Worth Defending: How Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Saved My Life

by Richard Bresler, Scott Burr

"My friend, have you ever done any martial arts? My family has been doing Jiu-Jitsu for sixty-five years. We're champions. We're very well known in Brazil. Why don't you come by for a free class?"

I couldn't have imagined it then, but that moment would mark the beginning of the rest of my life...

Richard Bresler was Rorion Gracie's first student in LA, and is widely recognized as the first student of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in the USA. His memoir, WORTH DEFENDING, chronicles his over 40 years' involvement with the Gracie family and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, including the almost 20 years he spent working closely alongside Rorion helping to grow Jiu-Jitsu through the "Gracie Garages" (the first of which was in the house that Richard and Rorion shared in Hermosa Beach, CA), the founding of the Gracie Academy (made possible by a loan Richard made to Rorion), and the inception of the UFC (in which Richard invested and at which he was ringside with Hélio Gracie himself). Read the story of the birth of modern MMA from someone who was there every step of the way!

This memoir

- Richard's journey out of addiction and depression through the transformative power of the martial arts.
- Richard's experiences training privately with many members of the Gracie family, including Rorion, Rickson, Royce, and Grandmaster Hélio himself.
- Richard's trip to Rio de Janeiro, where he shared the mats with the legendary Rolls Gracie.
- Richard's experience watching from ringside as his friend and teacher, Royce Gracie, won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship, including never-before-published photos from behind the scenes at the first UFC.
- The creation of "Krav Ground," the ground-fighting system that Richard helped develop for Krav Maga.
- Richard's experiences with and take on alternative health and dietary practices, including the Gracie diet.
- Richard's take on the current state of BJJ, and where it needs to go moving forward.

Genres: Martial Arts, Mixed Martial Arts, Memoir, Health, Nonfiction

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 27, 2020

Reviews

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this book down. I laughed, I cried just an honest and inspiring documentary. I highly recommend it. ❤️

[Cat Rayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth Defending is an exceptional book because it weaves a myriad of subjects seamlessly.

In full disclosure, while I have known Richard for over forty years, my awareness of Jiu Jitsu was limited to being knowledgeable that he was immersed in it. But now I “get it.”

There is hope the book is not fixed and defined in the martial arts genre, because it delivers far more. A story about one man’s life journey, about the genesis and growth of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in America, about running a business, the tenuous nature of relationships, health, and well-being from a physical and mental aspect. It is an assembly of themes that intertwine in a story that is engaging.

It isn’t often that one book offers so much to unpack in the reading, and while it wraps up to the present, you know that the journey of Richard and Jiu Jitsu continues on.

[Suhaib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have ever met in my life, Richard Breslar passed away recently and left an amazing legacy behind him, RIP.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bresler is most notable because he was Rorion Gracie’s first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu student, having started training in 1979, well before Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and MMA were well known in the United States. The first half of this book serves as Bresler’s biography. We see how Bresler went from a drug-addicted son of a fast-food franchise owner to one of the earliest Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, financial backers, and promoters. We follow Bressler’s journey through the early years of setting up jiu-jitsu gyms and working with the likes of Royce and Rickson Gracie, to instituting challenges in other dojos to showcase the supremacy of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, to helping create the “Gracie in Action” VHS tapes, to the early years of the UFC, and to his falling out with Rorion Gracie, to his life as an instructor, to his reconnection with Rorion. The second half of this book is Bresler’s philosophy and what he means when he says that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu saved his life. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu isn’t just a hobby to Bresler but a way of life. It helped him eat more healthily, eventually quit drugs, gain confidence, and develop new understandings of mental and physical health while at the same time staying humbled and always striving to be better. Many of Bresler’s points really stuck with me, especially with the impact of jiu-jitsu on various aspects of one’s life. I was also very receptive to Bresler’s larger message of what jiu-jistus represents. To him, like Rorion Gracie, jiu-jitsu is about self-defense above everything else. In fact, the Rorion Gracie quote, “self-defense is not just a set of techniques; it’s a state of mind, and it begins with the belief that you are worth defending,” is noted numerous times in the book. While Bresler isn’t totally against the competitive aspect of jiu-jitsu and its place within competitive mixed martial arts, he also notes that such a focus on those aspects turns many people off from pursuing that training. In all, I really enjoyed this book, and it made me re-evaluate not only my relationship to learning jiu-jitsu but how it impacts other areas of my life.

