While Sin Moo Hapkido is the main art taught and practiced at Tramore Hapkido (THKD), Alan Sullivan, our chief HKD instructor, also teaches Gracie Jiu Jitsu. He is one of the very few people in Ireland to actually train with and grade under Royce Gracie.

Gracie Jiu Jitsu

Mitsuo Maeda, student of Judo's founder Jigoro Kano, emigrated to Brazil in 1914. Maeda was helped a great deal by the Brazilian politician Gastão Gracie, whose father George Gracie had emigrated to Brazil himself from Scotland. In gratitude for the assistance, Maeda, who was known as the Count Koma ("Count of Combat"), taught jiu-jitsu to Gastao's son Carlos Gracie. Carlos in turn taught his brothers Osvaldo, Gastão Jnr., Jorge, and Helio.

In 1925, Carlos and his brothers opened their first jiu-jitsu academy, and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was born in Brazil.

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (also known as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) is primarily a ground-fighting art. Most techniques involve both fighters on the mat. There is a heavy emphasis on positional strategy, which is about which fighter is on top, and where each person's legs are. Positions are stable situations, from which a large variety of techniques are available to both fighters.

The primary positions include:

• Guard: The person applying the guard is on the bottom with his back on the ground; his legs are wrapped around his opponent's hips (who is said to be "in the guard").
• Side control: Chest-on-chest but without the legs being entangled.
• Mount: On top of his opponent (who "is mounted"), sitting on his chest, with one leg on either side of his torso.
• Back mount: Behind his opponent, with his feet hooked around his opponent's hips and upper thighs.

Specific techniques taught are designed either to improve one's position (for example, to "pass the guard", by going from being "in the guard" to getting around the opponent's legs, resulting in side control); or else as a finishing submissions. Most submissions are either chokes or arm locks.

Belt ranks start at white belt, and progress through blue, purple, brown, and then black. It generally takes about 2-3 years of training multiple times per week to be promoted to the next belt rank. However, there is no formal rank test. Instead, rank is about the ability to apply jiu-jitsu techniques in a competitive match. A student generally needs to be able to reliably defeat most other students at a given rank in order to be promoted to the next rank.

Tramore Hapkido students at the recent seminar at Master's Temple with Royce Gracie

To see more photos go to the Gracie Gallery

Some examples of takedowns