Kids training at AOJ. Photo: Nick the Tooth

The kids from GMA Art of Jiu-Jitsu in Costa Mesa, CA are heading to the Long Beach Walter Pyramid this weekend with an army of 95 to compete in the 2015 IBJJF Pan Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Led by Rafael and Guilherme Mendes, they are the largest team on the athlete list by far.

Set in their white haven, the kids train in classes that run nearly all times of the day. All different ages and belt levels train to prepare themselves for the competition ahead.

Check out Nick the Tooth and new book at www.nickgullo.com

The Mendes brothers are excited for their kids to take on the challenges at the Pan: “The kids are training really hard and we believe that we will have a good performance. It’s been three years since we opened AOJ and some of these kids have been training with us since the beginning. They are like little Mendes brothers! Can’t wait to watch them perform on Sunday!”

Check out a quick photo album by Nick the Tooth that captures their dedicated students:

Learn more at www.artofjiujitsu.com

Os Mendes sempre recebem personagens ilustres na academia para treinar.

Estudioso, o faixa-preta da Alliance Gianni Grippo visitou Gui para um treininho instrutivo de Jiu-Jitsu.

Confira:

AOJ professors: Bruno Frazatto, Guilherme Mendes, Rafael Mendes. Photo: Nick the Tooth

As if the staff at GMA Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Costa Mesa, CA wasn’t grand enough, they have added another top competitor to be a professor: Bruno Frazatto.

The Mendes brothers, Gui and Rafa, have trained with Bruno for years who is one of the top featherweight black belts in the world having won the Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Brazilian Nationals, Europeans and placed second at the Worlds. His absence in the Jiu-Jitsu competition scene can be solved by diving into his MMA record of 6-1. Even though his goals are still focused towards MMA, he is looking forward to helping the students of AOJ and their professors back in his roots of Jiu-Jitsu.

We spoke with the Mendes brothers about their decision to invite him to teach and what can be expected of his role there:

GRACIEMAG: What made you decide to invite Bruno Frazatto to teach?

MENDES BROS: We have been talking about this with him for a long time because he has the profile that fits what we expect for an AOJ professor/coach. The classes are growing fast and we decided to expand our hours and add more classes. Starting on Nov. 3 we will have 14 classes a day and 10 more on the weekends.

What are his responsibilities?

He is going to be teaching gi classes at 6 a.m. and no-gi classes in the afternoon.

How far back does your relationship with him go?

When we started training together he was a black belt and we were purple belts. He was always a great training partner and always taught us a lot. He was an important part of our beginning, and the friendship that we built is something that will stay forever. He is like a brother to us and an amazing person to be around. This is the main reason we wanted him with us at AOJ.

Will he still train MMA?

Yes, he really wants to be in the UFC and he is working every day for it. I believe that we will be able to help him a lot with his training and of course he will be helping us a lot for all the competitions in Jiu-Jitsu.

What do you think he has to offer to the students of AOJ?

He is a champion in the sport, and has competition experience at the highest level. He has a lot of experience in Jiu-Jitsu as a black belt. Besides his amazing skill level he is a really friendly person and loves to teach.

We are really happy with our group of coaches/staff as they work hard for their dreams and are amazing people, and in our opinion this is the best kind of people to around yourself with.

Stay up-to-date with the Mendes brothers, Bruno Frazatto and the Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy at www.artofjiujitsu.com

AOJ team. Photo: Nick the Tooth

Guilherme Mendes grew up on the mat with his younger brother Rafael Mendes. The duo came from humble beginnings and now have four black belt world titles each and a booming academy near the coast in beautiful Southern California full of students following their own paths to success.

Gui as a white belt (left) and Rafa (right). Photo: Instagram @mendesbros

Now that Gui’s journey has come full circle, he can talk about the experience as a kid growing up on the mats as well as nurturing those who are growing up on his. If you’re a parent who wants to know more about putting your child into Jiu-Jitsu or you’re a kid who wants to know what to expect, this is an in-depth look at what makes Jiu-Jitsu special. It’s not like your average little league or piano lesson or ballet class. It is all those rolled into one with many opportunities for growth both physically and mentally.

Check out what Gui knows about being young in Jiu-Jitsu, how to approach competition for a child and what to expect along the journey:

GRACIEMAG: A lot of parents put their kids in sports at a young age and push for their success for many reasons, one being that they’ll earn a college scholarship. Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t promote this type of incentive. Do you think parents should professionalize their child’s Jiu-Jitsu career at an early age through competition, promotion and brand marketing? If so, do you believe this is the way to have a successful career in Jiu-Jitsu?

