In the south of Brazil, you have an academy and a social project focused on Jiu-Jitsu, both highly praised, works of excellence. What can we expect now with your move to the United States?

MARCOS CUNHA: My move to the U.S. seeks to expand my team, to build a base to support my athletes, who aspire to compete in major events and this was a difficulty for all of us. Today we have been able to build this base and we have two more branches here in the USA. This way I can generate opportunities for my athletes and my teachers. For next year I aim to open more branches and strengthen my competitive process here.

Regarding your career as a competitor, what were your main achievements and what did you learn from them?

I’ve competed a lot in these 32 years of Jiu-Jitsu, competition is in my blood, I’ve learned over the years that the biggest competition is internal and that this is our biggest opponent. I’ve won Brazilian Nationals, several Opens, I was on the podium at the European Championships and I still have the dream of winning the World Master. Today my main focus is not to compete, but to train my students and help them achieve great results. As we always train together, at one time or another I sign up for a big event to kill the nostalgia (laughs).

What’s the secret to turning an average athlete into a great champion?

I’ve trained many athletes and today I’m with a new crop that are the athletes Bruno Sena, Patrick Possamai, Duda Tozoni, Mila Reis, Carol Fernandes, Jonatas Mogli, among others… The secret to building these good results is to try to understand what the athlete really wants, to have a vision of whether or not he has the conditions and explore what he has best, to create a relationship so that an athlete has confidence in the other athletes in the team. And so be able to extract from them things that even they don’t believe they can do. And lastly is to be passionate about what you do, and I’m passionate about the competitive process and my work.

You’re always training with a great performance against the kids on your team. What are the tricks for the athletes of the Master division to do well against the adult athletes?

Understand that old age is in our head and train without laziness, full of will and willingness. It motivates me and keeps the kids motivated as well.

What’s the motivational phrase you like to repeat to yourself when you’re going through a difficult career situation?

No obstacle came to stop me, but to make me stronger for the new challenges. Nothing is by chance, don’t ever give up!

What is the philosophy behind your school?

Quality in teaching, because we really care about knowing if the student is learning, so that he gets the positive life change and learns all the benefits that sport can give him, on and off the mat.

Henrique Saraiva teaches Jiu-Jitsu in Dublin. Photo: Divulgation

“Sit down. Be humble”. With this mantra on the wall, Professor Henrique Saraiva resumed Jiu-Jitsu classes at his schools in Ireland in September, after more than a year of closed gyms in the country.

Son of the great master Orlando Saraiva, the professor celebrated the new phase in Dublin and shared the teachings with our team.

“I think the greatest learning I could gather during this difficult period for everyone comes from an analogy I made with Jiu-Jitsu”, reflects Henrique. “Which is: in life, we ​​don’t have control of many things. In times of difficulty, it is necessary to be wise enough to wait for the right time to react, the important thing is not to waste energy unnecessarily. Nobody throws themselves into a sea to face a storm, nor is there any point in embarking without wind”.

Saraiva took advantage of the forced stoppage to promote changes: “On my way back, I started again in September in a new dojo, in a region that still didn’t have any Jiu-Jitsu academies. I hope to grow a lot around here. The academy in D15 continues as well, so we grew in the end.”

Henrique Saraiva also took the opportunity to keep up with the conversation, and the teachings, up to date in Brazil. “I flew to Brazil at the beginning of the pandemic and so I was able to enjoy my family. Since I moved to Ireland, I couldn’t spend as many months with them. Even when I lived in Brazil, I had never been this close to my parents. It was a great opportunity, I was able to talk a lot with my father and absorb as much of his experiences and his great stories on the mat, with masters Carlson and Paquetá.”

According to Saraiva, the Irish team returned more excited than ever, and they have already started to plan their return to the championships as well. “I think Jiu-Jitsu in Ireland will be even stronger, the spirit of the young ones was renewed. I see it in the children of our team, who are even more excited, wanting to spend all that piled-up energy. I hope to see my students fighting at events across Europe soon. We’re getting there, at last.”

I was in Copenhagen, Denmark, on my way back to New York.

Our school in Manhattan has over 1,500 active students, plus thousands who are in and out through the years, which makes a situation like the one above not unusual at our home town.  

But now I finally was able to extend the benefits of our knowledge to people not close geographically, and I am grateful for this.

