Rickson Gracie: A Life in Flow

To put things into context, it's important to explain that the Gracie family is the driving force behind what is now known as "Brazilian Jiu Jitsu." The Gracie family is descended from Scots who learned to wrestle in the early 20th century thanks to Japanese immigrant judokas. The first children of the Scottish immigrants were Hélio and Carlos Gracie, who are considered the fathers of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. One of Hélio's sons was Rickson Gracie.

The first part of this book immerses us in Rickson's childhood and adolescence, and the uniqueness of being a Gracie, a bond that would define him from birth. Rickson began wrestling as a child and entered school at age 7. During the 1950s, he trained alongside his brothers and cousins ​​in Rio de Janeiro. At the academy where they trained, they were given clean kimonos every day and didn't have to worry about anything else. Their diet was simple, without processed foods: just grains, fruits, vegetables, and some meat, following the famous Gracie Diet.

From a young age, the sons of Carlos and Hélio Gracie were trained to be great fighters. While Carlos was the eldest brother, spiritual leader, and food steward, Hélio fulfilled the role of general. The Gracie brothers were big dreamers, but also very strict and conservative, focused on having children who would one day become fighters. Many of their children were conceived with the maids.

During his adolescence, Rickson flirted with crime and drugs, but quickly got back on track, and by 17 he was already a great fighter and renowned instructor. Rio de Janeiro, at that time, was a hostile place with great inequalities, and Rickson was constantly embroiled in brawls, some of them legendary. His life consisted of training, teaching, and surfing, his other great passion.

By this time, he was already promising to be the best Gracie, and the tragic death of Rolls Gracie further guided him down that path. He began participating in various tournaments until he faced the gigantic and fearsome "King Zulu" in a vale tudo match, which he emerged victorious. "King Zulu" congratulated him and said, "You've had help; I'm a self-made fighter."

Rickson Gracie began meditating and developing a breathing system thanks to his spiritual teacher, Orlando Cani, with whom he remained forever connected. From then on, the act of breathing became a fundamental aspect of his evolution, both as a person and as a fighter.

Halfway through the book, we delve into Rickson's life philosophy, centered on breathing. Throughout his accounts of his legendary fights, he recounts how he developed a mindset that gave him confidence and unbeatable technical skill: in his 20 years as a professional, Rickson never lost a fight. In fact, he claims the last fight he lost was when he was 14 years old.

His fighting methodology was simple but effective. Rickson relied deeply on the basics. His strategy consisted of knowing his opponent's fear, sensing it, being a complete fighter, and possessing great mental toughness. Once this was achieved, all that remained was to wait cautiously and advance slowly, like an anaconda, until finishing with an armbar or a choke from behind.

In his later years, Rickson decided, along with his wife and children, to move to the United States to expand Jiu Jitsu with his brothers, especially Rorion, with whom he had significant differences. Once in California, Rickson founded his own academy. Later, he ventured to fight in Japan in vale tudo tournaments, winning large sums of money and establishing a close relationship with the country, where he fought against diverse opponents, always emerging victorious.

Rickson also went through a period of grief and abandonment due to the death of her son, Rockson. After three years of devastation, she moved back to Rio, divorced, and started a new life.

Overall, Breathe, a Life in Flow is one of the best Jiu Jitsu books I've ever read. It's an epic and unique autobiography of possibly the greatest Gracie ever. Rickson is a kind of modern samurai, a man of deep values ​​and great mental strength.

In his later years, Rickson dedicated himself to further expanding the martial art through the concept of "Invisible Jiu Jitsu." His goal wasn't to turn his students into great fighters, but into great people.