Bio

Cesar is carioca from Flamengo, born and raised in that neighborhood playing all sports such as swimming, soccer, beach soccer, volleyball, beach volleyball, futsal, rowing, judo, surfing and finally jiu-jitsu. He is a live witness to what the jiu-jitsu, muay thai, luta livre and vale tudo scene was in Rio, most specifically at Flamengo where legends like Royler, Royce, Rolker, Marco Ruas, Hugo Duarte, Eugenio Tadeu, Flavio Molina, Luis Alves, Peu, Paulo Borracha, Mantega, Narani, Marinho, Andre Pederneiras and many others not so famous hung out around. Curiously enough, the first Jiu-Jitsu academy Master Helio Gracie opened in Rio, at Rua Marques de Abrantes, was exactly in the same spot where Cesar lived for almost 40 years. In the same edifice, there was Flavio Molina’s fight pit, inside his own apartment in a small covered terrace where muay thai/luta-livre/vale-tudo stars, aforementioned, sparred for innumerous hours.

His first introduction to the art happened still in highschool when his colleagues gathered up at the gymnasium and grappled for the first time back in 1983. Although Cesar had had some judo background experience from his early years, there was nothing he could have done in his first grappling match when he lost by points. Suggested by one of his classmates , Luis Coutinho, to look up for jiu-jitsu as well as boxing, Cesar went out to research all the clubs around his neighborhood, from kung fu, taekwondo, passing by academia Naja where the muay thai was being introduced to, until he found out about jiu-jitsu classes taking place inside Corpore Fitness Club, a place less than 1 min walk from his apartment.

He started taking classes sporadicly along with weight lifting until attending, along with his friends, the legendary Rickson x Zulu vale-tudo in Rio. After that event, he started taking jiu-jitsu classes more seriously at Corpore with judo black belt “Celsinho”. Amongst the training partners in his first classes were characters such as Pedro Sauer (brown belt at that time), Rogerio Camoes (judo black belt), Chiquinho (judo black belt), Luciano Andrade (aka Panta, Dede’s black belt) and many others. These judo athletes were from the Flamengo Judo Club, a well respected judo dojo in Rio, and they used to come by to train at Corpore very often. Cesar participated into his first in-house tournament 3 weeks later, skipping a calculus exam at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, where he got his diploma of architect and master in urban planning in 1991, already a purple belt under Dede.

Andre Pederneiras,  resident of Flamengo as well, also trained at Corpore at that time. He attended classes in another schedule with Rodrigo Campos (Rickson Gracie’s black belt) and teaching kids also at Carlson’s dojo in Copacabana. Cesar and “Dede”, as well as Marco Bruno Pederneiras and many others, knew each other from the streets and beach of Flamengo, mostly from these “street futsal” matches that used to take place at “Vila”- a quiet street where Dede’s family lives at to this day. Cesar was then white belt and Dede a purple, soon to be brown.

Suggested by Dede to come and train in Copacabana at Carlson’s dojo, Cesar and a bunch of friends started commuting all evenings to Copacabana. On the mats, Cesar recalls Carlson and his pupils, Sergio “Bolao”(purple belt), Inacio (black belt), Bombonacha (brown), Cassinho (black belt) and many others.

Few months later, Dede finally decided to open up his own dojo at Flamengo and Cesar quit going to Copacabana to join all his street friends at the “Andre Pederneiras Jiu-Jitsu e Defesa Pessoal”. Dede was then a brown belt. Promoted to black belt shortly after. The place was inside ATP fitness club at Rua Paissandu, Flamengo.

He had amongst his training partners, legends like : Andre Pederneiras, Joao Roque, Marco Bruno, Marcos Goes, Flavio Cardoso, Paulo Barroso (Gracie Humaita), Charuto, Chico Bueno, Alexandre das Dores, Vitor Shaolin (according to his account, Cesar gave Shaolin that nickname and hooked him up with his first sponsor – Pet Food). And later on, in 2001, Andre Marola, Marcelo Meleiro, Kiki Melo, Danillo Cherman, Roberto Leitao Sr. and Jr., Jose Aldo, Marlon Sandro and many others from the Nova Uniao and “Ruas Vale-Tudo” crew who shared the mats during the jiu-jitsu class every morning at the Praia de Botafogo location.

