Learn more about jiu-jitsu with these amazing documentaries.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has gained a lot of popularity through the internet in recent years.
This is due to the many informative videos and documentaries that you can watch for free.
Below are a few personal favorite documentaries from BJJ Amersfoort that you can watch about the sport and lifestyle during this lockdown.
(Random order)
Choke has been described by podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan as one of the best Gracie Jiu-Jitsu documentaries.
We “naturally” agree with him, as Rickson Gracie represents our lineage of BJJ.
In this documentary, you are taken into Rickson Gracie's life leading up to the 1995 Vale Tudo Japan competition.
The documentary covers Rickson's mindset and training before and during the matches.
You also see all the fights he has to compete in one evening in this documentary.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Gracie in action
This is an all-time classic that brought Gracie Jiu-Jitsu a lot of word-of-mouth promotion.
Fighters from all disciplines were invited to test themselves in the Gracie's garage or dojo.
This gave the eldest brother, Rorion, the idea for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, better known as the UFC.
Which became a similar format, but for millions of viewers worldwide.
In these videos, you will encounter almost the entire Gracie family.
Rorion Gracie provides the voice-over in the videos and explains the strategy behind the techniques.
This is a must-see for all old school BJJ fans and future ones!
Invisible Force - Jiu-Jitsu Documentary
This is an interesting BJJ documentary made by Tony Pacenski.
Tony is a black belt under Rodrigo Medeiros.
He demonstrates many interesting concepts in his documentary, mostly in terms of Rickson Gracie's concepts of Invisible Jiu-Jitsu.
Tony also explains concepts such as connection and the fundamental principles of Jiu-Jitsu, and recounts the story of his BJJ journey.
There is also information about Rickson's Jiu-Jitsu Global Federation and many other interesting things.
California is currently the mecca of modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Important competitions are held there every year.
Many of the big names in the sport own a BJJ school there.
The documentary Jiu-Jitsu in SoCal takes you on a journey there.
Starting with the very first Americans who trained BJJ and received black belts from the Gracies.
You also get a glimpse into the past and future of Jiu-Jitsu.
Other topics covered include old stories about the Gracies, dojo challenges, and the competition era (or lack thereof) in the early days versus today.
If you want to introduce someone to the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, this is the documentary you need to watch.
In Jiu-Jitsu VS The World, legends from the BJJ world are featured, including Renzo Gracie, Rigan Machado, Eddie Bravo, Kurt Osiander, and many others.
There isn't much depth to the topics covered, but it gives you a good overall picture.
Renzo Gracie is one of the legends and pioneers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, especially in the MMA scene.
In this 2008 documentary, you can follow him as he trains for his matches.
Renzo is quite a personality with great ambitions and provides much insight into the family history.
He tells you about his jiu-jitsu philosophy, recovery from injuries, his beloved Brazil, and previous fights.
You also see many of his MMA fights, including Pride 1 and 2, Pride Bushido, and the International Fight League.
This documentary also features a legendary scene in which he, together with his younger brother Ryan Gracie, showcases one of the most famous sparring sessions ever.
Ryan passed away shortly thereafter.
If the other films on this list are a bit too long for you, The Way of Jiu-Jitsu is a good option.
This documentary runs for about twenty minutes.
Nice interviews with legends of the sport, including Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu, Cobrinha, and Renzo Gracie.
The Way of Jiu-Jitsu is a general documentary about BJJ that is digestible for people who are hesitant to start BJJ.
Various topics are covered.
Among them, the “BJJ Journey”, the different forms of teaching, and a glimpse into the jiu-jitsu lifestyle and philosophy.
Rolled Up by BudoVideos is indispensable in this list.
It is a video series where Jake, the CEO of BudoVideos, travels to interview and learn from various BJJ legends.
While many of the older videos focus on technique with some simple interviews, the later episodes are almost mini-documentaries.
Absolutely worth watching.
Jake interviews, learns techniques, and spars with the episode's guest.
You see interviews and training sessions with legends such as Marcelo Garcia, Royler Gracie, Robert Drysdale, the Ribeiro brothers, Braulio Estima, and many more in this series.
Unfortunately, the last Rolled Up episode was filmed two years ago, but there are still plenty of earlier episodes to watch.
While not technically a documentary, Arte Suave is an interesting two-part 'video magazine' featuring some of the biggest athletes in BJJ in the early 2000s.
In part one, you'll see names like Daniel Moraes, Carlos Gracie Jr, Marcelo Garcia, André Galvão, Roger Gracie, and more.
You get a behind-the-scenes look as they train and discuss their training philosophies and mindsets.
Part two begins with Royler Gracie's training, mindset, family life, and stories of the Gracie family.
You also continue with Leo Vieira, Demian Maia, and many more.
Tradition the rise of a Gracie fighter
A documentary about one of the best Jiu-Jitsu fighters of his era.
Roger Gracie is a ten-time world champion and has never tapped out in his entire competitive career.
The (paid) documentary takes you on his journey through his most important matches.
Roger is known for his “basic” techniques.
Everyone knows what these techniques are, yet very few people have had an answer to them.
It's more than worth the ten euros for the true enthusiast!
This article was originally published in Dutch. Read the Dutch original.
