It began on the hardened streets of Brazil in the early 1900s.
A century later, and it is the fastest-growing martial art in the world.
Brazilian jiujitsu combines the techniques of the Japanese martial arts and judo.
But to the masters, it is much more than that.
Brazilian jiujitsu master Paulo Mauricio Strauch says it is a way of life.
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"It's a lifestyle. It's exactly that. It's not just sport."
Master Strauch learned the art from a descendent of the founding father of Brazilian jiujitsu, Carlos Gracie.
Now, he passes on the craft to the next generation.
His students range from ages 4 to 80, but a 12-year-old named Elias is one of his most successful.
Coming from the Pavao favela, or shanty town, he has won over 20 competition titles.
But he says he does not do it for the accolades.
"I like not just the medal, I like to make my mother and father proud."
He says he hopes to compete one day in the World Championship held in the United States, where the sport's popularity has skyrocketed in the past decade.
There was a push to include Brazilian jiujitsu in the Rio Olympics, but the idea was rejected because Brazil would have dominated.
For Master Strauch, it was a relief.
"It encompasses a lot more. It's psychological, physical and philosophical. It's a chapter of jiujitsu."
Brazilian jiujitsu promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker fighter can take down a larger opponent by using the correct technique.
That involves employing joint locks, strangleholds and grappling techniques to overcome the enemy.
It means practice is "no-holds-barred," or all-out.
An eight-year-old girl named Jasmine is the daughter of a championship fighter, and she says she hopes to be as good as her father one day.
"My father also does jiujitsu, and I like jiujitsu a lot."
But for Master Strauch, the end goal is not championships or medals.
He says the end goal is a sound mind.
"It's not about control. Control is like a spring, it can spring at any moment. It's equilibrium."