[Matthew Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first met Richard during the 2019 Jiu Jitsu Lifestyle Summit in Torrance and was instantly interested to know his story. As a practitioner of Jiu Jitsu, I became fascinated with both the techniques and the history of this amazing art and this book delivers. As the very first American student of Rorian (and for that matter, the first American period to start Gracie Jiu Jitsu), Richard has a very unique first account perspective on how and what happened during those early years. He gives a very honest and interesting history of how Jiu Jitsu first started in America: the Challenge Matches, the struggles of enrolling students in the early years when the American Martial Arts scene was dominated by karate, kung fu and tae kwon do, the start of UFC, the skepticism of other martial artists, the family conflicts inside the Gracie family, the birth of Gracie University and the inevitable explosion of BJJ in America. Richard's tone is as honest and authentic as you could hope to expect. It is almost like Richard was speaking to me as a friend. Unlike other memoirs or books on BJJ or MMA, Richard is not a champion practitioner or a fighter in the traditional sense (someone who wants to just get in the mats or ring to fight), rather he is just a normal guy - the type of guy that most of us (myself included) can relate to. Richard openly discusses his insecurities, demons and personal challenges with his father and how BJJ saved his life. This, to me, is what makes this book very special. Richard also gives his personal insights on what BJJ is and how it can be practiced and appreciated as an art and as a means for self defense instead of the prevalent sport BJJ culture that is prevalent today. More than anyone, Richard helped Rorian get started in America and setting up all the pieces to make BJJ what it is today and he doesn't get nearly enough attention or credit he deserves.

[Mike Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It was part memoir of a legend, part history (of Jiu-Jitsu), and part life philosophy - and it exceeded my expectations on all three. It was thoroughly 'unputdownable'. Highly recommended to any martial arts or self-defense student interested in learning about the history of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in America.

A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Self-defense is not just a set of techniques: it is a state of mind, and it begins with the belief that you are worth defending.” Rorion Gracie

"In the family the saying goes, "Hélio Gracie is to Jiu-Jitsu what Einstein is to physics." Neither man created his field, but both elevated the level of understanding and the depth of knowledge to the point that afterwards their respective fields were intrinsically linked to them and defined by their input."

"It was a hard thing for me to realize that Jiu-Jitsu lives down here in the world with the rest of us."

"People forget that modern MMA has weight classes and time limits and the guys are wearing gloves. Take those things away and you'll realize very quickly why the art is the way it is."

And

"This belt doesn't mean I'm bulletproof: if anything it's supposed to mean that I really, really understand that I'm not."

If you love Jiu-Jitsu, you'll love this book.

[Darius Murretti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man very much after my own heart .
I especially identified with his wholistic osteopathic techniques for muscle spasm relief and his views on nutrition.
I also practice His "not holding fears in" but confessing them and setting positive goals (running towards something noble and high not away from negative habits ) is
I think and practice everything he says . I have verified all that he wrote by my personal experience. I have a feeling of close brotherhood with him. The brotherhood of those who are guided by God and who receive his grace.
The only fight worth winning is the one with our own lower nature and the eternal prize is our Godhood...-.Our lower nature wi what we must defend aginst and -yes- we ( our soul) Is worth defending 💖

[James A. McSorley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Know your Roots!