Cesar has accompanied the development of the Andre Pederneiras Jiu-jitsu Academy, and later on Nova Uniao since its inception. As he quotes ” Those were hard times when Dede would knock at your door with a small piece of paper and a pen, listing how many buddies he could gather up to start his first school… it was a shoebox on the second floor at Largo do Machado, Rio, where we had to jump off the window to take a breather on the marquee while the others were rolling “.

He started teaching Jiu-Jitsu at his first Budokan academy at Itajuba, Minas Gerais, in the year of 1995, still as a brown belt due to a 3 years stoppage after a shoulder ligaments rupture. He led Budokan for 5 years and got promoted by Andre Pederneiras to 1st degree black belt in 2002. His students are now black belts (4 of them, as far as he knows) and still practice the arte suave in Itajuba, MG, under one of Cesar’s best friends and also a Nova Uniao black belt, Douglas Plata.

Cesar returned to Rio in 2000 to design a residence and on the day after 911 he was back on the mats, this time to refine his own game instead of teaching. He met Jose Aldo, Marlon Sandro, Marcos Loro, Danilo Cherman, Marcelino Freitas, Fabiano Freitas, Roberto Leitao sr. and jr., Cacareco, Babalu, Ximu, Ebenezer,Zulu, Pedro Rizzo, Antoine Jaoude, Jair Lorenco, Gleison Tibau, Kiki Ribeiro, Thales Leites, Tony de Souza, Peter Aerts and other legends every morning for 5 years until he moved to Toronto, invited to teach at the biggest bjj academy there.

Known for his profound knowledge and experience on the mats, Cesar leaves no question without an answer in class. His students allways do well in tournaments and the club’s atmosphere is the genuine carioca jiu-jitsu club. Due to his professional background, his unique mathematical approach to the game makes him, undoubtfully one of the most technical black belts, very first generation, Dede ever made.

His best placement in tournaments were two times silver medals, 2002 and 2003 at the Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu Masters, losing by advantage in very exciting matches.

His style of teaching is based on body weight shifting, sharp transitions and basic self defence jiu-jitsu.  Nonetheless, Cesar keeps his students updated with the latest techniques and various types of games so they can forge their defence system to the best.

Tomorrow, kids and more results.

Here it is an update from the Grapplers Quest 2011.

Jonny – 2 golds, gi and no gi.

Patrik – 1 gold, 1 silver, gi and no gi.

Timmy – 1 gold, gi.

Sam – 1 gold, no gi.

Gabe – 1 bronze, no gi.

Fantastic, everyone who has competed brought home a medal !

Congratulations !

Cheers.

We thank all participants for their support and hospitality.

Andre will be coaching Jose “Juninho” Aldo for his UFC debut, this saturday. Don’t miss it out !

Several theories explain the origins of jujutsu. One theory holds that in the 17th century, a Chinese man named Chen Yuan Ping introduced the techniques of jujutsu to three ronin – Fukuno Hichiroemon, Miura Yojiemon, and Isogai Jirozaemon. The other theory propounded by the Yōshin-ryū holds that a doctor named Akiyama Shirobei from Nagasaki devised jujutsu upon his return from China where he learned the art of hakuda. Yet another theory claims that jujutsu began “in the age of the gods” and is a purely Japanese invention.^[5][6]

The term jūjutsu was not coined until the 17th century, after which time it became a blanket term for a wide variety of grappling-related disciplines. Prior to that time, these skills had names such as “short sword grappling” (小具足腰之廻, kogusoku koshi no mawari^?), “grappling” (組討 or 組打, kumiuchi^?), “body art” (体術, taijutsu^?), “softness” (柔 or 和, yawara^?), “art of harmony” (和術, wajutsu, yawarajutsu^?), “catching hand” (捕手, torite^?), and even the “way of softness” (柔道, jūdō^?) (as early as 1724, almost two centuries before Kanō Jigorō founded the modern art of Kodokan Judo).^[2]

Today, the systems of unarmed combat that were developed and practiced during the Muromachi period (1333–1573) are referred to collectively as Japanese old-style jujutsu (日本古流柔術, Nihon koryū jūjutsu^?). At this period in history, the systems practiced were not systems of unarmed combat, but rather means for an unarmed or lightly armed warrior to fight a heavily armed and armored enemy on the battlefield. In battle, it was often impossible for a samurai to use his long sword, and would therefore be forced to rely on his short sword, dagger, or bare hands. When fully armored, the effective use of such “minor” weapons necessitated the employment of grappling skills.

