In Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Grand Master Helio Gracie shares his personal history, as well as the history of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Jiu-Jitsu techniques, and some information on the Gracie diet.
The first section covers the history of the development of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, how Jiu-Jitsu arrived in Brazil, and some vintage photographs.
The middle of the book focuses on classic Gracie Jiu-Jitsu self defense methods. Positions covered include standing defense, weapons defense, mount, back mount, guard, and side mount. Helio says in the book that he wrote this to document the true Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. As such, if you are mostly interested in the sportive aspect of BJJ you might be disappointed with the technique section, there are no exotic guard passes or tons of moves. However, this books covers the fundamentals and basics we all need to know. Sometimes less is more and I think that is the case with this book.
The final section of the book, and my personal favorite, covers the Gracie Diet. Helio shares information on foods, how to group them (the Gracie Diet puts a lot of focus on food combinations), dos and don'ts, and even some menus. Grand Master lived well into his 90s, and was practicing Jiu-Jitsu right until the end so I look at his diet section with great interest. It is not backed with scientific fact, but more than 60 years of real world trials.
Overall I like the book for its true Jiu-Jitsu roots and the time tested Gracie Diet. I give the book 2 thumbs up!
Richard Webber
