The Cavalcanti BJJ team at the belt ceremony. Photo: Personal archive

Santa was in town for the belt ceremony last Saturday, Dec. 13 at Carlson Gracie Team Las Vegas – Cavalcanti BJJ in Las Vegas, NV.

Head instructor Ricardo Cavalcanti dressed up as Santa Claus to give gifts to the kids at the academy and while dressed again as himself, he promoted students to new belts and gave out stripes.

There were 200 students and 300 guests. In attendance was the newest addition to the Cavalcanti BJJ association, Cavalcanti BJJ Kingman, Arizona and they were able to add 50 people including instructors DJ O’Brien and Robert Deets.

The award from Rose Gracie and Javier Vazquez. Photo: Personal archive

Another event at the ceremony was the acceptance of an award to Ricardo Cavalcanti from Rose Gracie and Javier Vazquez. He was given an honorary award for his dedication to the legacy of the one of the most important Jiu-Jitsu legends that ever lived, Master Carlson Gracie.

As part of the promotions, one of the first students at the new school, Dorian Dominguez was promoted to blue belt after 18 months of training. Cavalcanti’s daughter Anna and wife Frances each were promoted as well, earning a grey/black belt and one stripe respectively.

The event, along with the Santa gifts, promotions and potluck lunch ended a successful year for the Cavalcanti BJJ team.

Learn more about Carlson Gracie Las Vegas – Cavalcanti BJJ at www.rcjiujitsu.com

Santa Cavalcanti. Photo: Personal archive

GB Manchester celebrates 1 year anniversary

Last week, Gracie Barra Manchester which is owned by the Brazilian black belt Lucio Sergio Dos Santos celebrated its 1 year anniversary with a Jiu-Jitsu seminar and belt ceremony for 50 students including adults and children.

Professor Lucio started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2000 in the city of Rio de Janeiro where he is from originally, under Joelson Sousa from Gracie Barra. Before moving to the UK, Dos Santos was an instructor at Gracie Barra Matriz, the first official Gracie Barra School in Brazil created by Master Carlos Gracie Jr. and today lead by head instructor Jefferson Moura. Currently, Lucio Dos Santos lives in the city of Preston, UK where he teaches at Gracie Barra Preston. A year ago he decided to open Gracie Barra Manchester where he is the head instructor and also teaches three times a week.

GB Manchester leader believes that BJJ is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and is the most effective martial art in the world. Unlike other martial arts, in BJJ it can take up to ten years to earn a black belt and so this is considered to be an incredible achievement.  “I teach both children and adults helping them build up their confidence and encourage them to a healthy lifestyle through sport.” Said Dos Santos

GB Manchester kids celebrates their belt promotions

For more info go to www.graciebarramanchester.co.uk

Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team group picture. Photo: personal archive

The GMA Icon Jiu-Jitsu Team from Genève, Switzerland hosted a belt ceremony last week where 95 students, including adults and children, got promoted to a new belt rank by the black belt professor Anderson Pereira. In the Spotlight, there were 3 new black belts: Ilke Bulut, who is a brown belt adult Europeans champion; his brother Okan Bulut, and another student named Jean Marie. All the affiliated schools were present in this event.

Icon JJ team
Anderson Pereira
81 Av. Lois Casai
Shinbudo Geneve – 1216
www.iconjjbgeneve.ch

The academy at the belt ceremony. Photo: Personal archive

On April 5, Christian “Xaropinho” Uflacker of GMA Uflacker Academy in Chicago, Illinois promoted many of his students. The spring ceremony brought together the academy members where thirty-three students were promoted.

Most grand of them all were the six students who received their well-earned black belts.

To learn more about Christian Uflacker and his Uflacker Academy please visit www.bjjsouthside.com

The new black belts of Uflacker Academy. Photo: Personal archive

Group picture at GB Mission Viejo with Prof. Kayron Gracie

Kayron Gracie is son of Master Carlos Gracie Jr., the founder and leader of Gracie Barra. Last Saturday, the 25 year old Black Belt hosted the Gracie Barra Mission Viejo’s 1st Belt Promotion Ceremony in Orange County, CA, since he became the school’s head instructor in 2011.

Kayron has been away from the competitions since the 2013 Pan Ams because of a back injury on his Cervical Disc. The back injury has been bothering the 2012 Pam Ams Champion for a while now and getting in the way of his training. Kayron has been spending most of his time teaching at his school in Mission Viejo and treating his “war bruises”. The Gracie said he expects to recover completely until the end this month so he can compete at the IBJJF Pan Ams in March.

Besides the graduation ceremony on Feb 1st, where Prof. Kayron promoted 6 blue belts, 6 purple belts and one brown belt, the BJJ champion also taught a free Jiu-Jitsu seminar to celebrate his student’s promotions. Adults and kids attended to the event and got together on the mat to learn and have a good time. On his social media, Kayron posted a picture of his team and said “ Great weekend for our school, amazing belt promotion! I’m very proud to be able to teach this amazing group of people.”

Prof. Kayron promoting his student. Photo: Carol Gracie

GRACIEMAG asked the professor how he feels watching his student’s progress and he said: “ I know this is the 1st of many belt ceremonies here at Mission Viejo and to watch my students evolving and getting closer to their black belts is very satisfying. I’m proud to see them working hard and for being able to lead them in this wonderful journey that is Jiu-Jitsu.”