GUILHERME MENDES: I came from a culture where parents are less involved with their kid’s activities. When I started Jiu-Jitsu I was 12 years old and I was living with my mom and brother. She was working all day to bring food to our table, so there was no time for her to worry about our activities and if we were winning or losing in practice. I do remember many times at home where she would tell us to always give our best and believe in our dreams. That’s what I believe is the best thing to do; support but not push.

Motivation comes from inside, motivation comes from loving what you are doing and having a huge desire to do it better and more often. I appreciate when the parents drive a long distance to bring their kids to train at the best school, or when they go to the tournaments and hug their child after the fight even if it is a loss. Support makes you feel loved. Pressure makes you feel desperate.

I think everything in life has its own time. Kids should focus on learning, just like school. It’s all about building their character for the future, gaining confidence and self-control, and learning about brotherhood and respect. This is what is going to make them succeed in the future, even if they choose a different path.

What is a successful career in Jiu-Jitsu? How is it defined?

There is a quote from John Wooden that explains success just like I see it:

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

Rafa Mendes (left) with brother Gui.

For me success is self-satisfaction and it’s something really personal, we can’t compare. You are the only person in the world that is able to know how far in life you can go, and we all have different limitations. Maybe the things that I have achieved so far would be a success to a lot of people. It is huge for me, but it is not my final vision of success yet. I still feel that I can go further, and that’s what is amazing about life; once you achieve your goals, you can set up higher standards for yourself and work to go further.

How many of your students are full-time athletes? How many are not so serious and just like to learn and not compete?

We have a small group that are full time competitors. They are the students that have the desire to become champions in the sport and are doing what it takes to achieve it.

At AOJ we have 12 classes a day and we have the right program for all different goals in the sport. It’s something that we have worked really hard to build, and that’s one of the aspects that makes AOJ so special. Kids, teens, women, competitors, beginners; they all have their space here and they all can have a great time on the mat. Today we have about 700 students at our academy and it is the result of great team work. We have the most amazing team of staff and coaches that makes AOJ the Disneyland of Jiu-Jitsu. We are always moving forward, with new projects and trying to make everything better and special.

Some say that there is no possible way to predict how well a kid will do in a sport in the future because of puberty and other factors while growing up. Do you think this applies to Jiu-Jitsu as well?

It depends on their vision. Some of them are already mature enough to know what they really want. They are not training because their parents want them to train, they train because that’s what they like to do.

I believe that once they fall in love with the sport, they wont quit. Their lives will be molded to have the sport as a part of it.

The ones that will eventually stop training will have learned something from the classes and will be more prepared for the future. I do not see Jiu-Jitsu class as a self-defense class; I see it as a strong tool to build character for the child to become a strong human being.
You do not need to fight people in school or on the street if you are confident enough to avoid this kind of situation. Bullies are unconfident people trying to prove something.

In Jiu Jitsu we need to achieve self-control. That’s why I really like competitions because there you can face your fears, overcome them, and achieve confidence in your abilities. Its not about winning a fight, its about transforming your personality. It’s amazing when we see a kid coming to train and they are afraid of losing, scared of other people and not confident, and after a few months they start to change. They are confident, their posture is better, the way they talk is different, they learn social skills that will be with them forever. It’s not about creating a beast, it’s about transforming a scared child into a confident human being.

What do you say to a parent who is afraid their child may be injured?

Do you know that quote: “A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for”?

That’s how I see it. Injuries can happen anywhere and anytime, you can get hurt walking down the street, but it will not stop you from walking. Right?

How do you feel about the “participation medal” for kids meaning that every kid is recognized for simply attending a competition? Everyone shares part of the glory of winning.

I believe it is good for kids under 6 years old, because most of the time they are going to the competition for their parents, not because they really want to do it. I think it will motivate them to keep doing tournaments. The participation medal is for their courage for stepping on the mat at such a young age. When they are 6 years old, they need to start learning that sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. It’s not only about Jiu-Jitsu as it applies to everything in life, and just like I tell the adults: at the end of the day it will not change anything; people that love and support you will be by your side regardless of the outcome.

Kids class at AOJ. Photo: Nick the Tooth

Learn more about Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Costa Mesa, CA at www.artofjiujitsu.com

Celebrating the win with the coaches. Photo: Owen Francis Photography

The Mendes brothers are leading the way for future champions. This last weekend on July 19-20 the Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy sent 82 kids to compete at Kids Worlds 2014. They won the team trophy on both days, gi and no-gi.

The brothers, Rafael and Guilherme, speak about the accomplishment: “Our academy is growing really fast and we have been investing all our time to develop strong curriculums and training programs. Today we have an amazing group of coaches and staff at AOJ that are doing a great job as well, and this team work is giving us good results.”

