Brief History of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu
(Originally Published at 10thplanetwatch)
10th Planet Jiu Jitsu was originally the brainchild of Eddie Bravo. Eddie, was first introduced to Jiu Jitsu the way many people were, through Royce Gracie via the original UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship, way back in 1994. Bravo, a former Karate practitioner and a high school wrestler, was immediately sold on the effectiveness of this new Brazilian rendition of an ancient Japanese martial art.
Eddie signed up for lessons under the world renowned Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Champion, Jean Jacques Machado. Machado, along with his 4 brothers are Cousins to Royce, and the Gracie family. He is the Nephew of the BJJ co-founder and great Master Carlos Gracie. Jean-Jacques is also considered one of the best BJJ world champions to ever live. It was here at this school, Bravo excelled as a student of the art, and as a vicious competitor. He competed in many tournaments all over the world, and was known for his unorthodox approach, and exciting submission attacks. He became a household name in the BJJ community, and received his black belt after submitting Royler Gracie at ADCC (Abu Dahbi Combat Club). At this, the most prestigious Nogi grappling tournament on the planet, Bravo forced Gracie to tap to a triangle choke. Until that moment, Gracie had never even had 1 point scored on him. Bravo became the first American to ever submit a Gracie.
After this moment Eddie decided to focus on his own martial arts system. He was a huge proponent of No-gi Jiu Jitsu, a form of Jiu Jitsu that doesn’t use the aid of the traditional uniform, the gi, a.k.a. the kimono. Jiu Jitsu’s effectiveness had drastically declined in MMA, and he wanted to make a style more usable in the cage and in the ring. Bravo created a style based on clinching using underhooks, overhooks, collar ties and other grips that didn’t depend on the usage of clutching clothing to gain an advantage. It was a different philosophy, and was scoffed at by many traditionalist. Eddie would take huge amounts of criticism, but he moved forward regardless of what people said.
In 2003, Eddie founded 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu in a small Kick Boxing Gym, The Bomb Squad, in West Hollywood, California. With little promotion, It was a risk starting his own Nogi Jiu Jitsu gym, but on the first night 17 student showed up. That number has grown substantially over the years. There are now upwards of 40 schools around the world, and countless practitioners of the system from Melbourne Australia, to Van Nuys, California. 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu, although being a complete system of no-gi Jiu Jitsu is most known for its signature positions such as the Lockdown, a half guard system in which the bottom player configures his legs in a way that controls the leg and hip. The twister, a submission based on a wrestler’s guillotine, where the attacking person controls the leg and hip similar to the lockdown, but comes behind the opponent and attacks the neck and spine. Also, the Rubber guard, a clinching form of the guard in which the bottom player uses their leg to break the posture of their opponent.
Bravo is also an author and has published 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu books, “Jiu Jitsu Unleashed,” “Mastering the Rubber Guard,” “Mastering the Twister.” “Advanced Rubber Guard: Jiu Jitsu for Mixed Martial Arts Competition” is set to be published in 2012. Eddie has also released 2 DVDs, “The Twister,” a compilation of his matches from the beginnings, all the way through his submission of Royler Gracie, and “Mastering the Rubber Guard,” which was a DVD version of the popular book. Eddie also has a bi monthly web series, “Mastering the System” in which he gives an intimate look inside the 10th Planet System.
