Breathe: A Life in Flow

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Rickson peddles jiu-jitsu as a way for students to discover their “true personalities,” for parents to raise good and robust children, for people of all walks of life to harmoniously mingle. You get a little bit of history into the sport but hearing Rickson’s spiritual and mental journey was very enlightening. What is striking about this book is the in-depth examination of the art of jiu-jitsu and its importance outside of the ring to personal development.

The stories related to training, fights, his preparation and dojo wars are lots of fun to hear about. His story has everything - the greatest highs, and the lowest lows - and it all resonated with me more than any book has for a long time. Sparring offers brutal real-time feedback, its rhythms forcing you to bounce back from failure—if you (or your partner) “tap out,” you slap hands and start over. In particular, I enjoyed getting Rickson's perspective on the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he had an important role as Royce's trainer.

When Hélio finally began training in the late 1920s, his approach to jiu-jitsu, a martial art first developed in 15th-century Japan and then modified into judo, had to be strategic.

If anything, it makes me want to be more on the mat and keep investing in my self defense skill set.In less than two minutes, the jiu-jitsu black belt brought Gordeau to the ground, got behind him, and wrapped an arm beneath his chin to secure a rear naked choke. O n November 12, 1993, in a sports arena in Denver, a lean Brazilian man in an outfit resembling a pair of pajamas stepped into an octagon to fight. I thought he was going to say he’d confront and overcome the challenges that were harming his marriage…. The writing was clunky at times but Rickson really captured the true intention and nature of JiuJitsu. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.