Kayron Gracie and coach Steven Berry with the kids

Master Cavalcanti with Cavalcanti Jiu-Jitsu Luxembourg. Photo: Personal Archive

GMA Cavalcanti Jiu-Jisu Luxembourg hosted Master Ricardo Cavalcanti during their annual training camp in November. The yearly tradition is scheduled around the same time as the NAGA Europe Championship in Paris.

Head instructor Mike “Miketo” Resch, as leader of Team Cavalcanti in Europe, arranged four seminars for Cavalcanti: two in Paris, one in Luxembourg, one in Germany. The two in Paris, Cercle Tissier and Team Shinko BJJ, are two of the oldest and most renowned martial arts academy in the area. Resch says, “I wanted to offer Master Ricardo Cavalcanti the possibility to spread his knowledge as much as possible.”

As for the competition, the Luxembourg team brought seven competitors and two of them returned with medals around their necks. The results are as follows:

Jing Zhu earned a bronze medal in the white belt gi heavyweight division and a bronze medal in the no-gi beginner heavyweight division.
Raphael Geib in his first Jiu-Jitsu tournament earned a silver medal in the white belt heavyweight master division.

To complete Master Cavalcanti’s visit, he led a belt ceremony with belt testing and rank evaluations. Students were promoted as follows:

Purple belt: Mike Resch
Blue belt: Jing Zhu, Joe Possenti
Stripe promotions: David Strotz blue belt three stripes, Ken Possenti white belt four stripes, Alex Carvalho Balsa and Björn Backes white belt three stripes, Stefan Klein, Alex Nielk and Henrik Steffen white belt one stripe
Kids and youth promotions: Max Strotz grey and white belt, Jim Konsbruck white belt one stripe

Resch plans for another great edition of the “Cavalcanti Jiu Jitsu Luxembourg Training Camp & Seminar Series” in 2014 as 2013 was their most successful yet.

Learn more about Cavalcanti Jiu-Jitsu Luxembourg by visiting https://www.facebook.com/RCJiuJitsuLuxembourg

For Gianni Grippo, his night changed in an instant. Literally. As all the colored belts made their way up to the front for new belts and stripes, the last of the brown belts were called. Then, Marcelo spoke about a student who hadn’t been at the academy for very long but who has made an impression. He excused himself to his office in the back so he could grab something. When he walked to the front, in his hands was a folded brown belt with four perfectly placed stripes.

Gianni’s name was called and he approached the front to receive the belt. A brown belt for over two years and a multiple-time world champion including at brown belt last year, Gianni didn’t look all that thrilled. Marcelo told him to face the room of his 200 MG peers and as his belt was placed around his waist, the crowd cheered. The belt was a black belt.

It took a second for Gianni to realize why everyone was suddenly so excited but he soon realized and burst into tears. Gianni is Marcelo’s fourth black belt.

Take a look at the magic tricks of Marcelo Garcia in the photos below by John ‘Ric’ Ricard:

The students of Brazilian Top Team Boston toss their colored belts aside for a bit. Photo: Bruno Amaral

GMA Brazilian Top Team Boston will hold a belt ceremony on Dec. 4 – 5. First degree black belt Professor Bruno Amaral has imposed an innovative approach to training during the weeks leading up the ceremony by having every student wear a white belt on the mats– even black belts. Bruno wants to have the students train with an ego-free mentality while rolling.

“You have to leave the ego outside the mat,” he says.

His concept has been well-received so far and the students are having more fun without the ” pressure” that people sometimes attach to their belts.

Less pressure to perform means more fun. Photo: Bruno Amaral

The group picture at the Draculino seminar. Photo: Rio Pro BJJ

This past Saturday, August 3, Rio Pro BJJ academy in Beachwood, Ohio hosted Gracie Barra leader Vinicius Draculino Magalhaes. The professor of champions like black belt world champions Romulo Barral and Samuel Braga taught a seminar during his visit.

Professor Jose Dias said the seminar was “amazing.” After Draculino shared his knowledge he led a belt ceremony where seven students were promoted to blue belt and one student received their purple belt.

Congrats to the Rio Pro BJJ students. To see more information regarding this Ohio academy visit www.rioprobjj.com

The promoted students. Photo: Rio Pro BJJ

The team at Marcelo Garcia Academy. Photo: John ‘Ric’ Ricard

The belt ceremony on July 26 for the GMA Marcelo Garcia Academy brought hundreds of people together to the third floor of their 26th street building in New York City. After two floods in previous academies, the location meant a lot for the team and proved as a bonding experience to be able to maintain a team through multiple, sometimes temporary locations.

Last night twenty-nine students were promoted to new ranks from blue to brown with a number of students receiving stripes to mark their progress to their next belt. Some competitors, some recreational and others in between.

White belts promoted to blue belts. Photo: John ‘Ric’ Ricard

Nine students were promoted from white belt to blue belt.

Blue to purple promotions. Photo: John ‘Ric’ Ricard

Sixteen students were promoted from blue belt to purple belt.

Purple to brown promotions. Photo: John ‘Ric’ Ricard

Four students were promoted from purple belt to brown belt including two top competitors, Mansher Singh Khera and Jonathan Satava pictured in the middle who traveled to and did well in the Abu Dhabi WPJJC and the World Championship in California.

Congratulations to those who are now on to bigger and better things.

For more information about the GMA Marcelo Garcia Academy visit www.MarceloGarciaJJ.com

Barros and some of his pupils

It was taken at Ricardo Barros BJJ, our GMA member academy, in Brentwood, California.

Barros promoted a belt ceremony with BBQ last Saturday, March 27th.

Browsing throught Facebok, it caught my attention.

Congratulation to all students, new belt or not.

For more info, go to rbbjj.com