitsu was hard training based on the realities
of no-holds-barred fighting.

Cook earned all belts from Royce Gracie, including a black belt in 2013. His Black Belt test was observed
by Grandmaster Pedro Valente Sr, who remarked that he “approved of the promotion, and has no doubt
his teacher Helio Gracie would have approved of the promotion as well.”

Tosh’s accomplishments include professional fights in the WEC, IFC, KOTC and Gladiator Challenge. A
prolific competitor, Tosh competed in the Pan Ams Jiu-Jitsu Championships, No Gi Pan Ams, United
States the Army Combatives Championships, and the Road to Metamoris. In addition to teaching and
competing, he served as a corner man, referee and judge for numerous professional fights across the
country. As an instructor, Tosh has taught personnel from the FBI, DOJ, ATF, as well as numerous other
law enforcement agencies.

Brittany Cook

1982

Brittany Cook was one of the first three women in the world promoted to Black Belt by Royce Gracie. A
pioneer in the sport of women’s mixed martial arts (MMA), Brittany was one of the first females to fight
in a professional fight in the Fresno Area in the Palace Fighting Championships. She also competed at
the highest level of Jiu-Jitsu including the Pan-Ams, No-Gi Pan Ams, and the Masters/Seniors World
Championship. She considered one of the top Jiu-Jitsu instructors for children in the Fresno Area,
especially for young kids.

Cook has also cornered and judged a variety of professional fights, and has promoted several Jiu-Jitsu
tournaments including “Grapple for the Cure”, which has raised over $100,000 for St. Jude’s Childrens
Research Hospital.

You

Today

Our students strive to be the best version of themselves through authentic martial arts training under a
lineage that dates backs to the age of the samurai.

We strive to follow the 7-5-3 Code:

The seven virtues of a warrior are:

Rectitude
Courage
Benevolance
Politeness
Honesty
Honor
Loyalty

The five keys to health are:

Rational Nutrition
Sensible Exercise
Efficient rest
Proper hygiene
Positive Attitude

The three mindsets are:

Zanshin- Alertness
Mushin- Clear mind
Fudoshin- Emotional balance