So I thank you for enrolling. I thank you for spreading the word about the course, and I thank you for the amount of support we’re receiving.

But, above all, I thank you for the criticisms and suggestions you sent, as we are using them to improve and replace some of the 225 videos available on “Renzo Gracie, Mastering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.” And also using them to make it even better for the next courses coming up.

So, again, thank you.

Renzo Gracie

PS. If you haven’t enrolled just yet, remember that I demanded Gallerr slash the price by 50%. But it is only until midnight. So enroll now in Renzo Gracie, Mastering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and join our family.

PS 2. Here’s a link for a free e-book with the content of our course.

PS 3. If you enroll today, you will be in the running for the rash guard I wore during the last ADCC. Plus a few different perks. We will announce the winners this upcoming Monday.

imagem: Flograppling

Helsinque, 25 de setembro de 2017

Obrigado Finlândia. É hora de voltar para Nova York.

Estou lisonjeado com todo o apoio que recebi antes e depois da minha luta aqui.

Kikuta é um casca-grossa, e muita gente esquece que ele também já foi campeão do ADCC.

Por isso eu sabia que não seria mole. Mas se fosse fácil, pra que lutar?

A melhor parte da luta foi quando eu já estava vencendo e ele tentou me atacar com uma guilhotina com o braço por dentro.

Aquilo foi um elogio.

Em 1998, quando eu peguei ele neste golpe, pouca gente acreditava que fosse possível finalizar alguém com este golpe, e agora tentam usar meu veneno contra mim. Qual o preço disso?

Como você já deve saber, eu venci a luta, mas isso é o de menos. O que importa é depois de mais esta batalha eu sou um lutador melhor, e portanto um professor melhor.

Por isso te encorajo a sair da zona de conforto. O resultado é sempre positivo pra quem é corajoso o bastante para assumir riscos.

E jamais subestime o conselho de levar o Jiu-Jitsu consigo o tempo todo.

A arte vai te ajudar a alcançar todo o seu potencial.

Antes de eu pegar meu voo, deixe-me parabenizar os meus companheiros que participaram do ADCC 2017. É impressionante o nível técnico das lutas. Aprendi muito assistindo vocês este fim de semana. Obrigado.

Vejo vocês em 2019. Definitivamente.

Renzo Gracie

PS1.A oferta de assistir ao meu curso “Renzo Gracie, Dominando o Jiu-Jitsu” por apenas 60 reais era pra ter acabado ontem. Mas exigi que a Gallerr estendesse este desconto por mais alguns dias, então se inscreva agora antes que eles parem de me escutar. 

PS2. Além da camisa que usei no ADCC, vou incluir outros items no sorteio que faremos esta semana. Fique ligado, porque serão umas coisas legais. Se você for um dos nossos alunos online, tem chance de vencer. Então entre logo para nossa família e se inscreva na Gallerr Academy.

Helsinki, September 24, 2017

It’s Sunday morning here in the great Finland, and soon I will be heading to the Espoo Metro Areena, where I have a date with my longtime buddy Sanae Kikuta.

On Friday night, I was chatting with a group of friends on a WhatsApp group, and they asked me what I was doing.

I joked: “I am alone here; everybody is inside their room, afraid of tomorrow.”

I remember I was very young and was invited to speak at a college with specialists in their fields.

They put us on a stage; the curtain was closed, and they were going to open the curtain in a minute.

I was extremely nervous.

On that particular moment, I remember thinking:

“Why am I nervous?”

Then I start talking to myself:

“Nobody in the world can have the knowledge or master the subject I am going to talk about better than I do. I am the best in the world on this. Why am I nervous?”

So when they opened the curtain, I was completely relaxed.

And afterward, many people came to me to say I was the best speaker of the night.

All of this confidence comes from training hard and then understanding that the competition is nothing more than a test.

It’s like when you study math and next thing you see you’re doing a test to check how sharp your knowledge is.

So why be nervous?

In truth, I hope that in a few hours from now I face a Kikuta in his best technical shape ever, so this test is worth all the sweating and thinking we put in on those blue and gray mats.

See you at the arena.

Renzo Gracie

P.S.1: You can find the “fight day” and the “competition mindset” videos in module 17 of “Renzo Gracie: Mastering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,” the online course at Gallerr Academy that has a special $30 price until midnight today.  [UPDATE] Offer extended until midnight of this Friday, September 29.

