WELCOME
Welcome to Zenyo Online! We’re excited to have you as part of our team.
Zenyo is focused on learning Jiu Jitsu, but it is much more than that. We build the skills to become unstoppable in anything we pursue.
Our revolutionary approach centers on your unique path to strength and confidence. You’ll learn to see and act in the world differently. You’ll fight for real; find your way; play more; create a difference; and become unbreakable.
“A black belt is a white belt who never quit.”
A Higher Purpose
Generations of martial artists have crafted the guidelines we use at Zenyo. Through them, we aim for a higher purpose in training. We strive to be strong, gentle and helpful.
Gentle
Ju-No-Ri means “gentleness” or “flowing with things.” The main idea of Ju-No-Ri is that you should not fight against your opponent’s strength but use that to your advantage. Gentleness also teaches us how to apply techniques safely.
Strong
Seiryoku Zenyo means “maximum efficiency, minimal effort,” or “best use of physical and mental energy.” When you apply the goal of being gentle with the goal of being strong, you will learn to use the right amount of force – not too much, not too little.
Helpful
Jita Kyoei means “mutual welfare and benefit.” This means that everyone should benefit from training and learn something in the process. The way to accomplish this is to work to help not just yourself but also your teammates.
“Be gentle, kind and beautiful, yet firm and strong, both physically and mentally.”
Keiko Fukuda, 10th dan Judo
History Of Jiu Jitsu
Jiu Jitsu means “the gentle art.” It started in Japan around 1460. The first Jiu Jitsu school opened in 1532. One of the most important historical practicioners of Jiu Jitsu is Jigoro Kano.
Kano Starts Judo
Jigoro Kano took what he learned in Jiu Jitsu and developed his own style of martial art, called Judo. Judo means the gentle way. Kano founded Judo in Tokyo, Japan, in 1882. Kano called his school the Kodokan – “a place to study the way.” Kano spread Jiu Jitsu and Judo from Japan to the world.
Judo Leaves Japan
Kano’s student Mitsuyo Maeda helped bring Judo to the West in the early 1900’s by competing in exhibition matches and prize fights. Maeda visited the United States in 1905. Maeda traveled to Brazil in 1914, where he set up an academy to teach martial arts.
Jiu Jitsu In Brazil
Carlos Gracie learned from Maeda, or one of his students. (The historical record is not clear.) Gracie and his brothers – especially Helio – started their own style of jiu jitsu. They opened the Gracie Academy in 1925 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Jiu Jitsu In America
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu came to attention in America when Helio Gracie’s son, Rorion, helped start the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993 in Denver, Colorado. Rorion’s brother, Royce, was the first UFC champion.
Jiu Jitsu In Baltimore
Zenyo Jiu Jitsu opened in Baltimore in 2015.
Our lineage can be listed as: Jigoro Kano > Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos/Helio Gracie > Carlson Gracie > Andre Pederneiras > Marcelo Pereira/Scott Oates > John David Emmett > You