Hélio defeated boxer Antonio Portugal in his first fight by surrendering with an armbar after only 40 seconds. In 1931, when Hélio was 18 years old, he began his professional career as a Jiu Jitsu fighter. Hélio competed against opponents from different fighting styles for several decades. The goal was to prove the superiority of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu over other martial arts. To demonstrate the effectiveness of Gracie Jiu Jitsu to the general public, Carlos and Hélio publicly challenged opponents in Vale Tudo fights (a full-contact, no-rules fight), the birth of the Gracie Challenge. The focus of the martial art was to wrestle the opponent to the ground, a sequence of different holding positions on the ground and finally a choke hold or armbar to give up the opponent. They took different roles in the development of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Carlos was a visionary as well as a mentor, while Hélio refined the training and techniques. On September 7, 1930, the brothers opened their first official academy and managed to attract important people to the martial art. Hélio assisted his brother Carlos in the following years with the further development of the training for self-defense. He adapted the techniques and made use of principles such as the development of force through leverage. By observing his brothers’ training, Hélio had already gained extensive knowledge of the techniques practiced before taking part in the training.ĭue to his lanky build, Hélio was forced to work hard on the techniques as they were mainly based on strength and skill. After a successful training session and an extremely satisfied student, Carlos allowed Hélio to teach the martial art. When Carlos was absent one day, a student reported for class and Hélio offered to take over the training session. Finally, at the age of 16, Hélio began working out with his brothers George and Carlos. Over time, however, Hélio’s health improved thanks in part to the Gracie diet developed by Carlos, which focused on optimal acid-base balance. Hélio was initially instructed by his doctor not to participate in physical training. After some time, Carlos taught Jiu Jitsu himself at his home in Río de Janeiro.Īt the age of 14, Hélio moved in with his brother in the Botafago district. Hélio’s oldest brother Carlos was the first Gracie to train under Maeda. In 1915, one of the best judo masters and jiu jitsu prize fighters, Mitsuyo Maeda, traveled to Brazil and founded a martial arts school with the help of Hélio’s father. Due to the poor living conditions, Hélio suffered from chronic dizzy spells from a young age and struggled with health exhaustion. Hélio had a turbulent childhood, his family lived in poor conditions and was financially forced to move to the big city of Río de Janeiro in 1921. He was tall and slight in contrast to his brothers, who had small and strong statures. From an early age, Hélio stood out for his petite build. Hélio was born the youngest son of Gastão, grandson of a Scottish immigrant, and Cesalina Gracie. The life story of Hélio Gracie begins on October 1, 1913, in Belém, Brazil.
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