Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 493127583 series 3659520
Content provided by Fighting Matters. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Fighting Matters or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://staging.podcastplayer.com/legal.

In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan of BJJ Mental Models and Jeff Shaw of Bellingham BJJ uncover the forgotten history of Jiu-Jitsu in America, and how none other than President Theodore Roosevelt played a pivotal role in its rise.
Between 1900 and 1906, Roosevelt brought Jiu-Jitsu into the White House, trained with Japanese masters, and helped spark a nationwide media craze that once made Jiu-Jitsu a household name. But the movement was derailed by xenophobia, racism, and short-sighted politics, costing the U.S. what could have been a century-long head start in martial arts.
This conversation explores what Roosevelt’s story tells us about inclusion, politics, and what Jiu-Jitsu might have become if America had embraced its potential.

👥 Featuring:
Steve Kwan @BJJMentalModels
Jeff Shaw @BellinghamBJJ

🧠 Topics We Cover:
• How Roosevelt’s training popularized Jiu-Jitsu in early 1900s America
• Why his support nearly created a U.S. black belt generation a century early
• The role of xenophobia in driving Yamashita out of the country
• How women like Fude Yamashita and Misawa Soga shaped early Jiu-Jitsu
• Why the art was more inclusive in 1905 than it often is today
• What the media got right (and wrong) about Jiu-Jitsu at the time
• The forgotten roots of Jiu-Jitsu as a progressive political tool
• What Roosevelt’s vision can teach today’s Jiu-Jitsu leaders
• How exclusion and short-term thinking still threaten the sport’s future
• The myth of “keeping politics out” of martial arts

📖 Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Jiu-Jitsu History
02:47 The Role of Media in Jiu-Jitsu's Evolution
06:06 The Impact of Theodore Roosevelt on Jiu-Jitsu
08:51 The Confusion Between Judo and Jiu-Jitsu
11:50 The Arrival of Judo in America
15:04 Yamashita's Influence and the Military Connection
17:59 The Political Landscape and Jiu-Jitsu's Growth
20:54 The Consequences of Racism and Nativism
23:55 The Hypothetical Impact of a Strong Jiu-Jitsu Presence
26:43 Politics and Jiu-Jitsu's Historical Context
30:58 The Politics of Jiu Jitsu
34:15 Challenging Gender Norms in Jiu Jitsu
36:34 Historical Contributions of Women in Jiu Jitsu
46:16 The Evolution of Jiu Jitsu Training
58:27 Lessons from History for the Future of Jiu Jitsu

  continue reading

33 episodes