P.S. 2: If you enroll now, you will not only be able to watch 225 videos containing my knowledge, but also participate in a raffle for the rash guard I’m wearing today, signed by me.

One single rule: Drill it until you know it.

GMA professor Fabio Leopoldo has reopened his Gracie Morumbi academy in Camarillo, Calif.

The location rejoins his other affiliations along the West Coast in Thousand Oaks and Ventura.

“I’m so glad to have Camarillo as a part of the Gracie Morumbi family again,” Leopoldo said.

Classes include martial arts and BJJ for kids to adults and much more. Training is now in session and you can view the schedule by clicking here.

For more information regarding the academy please visit the website: www.graciejiujitsufabioleopoldonews.com

The Marcelo Garcia Academy in New York gearing up for new location opening Jan 2, 2013

Due to an unfortunate building leak at the original GMA Marcelo Garcia Academy in New York, New York, the decorated middleweight champion and all his students were forced to temporarily relocate. The mandatory move was made in August of 2012. The location they chose to use was also unfortunately in the path of Hurricane Sandy and that too was flooded, causing another mandatory relocation.

Today marks the newest opening for Marcelo and the New York City students as they open a new location on 250 W 26th St on the third floor.

Classes are resuming as per the original schedule, allowing the practitioners to feel home once again.

Jiu-Jitsu is about adapting and staying positive so once again, Marcelo and his team shows us how it’s done. Congratulations on the new location!

See the schedule/new location here: http://www.marcelogarciajj.com/nyc/ 

Anderson Silva and Neymar at UFC Rio 1 / Photo courtesy of Amanda Kestelman/Globoesporte.com

One of the Jiu-Jitsu commandments is, “Thou shalt stomp on your ego every day upon awaking. Your ego is the enemy of your progress. Thou shalt not fear defeat or tough sparring partners at the academy.”

Today, an advertising campaign from Nike showed that Anderson Silva and Neymar too follow these precepts. After all, everyone has thousands of reasons to give up on training, and just one to persist: a strong mind.

Find inspiration in them, and hit the mats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiDhb9Sf7zM

Rafael Mendes training with André Galvão in preparing for Metamoris Pro in San Diego/ Personal archive photo/GRACIEMAG

By Vitor Freitas

GRACIEMAG: André Galvão is a great friend to you and all, but what’s your breakdown of the 20-minute, no-points match he’s going to do with Ryron?

RAFA & GUI MENDES: André’s been coming up to our academy in Costa Mesa, California, every day. We’re positive he’ll be in his best physical and technical shape. And he’s got plenty of heart, the only factor that you can’t train to have. He doesn’t back down or give up, even when he’s tired. We respect his opponent but bet the house on André.

Who takes the main event, Roger Gracie or Marcus Bochecha?

That’s an interesting matchup. Bochecha’s really explosive and talented. He just made it to the top in Jiu-Jitsu and is totally motivated. Roger’s got a tight game, doesn’t let positions slip away. We feel the rules are really propitious to Roger’s style but Bochecha will surely have been training a lot. It’ll be a great show. We’re dying to watch this fight too!

Why aren’t you guys participating at Metamoris Pro?

We were invited but the offer wasn’t enticing enough to get us to cancel our seminars. We’d have to turn our focus to competition, and everything we’ve ever done in our careers we’ve planned. After the Worlds we decided we weren’t going to compete in the latter part of the year, since our focus wasn’t on that. As trained as we may be, our focus right now isn’t on competition, so we opted to sit this one out. When we enter a competition it’s to win, and we gear our minds and bodies towards that. We don’t want to mix things. If you want too much, you don’t achieve anything. It’s all about taking one step at a time, but each step has to be taken with maximum precision.

What’s it like managing your first academy?

It’s awesome. It’s an incredible experience that teaches us something with every day. It’s the academy of our dreams. It’s beautiful and we’re putting our all into doing the best work we can, like we’ve always done. It’s incredible to see the students evolving and fighting using the same posture and techniques we do. We love our work, and when you love what you do like this, everything happens smoothly and as best it can.

After opening your academy, what changed in your routine?