Methods of combat (as mentioned above) included striking (kicking and punching), throwing (body throws, joint-lock throws, unbalance throws), restraining (pinning, strangling, grappling, wrestling) and weaponry. Defensive tactics included blocking, evading, off-balancing, blending and escaping. Minor weapons such as the tantō (knife), ryofundo kusari (weighted chain), kabuto wari (helmet smasher), and kakushi buki (secret or disguised weapons) were almost always included in Sengoku jujutsu.

Development

In later times, other koryu developed into systems more familiar to the practitioners of Nihon jujutsu commonly seen today. These are correctly classified as Edo jūjutsu (founded during the edo period): they are generally designed to deal with opponents neither wearing armor nor in a battlefield environment. Most systems of Edo jujutsu include extensive use of atemi waza (vital-striking technique), which would be of little use against an armored opponent on a battlefield. They would, however, be quite valuable in confronting an enemy or opponent during peacetime dressed in normal street attire (referred to as “suhada bujutsu”). Occasionally, inconspicuous weapons such as tantō (daggers) or tessen (iron fans) were included in the curriculum of Edo jūjutsu.

Another seldom-seen historical side is a series of techniques originally included in both Sengoku and Edo jujutsu systems. Referred to as hojo waza (捕縄術 hojojutsu, torinawa jutsu, nawa jutsu, hayanawa and others), it involves the use of a hojo cord, (sometimes the sageo or tasuke) to restrain or strangle an attacker. These techniques have for the most part faded from use in modern times, but Tokyo police units still train in their use and continue to carry a hojo cord in addition to handcuffs. The very old Takenouchi-ryu is one of the better-recognized systems that continue extensive training in hojo waza. Since the establishment of the Meiji period with the abolishment of the Samurai and the wearing of swords, the ancient tradition of Yagyu Shingan Ryu (Sendai and Edo lines) has focused much towards the jujutsu (Yawara) contained in its syllabus.

Many other legitimate Nihon jujutsu ryu exist but are not considered koryu (ancient traditions). These are called either Gendai Jujutsu or modern jujutsu. Modern jujutsu traditions were founded after or towards the end of the Tokugawa period (1868), when more than 2000 schools (ryu) of jūjutsu existed. Various traditional ryu and ryuha that are commonly thought of as koryu jujutsu are actually gendai jūjutsu. Although modern in formation, very few gendai jujutsu systems have direct historical links to ancient traditions and are incorrectly referred to as traditional martial systems or ryu. Their curriculum reflects an obvious bias towards Edo jūjutsu systems as opposed to the Sengoku jūjutsu systems. The improbability of confronting an armor-clad attacker is the reason for this bias.

Over time, Gendai jujutsu has been embraced by law enforcement officials worldwide and continues to be the foundation for many specialized systems used by police. Perhaps the most famous of these specialized police systems is the Keisatsujutsu (police art) Taiho jutsu (arresting art) system formulated and employed by the Tokyo Police Department.

If a Japanese based martial system is formulated in modern times (after Tokugawa) but is only partially influenced by traditional Nihon jujutsu, it may be correctly referred to as goshin (self defense) jujutsu. Goshin jujutsu is usually formulated outside Japan and may include influences from other martial traditions. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which was developed from judo, but with greater emphasis on ground grappling (ne waza), is an excellent example of Goshin Jujutsu.

Jujutsu techniques have been the basis for many military unarmed combat techniques (including British/US/Russian special forces and SO1 police units) for many years.