Gui’s thoughts: “I feel really blessed. This is more than I’ve ever dreamed to have. I’ve always wanted to have a beautiful academy, a kids team and be recognized by my hard work, it’s all happening so fast that sometimes I have to stop and dream a little bit more to have something to work on.

The team trophy. Photo: Personal Archive

I’ve learned a lot about life since I started teaching the kids. When you are a full time competitor you have to be selfish, you want to be the best so you focus all your energy on you and you do whatever it takes to be a champion. You forget the world outside because you are too busy working on yourself. Today I do not feel like that. Every tournament that I go to coach my students I see myself more selfless and appreciating other people’s victories more than I do for my own and it gives me so much peace. A lot of times I ask myself if it’s happening because I’m getting old but I really don’t think so; I’m only 26 and I think it’s happening because I really discovered my passion in the sport.”

Rafa adds: “We are Christian, we believe in God, and we really believe that it’s all happening because he is allowing us to have it, because he wants us to use all this success to effect peoples lives–make a positive impact and give something back. Be able to help people to achieve their goals, families to find a place of happiness where they can stay united, make every student that walks into our academy a better person by showing them respect and teaching the Jiu Jitsu lifestyle. And above of all, use our lives, all this success that is given to us to glorify God and bring people to God. Because if this is not the main goal, why do we work so hard ? Why all this success? What is the point ? I believe this is life’s purpose and we must understand it in order to truly be happy, otherwise even having so much, you will have nothing and always fell empty.”

While the success of their team in both adult and kids categories has proven their leadership, it comes from something within. As a reflection on this latest achievement, the brothers dive into their own past and explain how their young selves adapted to life’s struggles with the help of Jiu-Jitsu:

“People think that life was easy for us but it was not. They can see our appearance but not our struggles. It’s easy to see someone being successful and think that they just “had a good opportunity”, but opportunities never come for people that never work for it.

The team accepting the team trophy. Photo: Personal Archive

We started in a small city and right when we started in Jiu-Jitsu our dad and mom broke up and our dad was an alcoholic. Because of families problems, we had to leave our house with our mom and it was a very difficult time in our lives. Jiu-Jitsu always taught us how to stay strong in bad situations and never panic. We had to become the men of the house when we were just kids, we could not look up to our dad because of that crazy situation so we saw our Professor Ramon [Lemos] as a father figure. He inspired us to become who we are today. I remember when we were twelve years old, talking to him in the academy after training, making our plans for the future, dreaming about traveling the world to teach, compete, and one day have our own academy.

Save my words. We are going to have a huge group of world champions in the future. Can’t wait for these kids to start fighting the World Championship in the juvenile division. We are going to shock the world! haha”

For more about GMA Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy go to Instagram @aojacademy @mendesbros and www.artofjiujitsu.com

Mendes brothers with the Ruotolu twins. Photo: Owen Francis Photography

Guilherme with a student. Photo: Owen Francis Photography

The coaches with Gui and Rafa. Photo: Owen Francis Photography

Guilherme and Rafael Mendes. Photo: Owen Francis Photography

Two years ago Guilherme and Rafael Mendes solidified their place in the states by opening their own Jiu-Jitsu academy. After accomplishing multiple world titles each and still in their early twenties, the two prioritized their lives to gain a student base in the form of Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Costa Mesa, CA.

On June 29 the team came together to celebrate this two-year anniversary at their white haven on E 17th Street.

Of the event and special day the brothers respond: “It was a great day for us, we are very happy for all the accomplishments in our lives, achieving the fourth World title and having so much success as professors is a blessing. We will keep spreading the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle and making more families discovery the magic of our amazing art.”

See a full photo gallery by Owen Francis Photography here.

Learn more about GMA Art of Jiu-Jitsu by visiting www.artofjiujitsu.com

The Art of Jiu-Jitsu student base. Photo: Nick the Tooth

AOJ Kids Training Camp 2014 set for July 12-13

On July 12 & 13, kids from anywhere and everywhere are invited to train at the famed Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy. The Mendes brothers, Guilherme and Rafael, are running an AOJ Kids Training Camp at their academy in Costa Mesa, CA.

This two-day event is open to all academies. The address of the Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy is: 411 E 17th St. Costa Mesa, CA.

Learn from the leaders of one of the most successful kid teams in the world.

The last day to sign up is this Friday, June 27. Don’t miss this chance.

For more information and to sign up, please contact info@artofjiujitsu.com

Check it out and learn more at www.artofjiujitsu.com

Angelica Galvao and the 100+ females on the mats at AOJ. Photo: Personal Archive

On Saturday, April 26, over 100 females entered the mats at GMA Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Costa Mesa, CA to learn from Angelica Galvao. It was a day for females to get together and train with one another through the lead of Atos’ leading female. Angelica is a brown belt under husband and mentor Andre Galvao at the Atos Jiu-Jitsu Academy in San Diego.

