Relson Gracie tells of growing up and of Count Koma's reason for teaching. (long)

[jjmuaythaiguy]

Will do bro. Fabio's wife recorded it but I wouldn't know the first thing on how to put it on the net. I had the pics saved to my comp and was gonna show em to Fabio but my computer crashed and I lost all my shit.

They were suppose to have dvd's of the entire event but don't know what happened.

If you hear them selling those dvds, pm me and I will buy it just to watch Fabio's match. Thanks bro. One day I am visiting Fabio's school and getting tapped out by everyone there. I swear to God I will train there one day. See you around the boards.

 

[fozzit]

What is interesting is Maeda has a book out about his life, and it does not mention any of the Gracie's. I wonder if there was some sort of disagreement between them. Also, in the old pictures of Maeda and Carlos Gracie there are a number of other students pictured with them.

 

[mcbadboy170]

Great read, thanks for sharing

 

[jjmuaythaiguy]

What is interesting is Maeda has a book out about his life, and it does not mention any of the Gracie's. I wonder if there was some sort of disagreement between them. Also, in the old pictures of Maeda and Carlos Gracie there are a number of other students pictured with them.

I never read the book you are referring to so I don't have information on anything other than what has been written by the other Gracie / Machado family members and what Relson tells me.

I am only guessing but I think that the Gracie / Machado family find Master Maeda's contribution to their lives more important to them than Master Maeda found teaching someone privately.

I mean if there are pictures of Master Maeda and Carlos Gracie together and with other students maybe that is a picture of Carlos' academy and his students and Master Maeda stopped by to check on him. Or does the picture have a caption? Did Master Maeda mention opening up a dojo in Brazil? I have not heard of him opening one up but I am only guessing again. Who really knows?

Relson says that even when Master Maeda left the home he came back to teach Carlos, so that could explain it. Another thing Relson says is that Master Maeda did not want to teach judo / jiu jitsu or else he would have opened up a dojo. Master Maeda was more concerned with helping other Japanese people settle in Brazil, buy land, develop farms like someone else mentioned, establish businesses and this took a great deal of his time.

But I really don't know why Master Maeda did not mention the Gracie family either. He is probably like every other instructor, martial arts or regular school teacher, they never truly realize what a impact they have made and how important they are to that one student, for us, its Carlos Gracie.

 

[stephensharp]

You are welcome and as you can see, Fabio Santos was right there helping train Relson for competition. People don't know the old school jiu jitsu guys like Fabio and Relson got a mean bjj game and will turn it on if needed. Yeah, they are old and don't compete anymore but so what. They are awesome instructors and have more than proven themselves.

He mentioned Fabio's name twice and said he was one of 10 guys Relson used to train with that were not family but considered family. It was also news to me that Master Maeda did not have a judo or jiu jitsu academy that he taught Carlos in but the Gracie house under secret cover. And after only watching Carlos get into fights. How honorable that man truly must have been to have this knowledge and not share it with anyone, as far as I know, other than Carlos Gracie, only because he watched his friend's son get into fights. He kept his judo / jiu jitsu skills a secret and did not show himself off as a martial arts master. He only revealed his skills to help, not to brag or make money.

Inspiring.

I think he'd grown out of a younger, brasher period of doing that (fighting for money/prestige)in the states and such, as reportedly his nickname comes from his catch wrestling reputation.

 

[jjmuaythaiguy]

I think he'd grown out of a younger, brasher period of doing that (fighting for money/prestige)in the states and such, as reportedly his nickname comes from his catch wrestling reputation.

Yeah, I guess after 2,000 something challenge matches he would like a rest. Source is bjj.org.

 

[kumite]

It was also news to me that Master Maeda did not have a judo or jiu jitsu academy that he taught Carlos in but the Gracie house under secret cover. And after only watching Carlos get into fights. How honorable that man truly must have been to have this knowledge and not share it with anyone, as far as I know, other than Carlos Gracie, only because he watched his friend's son get into fights. He kept his judo / jiu jitsu skills a secret and did not show himself off as a martial arts master. He only revealed his skills to help, not to brag or make money.

Inspiring.

You have to understand that most Okinawan and Japanese martial artists pre WWII didn't teach publicly. They would teach family members, close friends etc.... If you did not know them, someone close to them would have to introduce you to the sensei and then he would decide if you were worth teaching. If he thought you had a poor attitude or would not be responsible with what you were taught then you didn't get to learn. They kept their skills to themselves. They had their job they did and then they had their martial art. They might have had a "family" dojo but very few commercial schools exsisted. There wasn't much sport aspect back then. Everything was deadly serious. If you used your jujitsu or karate or judo, etc... it meant that you weren't fighting for a trophy.
One of my early instructors was like that. He taught us not to show off or advertise or training. He said "Don't show off what you know to your friends, don't were t-shirts or hats with a martial art on them." Even now with 26 years of martial arts training behind me, I still hold to that.
People laugh at the Karate Kid movie but that is the way it use to be. Come to think of it, Carlos and Master Maeda is similiar to Daniel/Mr. Miyagi. You got a kid that's getting beat up and someone watching him get beat up that takes an interest in the kid and teaches him a martial art. Unfotunatly Karate Kid led to the invention of the McDojo.
Several older karate practioners that I've trained with and spoken with say that there is much truth in that movie. That their reacher would have them weed the garden, clean their house, etc... just do chores instead of teaching them anything in order to study them and see their character. To hear that someone as famous in current times as the Gracies went through something similiar, it makes me like them a little more. Prior to this, it was my understanding that it was the Gracie's political connections that got Maeda to teach them.