If you're a Jiu Jitsu enthusiast from America, it's important to know your roots and understand how the practice came to be and evolved into what it is today. Richard was literally there at the very beginning of Gracie Jiu Jitsu and the UFC by way of his instructor, Rorian Gracie.

Richard is a sensitive soul with a giving heart, so he pours out all the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly; but it's all for a purpose and meaning. Being the great teacher he is, he lays out his life story which is chock full of great lessons as well as colorful stories. You will finish this book quickly and will come away with being a better person and practitioner. Thank you for sharing your story Sir! Best, Knocko.

[Gutenberg Neto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for learning more about BJJ's early history in the US. The author, Richard Bresler, was the first American BJJ student under Rorion Gracie and witnessed many pivotal moments during Rorion's effort to popularize BJJ in the United States, including the creation of the UFCin 1993.

Bresler is forthright in sharing many of his personal struggles and details how the practice of jiu-jitsu helped him overcome these obstacles.

As a slight negative, I felt that the "Health" section of the book tended to drag on a bit. While I empathize with the author's family struggles with cancer, his views on western medicine are... peculiar to say the least, and in my view, felt out of place.

[Jade Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, quite a lot in fact. I loved hearing the history of BJJ in America as told through Richard's eyes. It was a wonderful and identifiable story as someone who is on their own journey through BJJ. It was heartfelt and honest. I think anyone who is truly invested into the art should listen to / read this book. My only real complaint about the book and the main reason I didn't give it a 5 star review was that the latter portion of the book starts to get a bit preachy with regard to lifestyle choices and how to approach bjj and moves away from his progress in the art.

[Rafael Toledo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad that Richard has shared his story with us. It is a very appealing story that starts with the author being in the right place at the right time. Richard had the chance to live and learn straight from the Gracie family. He is a witness of the jiu-jitsu wonders, overcoming the drugs and the insecurities from boyhood traumas. Furthermore, he reveals many historical details about Rorion's venture in the USA to spread the BJJ, which also extends to the UFC foundation and some inner dynamics of the Gracie family.

[Adam K. Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!.

I purchased the audio along with the kindle edition. I felt like Mr. Bresler was sitting next to me telling me his story. I always respected the Gracies for their accomplishments, but here we get to see that the Gracies had their issues and that makes them more real and I respect them even more now.

[Joseph V. Hoffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring and instructive

The history of Gracie Jujitsu has been forgotten by many. With emphasis on tournament training and MMA, most folks think jujitsu is "ground fighting" for MMA. If you you have not had the experience of learning self defense techniques from Carlson Gracie, may he rest in peace, then this book is what you should read.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating must-read for anyone interested in the origins of BJJ in the USA.

[Agustin Whittaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing ⛩️

[James Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing exploration of BJJ history.

[Kyle Brennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Self-defense is not just a set of techniques: it is a state of mind, and it begins with the belief that you are worth defending.” - Rorion Gracie

Although I only started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu a little over a month ago, I can already tell how the “gentle art” has the potential to improve one’s life in multiple ways.

Worth Defending was written by Richard Bresler, a man down on his luck and in poor health when he stumbled upon the great Rorion Gracie in a garage in California in 1979. He went on to become the first student of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in the U.S.

If you’re not familiar, the Gracie family is legendary in the world of jiu-jitsu and are widely credited to be the founders of the martial arts style. Rorion founded the UFC back in 1993 where Royce Gracie debuted jiu-jitsu to the world taking down opponents far bigger and more ferocious with a new style of close-contact grappling using leverage to subdue an opponent’s strength.

The book is a story of one man’s life journey, about the genesis and growth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in America, about running a business, and the tenuous nature of relationships, health, and well-being from a physical and mental aspect.

The history of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has been forgotten by many. Nowadays, the emphasis is mostly on tournament training and MMA. Most folks just think of it as “ground fighting,” but this book provides the context for the original purpose of jiu-jitsu, which was being able to defend oneself against larger opponents.

Rating: 4.0 / 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️