There are many forms of sport jujutsu, the original and most popular being judo, now an Olympic sport. One of the most common is mixed-style competitions, where competitors apply a variety of strikes, throws, and holds to score points. There are also kata competitions, where competitors of the same style perform techniques and are judged on their performance. There are also freestyle competitions, where competitors take turns attacking each other, and the defender is judged on performance.

Description

Japanese jujutsu systems typically place more emphasis on throwing, immobilizing and pinning, joint-locking, choking, and strangling techniques as compared with other martial arts systems such as karate. Atemi-waza (striking techniques) were seen as less important in most older Japanese systems, since samurai body armor protected against many striking techniques. The Chinese quanfa/ch’uan-fa (kenpo or kung fu) systems focus on punching, striking, and kicking more than jujutsu.

The Japanese systems of hakuda, kenpo, and shubaku display some degree of Chinese influence in their emphasis on atemi-waza. In comparison, systems that derive more directly from Japanese sources show less preference for such techniques. However, a few jujutsu schools likely have some Chinese influence in their development. Jujutsu ryu vary widely in their techniques, and many do include significant emphasis on striking techniques, though in some styles only as set-ups for their grappling techniques.

In jujutsu, practitioners train in the use of many potentially fatal moves. However, because students mostly train in a non-competitive environment, risk is minimized. Students are taught break falling skills to allow them to safely practice otherwise dangerous throws.

In jujutsu, there are five main sectors (“arts”) of training. The first, the Art of Blocking, is used to defend against attacks. The second, the Art of the Fulcrum Throw, is employed in modern judo. The third, the Art of the Non-fulcrum Throw is employed through throws that involve little or no contact with the opponent. The fourth, the Art of Escaping (Hakko-Dori), is very crucial in many styles of Jujutsu. The fifth is the Art of Striking (Atemi-Waza).

The word Jujutsu can be broken down into two parts. “Ju” is a concept. The idea behind this meaning of Ju is “to be gentle”, “to give way”, “to yield”, “to blend”, “to move out of harm’s way”. “Jutsu” is the principle or “the action” part of Ju-Jutsu. In Japanese this word means science or art.^[7]

Technical characteristics

As a “soft” art, jujutsu systems generally employ the principles of balance, leverage, and momentum to overcome opponents. This is in contrast to “hard” systems (for example, some styles of karate and taekwondo) that tend to emphasize developing power, strength, and speed. Although there is some diversity in the actual look and techniques of the various traditional jujutsu systems, there are significant technical similarities common to all schools:

• Students learn traditional jujutsu primarily by observation and imitation of the ryu’s waza.
• The unarmed waza of most schools emphasize joint-locking techniques (kansetsu waza), that is, threatening a joint’s integrity by placing pressure on it in a direction contrary to its normal function, aligning it so that muscular strength cannot be brought to bear, take-down or throwing techniques, or a combination of take-downs and joint-locks.
• Sometimes, atemi (strikes) are targeted to some vulnerable area of the body; this is an aspect of kuzushi, the art of breaking balance as a set-up for a lock, take-down or throw.
• Movements tend to capitalize on an attacker’s momentum and openings in order to place a joint in a compromised position or to break their balance as preparation for a take-down or throw.
• The defender’s own body is positioned so as to take optimal advantage of the attacker’s weaknesses while simultaneously presenting few openings or weaknesses of its own.
• Weapons training was a primary goal of Samurai training. Koryu (old/classic) schools typically include the use of weapons. Weapons might include the roku shaku bo (six-foot staff), hanbo (three-foot staff), katana (sword), wakizashi or kodachi (short sword), tantō (knife), or jutte (short one hook truncheon).

We are Toronto’s leading academy for authentic Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

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As part of the powerhouse Nova Uniao team, you will learn the techniques and training methods that produced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) champions such as Andre Pederneiras, Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro, Joao Roque, Leonardo Santos and Robson Moura, just to name a few.

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News

January 2011

Budokan BJJ is located at: 1992 Yonge St., 1 minute walk north from Davisville subway station. Parking is available on side streets.

Budokan Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

1992 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ont.
M4S 1Z7
CANADA