We were used to teaching and training. We’ve been doing that since we were purple belts, always helping our teacher [Ramon Lemos] in the academy and training for championships at the same time… What changed now is that we have our own students, so we have to work on getting them to evolve too. It’s excellent for them and great for us too, since we gain training partners that just keep getting tougher every day. We’ve always spent the whole day on the mat training and teaching Jiu-Jitsu, ever since we were little. This is our life and what we love doing, so our routine didn’t change all that much.

After both of you won at the Worlds, what changed in your lives?

We take turns teaching class, since we have several groups each day – while one is teaching, the other is always working on the teaching method we’re creating for our academy. On the weekends, we travel to teach seminars or just enjoy California with the family. We’re hosting athletes from all over the world who come to train with us, and soon we’ll have a really strong competition team. Our white belt class is growing with every day, and that makes us happy, since it’s really cool to get to teach a student ever since their first Jiu-Jitsu class and see them evolve. Some want to learn self-defense. Others want to lose weight. But all of them end up loving the sport and improving their quality of life. Teaching kids has made our days more fulfilling, since we too started at 11 and 12 years of age, and Jiu-Jitsu changed our lives. We’re dedicating ourselves to making our school the biggest Jiu-Jitsu school for kids in the USA. That’s our goal.

Are you guys thinking of doing MMA anytime soon?

MMA isn’t in our plans at the moment. We want to continue our work in our academy, with our students. We take this opportunity to invite everyone to come learn from us. Even if you’re far from Costa Mesa, you can still learn from the Mendes bros by visiting our web page.

This Wednesday former UFC champion Lyoto Machida will be inaugurating his new training center in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. An ambitious project, the light heavyweight star’s academy is the largest in Brazil’s North and Northeast.

With 1,500 m2 of floor space spread over three stories, an octagon, complete training area and climate controlled weight-lifting room, the gym will feature Jiu-Jitsu, karate, MMA and classes in a number of other disciplines, as well as yoga, spinning, jump, step boxing, aerobics and physical conditioning.

“Our aim is to make sure our students are always satisfied, by offering as many styles of sports and fitness options as possible while adhering to the decades-old philosophy of Machida Academy: provide balance and physical conditioning with a focus on martial arts traditions for health, well-being and character building,” stated the manager of the new branch of Machida Academy, Ricardo Reis.

The Machida family will celebrate the launch of their new academy with a cocktail party for guests, Brazilian celebrities and MMA fighters, such as Junior Cigano.

Inauguration:
August 29, 8pm
Av. Pedro Miranda, 956, between Vileta and Timbó, Pedreira, Belém
Gym hours:
Monday to Friday: 5:30 am to 11 pm
Saturday: 9 am to 7 pm

JT vs Leandro Lo at inaugural Copa Pódio, last December / Photo: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG

Which coat of arms is Jiu-Jitsu’s most popular? That’s the question the promoters of Copa Pódio are asking in a Facebook poll that you can take part in by  click here.

The purpose of the poll, besides helping to find out which are web surfers’ favorite academies, is to figure out what to do with the final berth in the Heavyweight GP coming up December in Rio de Janeiro, where the likes of Marcus Bochecha, Rodolfo Vieira, João Gabriel Rocha and others will be taking to the mats.

According to the promoters, the poll-winning team will get a chance to select the challenger who faces Leandro Lo, who is confirmed for the event-opening super match.

“During the first week of the Facebook poll we were obliged to come up with a new criterion and nix from the list academies that didn’t reach a minimum 10 votes, since the page options didn’t allow us to list of over a hundred academies. But we’re working on it. The thing is to get on there and vote for the team you love most,” explained Jeferson Maycá, Copa Pódio head director.

Copa Pódio is held in Brazil but usually includes athletes from the USA and other countries, and the organizers recently wrapped up the card for their next event, the Middleweight Grand Prix, set for July 21 in Rio de Janeiro. (Check out the card here.)

So far, Gracie Barra, Nova União and GFTeam lead the poll. To vote on your favorite team click here, “like” the Copa Pódio page and click your academy of choice. Only votes by page “likees” will be counted.

What about you, gentle GRACIEMAG reader, which is your best beloved Jiu-Jitsu team? Which is the people’s team?

Let us know in the comments section below, because we’re certain folks keep an eye on GRACIEMAG.com when the subject is Jiu-Jitsu, too.