Opening Closed-Guard

The Origins of Jiujitsu in Brazil: The Story Behind the Film

By: Robert Drysdale

Narrated by: David Morden

What are the origins of Brazilian jiujitsu? Is it merely a by-product—a rebel offspring—of judo? What was the nature and content of the art that Mitsuyo Maeda, a.k.a. “Count Koma”, and other Japanese were teaching in the Amazon? Was it judo? Jiujitsu? His own personal fight-tested style, built on a foundation of judo and informed by his dozens and dozens of matches around the world? What was the bridge between the art he learned at the Kodokan and the Brazilian style--a style now practiced by millions worldwide and growing bigger every day--that claims him as its godfather? Should Maeda even be at the center of this story? And what role did Carlos and Hélio Gracie play in all of this? Did they "invent" BJJ? Would BJJ exist without them? And, if so, what—if anything—did they create? And why does this history matter to the average BJJ practitioner today?

Any history possesses its official narrative with its own favorite characters and events. But true history is seldom simple, and more oft than not the real story is far richer than the popular version that is widely repeated and handed down. The history of BJJ and MMA in Brazil doesn’t escape this paradigm. The recent renaissance in research in regards to the history of martial arts in Brazil led to the author’s curiosity, which in turn led to the documentary Closed-Guard: The Origins of Jiujitsu in Brazil, which in turn led to this book.

This manuscript started as an account of the author’s recollections of the film's production, and quickly grew into much more. Opening Closed-Guard: The Story Behind the Film contains conclusions, analysis, and historical interpretations, as well as the story behind the documentary itself and the many challenges it faced along the way. It contains interviews, research articles pertaining to the history of jiujitsu in Brazil, as well as the author's own take on the current state of BJJ and MMA. Finally, it is the story of the author rediscovering his love for jiujitsu in a completely new and unexpected way.

About the author:

Born in the US to a Brazilian mother and American father and having spent his life between these two countries, Robert Drysdale remains the only American competitor to have ever won both the IBJJF and ADCC world championships--the two most prestigious tournaments in all of jiujitsu. Furthermore, he has also cultivated a career in MMA both as a fighter and as a coach. The author also holds a bachelor’s degree in history as well as a long-held passion for the discipline. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he teaches Brazilian jiujitsu and MMA. He is also the cofounder of the international team Zenith jiujitsu and the father of two girls.

©2020 Robert Drysdale (P)2022 Robert Drysdale

Great history lesson on the origins of BJJ

I thoroughly enjoyed this work by Professor Robert Drysdale. This book is not a slight against the Gracie family. In fact the book gives interviews with several members of the Gracie family to get their perspective on the origins of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to understand the true origins of BJJ.

Great history lesson

If you love BJJ, you want to read/listen to this book. Eye opening! I highly recommend this book.

Great job

If you love BJJ then you need to know the actually story!! Can’t wait for the documentary to come out !

The Unknown History of Brazilian JiuJitsu

Love this book. Interview format with the people that were a part of the history intertwined with the author’s own history in the art of BJJ as well as the making of this film. A great listen.

Great Insite

This gave a lot of background and context to the whole picture of BJJ history.