Well, I firstly I think that Gracie was talking about his family's
particular style of Ju jitsu. Secondly, he is partially right. Historically, Ju jitsu was mostly throws, jointlocks and grappling. Ground work was not really emphasized though. Ju jitsu was developed by the Samurai to fight against warriors with armor on. If a guy is wearing armor, punching or kicking him isn't gonna have a good effect, so the Samurai would focus on attacks that could be used against someone attired in bamboo and leather. Throws, jointlocks and grappling became the primary focus of Ju jitsu, because they were effective regardless of what the enemy was wearing. Later on, strikes were added to ju-jitsu, making it a more complete system. But, the emphasis on grappling and ground work was lost, that is why the gracies say that the Japanese forgot their own style, in a way they did. So Gracie was not completely correct but not wrong.
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" If you are in the right then you can afford to keep your temper, If you are in the wrong then you cannot afford to lose it."
Mahatma Gandhi
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