By Adam de Jong
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
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Will Lee and Chris Louie are flailing on the giant blue canvas, wrestling one another with limbs flying in all directions while their heads spin like clockwork.
A somersault here and a tuck and roll there. Not to mention the occasional forearm shiver to the sternum.
The beads of sweat drip down their foreheads as they exchange joint locks in an attempt to put a submission chokehold on their opponent.
Lee gets behind Louie and firmly puts Louie’s head between his two biceps. Louie taps the ground to signal that he has been defeated.
The cardiac maneuvers appear savagely dangerous to the distant observer, an example of misplaced aggression.
However, once the fighting is done, Lee and Louie rise to their feet and respectfully bow their heads, then return to the canvas and begin happily dissecting their tactics during a cool-down period.
And this was all in the first three minutes of the training session on a Thursday night in August, on the second floor of the John Wooden Center.
They’ll be doing this for the next hour and a half, three nights a week, at the same place, in preparation for the South Bay Open, an upcoming Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition in the L.A. area.
Lee and Louie are just two of a number of UCLA students and Westwood residents who are part of the campus’ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club. The nearly 50 people who participate have been part of the program since its infancy about two years ago, or have recently joined in hopes of getting in shape, learning self-defense and harnessing their physical aggression.
The formation of a martial art that stems from Far East cultural discipline combined with a Latin American fluidity and style might take a student at UCLA by surprise, even if the combat sport has been around for over a century.
That’s why Brazilian countrymen Jappa Neves and Fernando Reyes continue to develop a BJJ team that competes with other martial arts academies in Southern California.
“Jappa and I really want to build a solid foundation because Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is becoming more popular, and the competition is getting to be better and better, “Reyes said. “Hopefully the popularity of the sport will carry on into America. ”
Over the course of the past two years, more students have taken the instructional classes through the UCLA Recreational Department and a good portion have gone on to join the team.
While the organization is not an official UCLA club that receives funding, Reyes believes that the growing support for the club in Westwood, as well as international backing (it is highly speculated that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will be added to the upcoming Olympics by the International Olympic Committee) could result in a financial boost from UCLA Recreation and an official title.
“With (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) likely becoming an Olympic sport and our continued improvement in local competitions, we hope that the team can become an official club, “Reyes said.
The athleticism and endurance required to perform several of the premier chokeholds and maneuvers gives the participants an intense workout.
Several students have joined the team because of the peak physical shape that one must attain to compete at a high level. For example, Reyes is quick to share that he will lose between five and seven pounds during just one workout.
“The biggest advantage to BJJ is that you work muscles that you would otherwise probably not exercise because of the unique moves, “said Scott Moser, a 2002 UCLA graduate and former track and field athlete. “Jiu-Jitsu is challenging, and forces you to use your athletic potential just during practice and warm-ups. ”
During his time in Westwood, Moser set UCLA weightlifting records for the power clean, squat and snatch. However, he intimated that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t necessarily reward brute strength, but quickness and efficiency.
“To be successful, you can’t just hit someone as hard as you can, “Moser said. “It’s better to have balance so you don’t fall to the ground easily, and then have explosive holds that catch the opponent by surprise. ”
The physicality of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, no matter how demanding or rewarding, really doesn’t delve past the surface level of the martial art.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Reyes maintains, is a martial art that’s filled with such a rich tradition that the sport invokes a sense of respect from its participants “a respect for their opponent, their decorum and especially the instructors.
“Those who learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu don’t just learn the moves and try to get in shape, “Reyes said.
“It’s about learning the culture of physical discipline and truly gaining an appreciation for those who came before you. We all learn from each other, and each of us are teachers. So it’s important to respect everyone as teachers. Jappa and I stress these things, like respect for one’s opponent and the sport itself, more than just the workout. ”
The progression of Brazilian JiuJistu has such a whimsical quality it reads like a recent addition to Aesop’s fables.
A Japanese judoka, prizefighter and former member of the Kodokan named Mitsuyo Maeda emigrated to Brazil in the 1910s and was helped greatly by a Brazilian politician named Gastão Gracie.
In return for his aid, Maeda taught Kosen Judo to Gastão’s son Carlos, who then taught the art to his brothers, including Hélio Gracie. Through their own study and development, Carlos and Hélio are regarded as the originators of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a style distinct from Kosen Judo.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became internationally prominent in the martial arts community in the 1990s, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Royce Gracie won several single-elimination martial arts tournaments called Ultimate Fighting Championships, sometimes against much larger opponents who were practicing other styles.
Contributing factors to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu include the Gracies’ desire to create a national martial art, the influence of Brazilian culture, the non-participation of the Gracie schools in sport judo, and the post-World War II closing of the Kodokan by the American Occupation Authority (which were only allowed to reopen on the condition that emphasis be shifted toward sport).
Also important were the Gracies’ own additions to the body of technique and opinions regarding self-defense, martial arts and training methods, as well as more recently the influence of mixed-martial-art competitions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
And having two Brazilian natives instruct the group only adds to the sense of tradition.
“Jappa and Fernando are always talking about the mysticism of the exchange of energies between one’s self and the opponent, “said Lee, a third-year ecology, behavior and evolution student.
“I don’t think two instructors who aren’t Brazilian, who don’t know the culture, would be as insightful about the sports or as inspiring. ”
The perspective that Reyes and Neves instill in their club, according to Lee, is a tribute to their ability as instructors, by showing that the correct approach and broad-minded mentality is as important as winning.
“When we compete, a lot of other guys don’t get it, “Lee said. “They are fighting dirty and talking trash, when you are supposed to be modest. I’m proud of our guys for not doing that. ”
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club is confident that the hard work will pay dividends.
“It’s getting to be really exciting because all the time dedicated to the practicing and learning about jiu-jitsu is starting to pay off, “said Louie, a fifth-year philosophy and linguistics student.
In the recent South Bay Open that Lee and Louie were preparing for, the club placed three of its five competitors in the medals, with Moser receiving third place in the unlimited weight division and Lee getting a third-place finish in the super-featherweight division.
As the summer instructional classes have ended and the optional practices continue, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club will piece together its full squad once fall quarter begins and will continue to try to gain UCLA Recreation sponsorship.
Until then, the team is content with independent competition in hopes of spreading the popularity of a martial art that has international roots. It soon might have international appeal.
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