In Japan in the mid 1880's, Jigoro Kano, founded and created the martial art Judo (aka Kano-ryu jiu-jitsu). One of Kano's primary insights was to include full-power practice against resisting, competent opponents.

     One of Kano's top students was Mitsuo Maeda, who was also known as Count Koma ("Count of Combat"). Maeda immigrated to Brazil in 1914. Maeda was befriended by the Brazilian politician Gast'o Gracie, whose father George Gracie had immigrated to Brazil himself from Scotland. Maeda taught jiu-jitsu to Gastao's son Carlos Gracie. Carlos in turn taught his brothers Osvaldo, Gast'o Jr., Jorge, and Helio.

     In 1925, Carlos and his brothers opened their first jiu-jitsu academy, and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was born. At this point, the base of techniques in BJJ was very similar to Kano's Judo. As the years progressed, however, the brothers (notably Carlos and Helio) and their students refined their art through fighting in public challenges and street fights. The Gracie's relied on leverage instead of strength and were able to defeat much larger opponents.

     The Gracie's began to concentrate more and more on submission ground fighting, especially utilizing the guard position. This allowed a weaker man to defend against a stronger one, bide his time, and eventually emerge victorious. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu continues to evolve with new fighting techniques being added as the art is tested in sport competition and full contact mixed martial arts.

     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 (cutting off the blood supply to the brain) or arm locks (hyperextending the elbow, or twisting the shoulder).

     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. 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.

     Powers Karate is an official affiliate school of Professor Pedro Sauer. Professor Sauer is a 7th Degree Black Belt (Masters Rank) in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the legendary Rickson Gracie. We have adopted Professor Sauer's official BJJ curriculum at our academy.

- Personal History -

     Professor Pedro Sauer was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where from an early age, he began training in the martial arts. At age five, he began boxing and later took up judo and taekwondo. At age fifteen, however, his friend, Rickson Gracie, invited him to train jiu-jitsu with his younger brother, Royler, who at the time was only nine years old. The outcome of this experience convinced him that jiu-jitsu was the most effective of all the martial arts, and he began training the very next day.

      Pedro worked towards a double major (Economics and Business Administration) in college, and took post graduation course at Fundacao Getulio Vargas. He worked in Brazil as a stockbroker for eleven years before deciding to move to the United States and pursue a career teaching jiu-jitsu. In 1990, he moved to California with the original wave of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors. He lived in California with Rickson Gracie and trained daily with the Gracie brothers (Rickson, Rorion, and Royce), their father, Helio Gracie, their cousin, Renzo Gracie, and the Machado Brothers, as well as many others. In December of that same year, he moved to Utah where he has lived for the past eight years, pioneering brazilian jiu-jitsu in the American southwest.

- Certifications -

1985 - Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Helio and Rickson Gracie
1986 - Tecnico de Jiu-Jitsu. This is a special certificate given in recognition of superior technical mastery of the art of jiu-jitsu, given to only a handful of students by Helio Gracie.
1990 - Certified Black Belt Instructor by Robson Gracie and the Federacao de Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Judo
1993 - 3rd Degree Black Belt from Rorion Gracie
1996 - Level 6 Instructor Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy (Rorion and Royce Gracie)
2000 - 5th Degree Black Belt under the Federacao de Jiu-Jitsu
2003 - 6th Degree Black Belt

- Teaching Experience -

     Pedro Earned his Black Belt from Helio and Rickson in 1985. Long recognized for the superior technical efficiency of his jiu-jitsu, he then began his career as an instructor in 1986 when asked to teach with an organization known in Brazil as Corpo/Quatro (Body of Four) where he taught and continued his training under renowned jiu-jitsu instructors Alvaro Barreto (who is a red belt master under Helio Gracie).

      After moving to Utah in December of 1990, he taught as one of only two non-Gracie black belts under the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy (run by Rorion and Royce Gracie). In October of 1996, he became an official representative Black Belt Instructor under the Rickson Gracie American Jiu-Jitsu Association.

     Pedro ran his main jiu-jitsu academy in Salt Lake City for many years. He also has several affiliated schools across the country, and he visits them on a regular basis to give intensive instruction to the students and instructors. Pedro recently relocated to Virginia where he will be involved training US Military and Special Forces, as well as teaching at several BJJ academies in the area.


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