History of Lotus Jiu Jitsu
Lotus Club Jiu Jitsu was founded on February 19th, 1989 by brothers Moises, Ali and Elias in a time when Jiu Jitsu was not as well known as it is today. Lotus Club has always maintained its traditions where quality of life and respect are priorities.
The competition team of Lotus Club is well known in São Paulo, boasting the largest number of titles. Today, Lotus Club Jiu Jitsu has broken boundaries and developed in other states as well as countries all over the world, such as United States ( New York, Florida, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina…), Japan, New Zealand, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Mexico, among others. Lotus Jiu Jitsu started in Santana, in the North region of São Paulo; the region harbors a large number of branches of Lotus in the central region, as well south, east and west. Lotus can be found in many states of Brazil such as Amapá, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, etc.
There are now over a hundred black belts promoted by Master Moises Muradi (coral belt 7th degree).
Lotus Philosophy
The philosophy of Jiu Jitsu demonstrates an entire range of lessons which includes patience, endurance, perseverance, understanding, improvement and reflection. Everyone has a unique path to travel. Lotus Jiu Jitsu provides a foundation to sustain such a journey. The practice of Jiu Jitsu summarizes our existence. When starting this practice we are regular people and still crawling, we warm up our joints, stretch our muscles, increase our reflexes, all with a persistent technical training for our “moment of maturity” in the dojo. This “moment of maturity” is when we face our own challenges, patterns and defects, to gradually mold our character like steel that is worked several times to become a good sword. Instantly we come across our “ego” which is tormented when we “tap”, a moment that represents death which is immediately followed by rebirth when the anger passes and we move away from the “ego” realizing that defeat and victory are only symbols. The person that taps out to a submission wins the reflection of the moment and the one who wins may get carried away with the power of the moment achieved thanks to the help of a preparation initiated by an instructor, the body loaned by your peers and self-dedication.
Even so, the victory will only succeed if one honors this reflection; then springs forth true humility to know that winning and losing are two sides of the same coin and identifying them is one of the principles of Lotus Jiu-Jitsu.
“Everything in life is based on the laws of nature; what runs against it is destroyed, what runs in favor of it is vivified. The donor is awarded without needing, the sovereign finds peace with no need for power. The most prominent is not the one that seeks attention, but one that is seen without making an appearance”.
“The principle is simple to follow: just know that you already are, before you try to be. The machine that breathes, feels, and thinks is wonderfully equal to the refinement of nature.“
The student comes here not always to learn, but to teach. To observe is to learn, not only with the eyes, but also with the mental perception. To teach is not just talk and show; one must tune in with the life-giving force of supreme truth. We are all members supported by the slogan: “Guided by God.”
– Master Moises Muradi
DOJO
The dojo (training room), is the place where you can progress physically and spiritually. It is a sacred place where one should avoid futile conversations and thoughts. In the Dojo we train the body and polish the mind with good thoughts. Therefore, raising the ambient level for those assembled, we can absorb the essence of the teachings. The Altar is the point that centralizes the dojo. The Altar represents the Creation, Source, and Supreme Power. It is important to note that we are not giving high reverence to the symbol, but to the great Mystic Law that generates, creates and establishes its natural course. The altar is located in the back of the room. It serves as the reference point to face during lineup. When lining up at the start and end of the class, the students do so in a hierarchical manner based on rank. Our Altar has the words: “Guided by God” with the intention of being directed and protected by the source of life!
What is Jiu Jitsu?
iu Jitsu began more than 2500 years ago. Created by Buddhist monks. Being fragile nomads they were frequently mistreated by other people because of their religion. They couldn’t use weapons so they developed a way of self-defense based on the study of animal movements. The principal force is leverage, which allows a much weaker individual to beat a stronger, heavy opponent. This fighting style quickly traveled across Asia before arriving in Japan where it became a fighting style of the samurai with warriors who had the job of defending their elders with their life if needed. The samurais dominated in various fighting techniques like knives, spears, bow and arrow and Jib Jets for hand-to-hand combat. Jib Jets highlighted itself with its characteristics of balance and flexibility to win over brute force.
With the opening of the Oriental Ports to the Western World, it was declared by the Japanese Emperor a crime against the homeland to teach Jiu Jitsu in Japan. This was an attempt to preserve Jiu Jitsu culture exclusively for the Japanese people. However, after the First World War, there was a huge migration of Japanese citizens and Conde Maeda Koma, the Japanese Champion at the time, chose Brazil as home. Maeda arrived in the 1920’s at Pará where he met Gastão Gracie, a very influential man in Belém do Pará, who helped him adjust to the new city. Thankful to his friend, Maeda taught Jiu Jitsu to Gastão’s oldest son, Carlos, who very quickly became an expert in the techniques and taught classes. But his brother, Hélio Gracie, is who developed Jiu Jitsu as the sport is known today – the most perfect fighting style in the whole world. Hélio weighing only 63kgs has beaten competitors over 100kgs, proving that technique wins over strength. This culture, today known as Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, led us to expand our Jiu Jitsu all over the world, having even Japan as one of the consumers of our art. The word Jiu Jitsu means “gentle art ” due to its principle of giving in to win, using the weight and strength of your opponent against himself and also to create for each technique, a leverage that allows you to move an opponent much stronger and heavier. This guiding principle is to make the most efficient use of mental and physical energies.
12 Commandments of Jiu Jitsu
1. Be so strong that nothing can disturb the peace of your mind.
2. Speak to everyone of happiness, health, and prosperity.
3. Give to all your friends the feeling that they are valuable.
4. Always look on the bright side of things and turn positivity into reality.
5. Think only about the best, work only for the best, and always expect the best.
6. Always be as enthusiastic and respectful about the success of others as you are of your own.
7. Let go of past mistakes and focus your energy on the victories ahead.
8. Always have a joyful countenance and keep a pleasant attitude to all who address you.
9. Apply the largest amount of your time on self-improvement and no time on criticizing others.
10. Become too big to feel unrest, too noble to feel anger, too strong to feel fear, and too happy to tumble in adversity .
11. Always have a positive opinion of yourself, and tell it to the world. Not through words of vanity, but through benevolence.
12. Have a strong conviction that the world will always be on your side, for you are loyal to what is best within you.
– Master Carlos Gracie