The hosts of the event, Rafael and Guilherme Mendes were thrilled with the outcome: “We feel honored to have a champion like Angelica teaching at our academy. We chose to invite her because she is a great image of a strong woman–wife, mother and a champion. The girls had a great time on the mat, Angelica taught some good techniques and we could celebrate another great day for our sport! We want to have girls’ open mats more often and help to share the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle to the women of our community.”

We also asked Angelica a couple questions about her experience leading such an event and how it speaks to the female Jiu-Jitsu community as a whole:

GRACIEMAG: What was your expectation or goal with your seminar at AOJ and did you accomplish it?

ANGELICA GALVAO: Yes, what I saw there was beyond my expectations, way beyond. I was expecting a good group but not a huge group. Anyway, when we compete, we get used to that group of competitor women and it’s growing so much. But what I saw yesterday was an amazing group that is behind the scenes, non-competitive women who love our sport so much. This group is also growing from kids to senior age, moms, wives, doctors, successful business ladies and I really believe that this group needs attention as well. It was priceless for me. I have never been on a mat with so many ladies together, it smelled like flowers haha.

Do you think having women-only seminars is the key for building the women’s community?

I do believe that events like that are essential for a strong growing of the women’s community in Jiu-Jitsu. It’s natural for us ladies to appreciate a special time only for us, and that is how it works in events like that, a time just for us, in between us, learning and practicing techniques that are good for our game. It is pleasant to gather together with other women that have the same passion. It was a great experience for me not only as a BJJ player but as a woman as well.

To follow all the Mendes brothers’ endeavors into the female community as well as their future events, go to www.artofjiujitsu.com

For more of Angelica Galvao and her Atos academy, go to www.galvaobjjsd.com

The number one team under the Atos banner at the 2014 IBJJF Pan Kids. Photo: AOJ

The Mendes brothers, Guilherme and Rafael, have been at the top of podiums as athletes for years. Since opening their Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy in July of 2012 they have extended their knowledge and way of training to their students.

What makes them a bit different from other academies is their dedication to the kids program. At the 2014 IBJJF Pan Kids Championship on Feb. 16, the brothers led their team to victory for the first place team trophy.  This is the second consecutive year winning as a team under the Atos banner, and they improved from 15 gold medals to 25 gold medals.

Guilherme answered a few questions for an exclusive interview about how and why their kids program is so successful:

GRACIEMAG: What kind of training do your kids do in the programs at Art of Jiu-Jitsu?

GUILHERME MENDES: We have a very well-rounded program for kids of all ages and skill levels. We are always trying to improve upon it, by adding new things and removing the things that are not producing results. I think this constant evolution and attention to detail along with our will to have the best kids program make the classes at AOJ an amazing experience for the students.

Who teaches the classes and how do you determine which students take certain classes?

We offer 7 kids classes a day at AOJ which are separated by age. In the class we hold safety as our top priority and further separate the kids by belt level and size. Rafael and myself teach the competition team and we have seven more coaches who are all active competitiors that teach the other classes. The amazing thing about the AOJ coaching staff is the level of dedication and team work. We have weekly meetings to discuss the program and each individuals progress. This is really raising the level of our students.

Do the kids come to your academy with the goal of competing or do they decide after they start training?

Most of our students come to AOJ with the goal of gaining confidence, and that’s our goal on the mat: help them to develop a better personality, be able to handle tough situations and face and resolve problems they will encounter throughout their life. We believe competition is a great tool to test yourself, overcome your fears, and learn about self control. But competition is not the main goal at AOJ. We focus on developing our kids into confident adults ready to succeed in life.

What type of high level training do the kids at AOJ do and what is the weekly schedule like?

The kids at AOJ train every day. I do not recommend training more than once a day when they are young. I think this is the main reason for kids quitting Jiu-Jitsu because it stops being fun. The kids have a long way to go and I don’t want them to burn out. Having one great class a day is the perfect way to make them always feel excited to train and learn more. This system of training is working very well. Atos had 25 gold medals at Pan Kids coming from our academy.

We really enjoy seeing how much AOJ is influencing the Jiu-Jitsu community. New academies are opening up all the time with white mats, white walls, and polished concrete floors. Also when you look at the points from this year’s Pan Kids you can see that many schools are following our lead and investing in their kids programs. This makes us happy because since we started Jiu-Jitsu it was always our dream to change the sport and leave our mark. We believe that by creating a strong kids programs we are achieving our goal and creating opportunities for the next generation to use Jiu-Jitsu as a way to improve their lives.

You can follow the brothers and the AOJ kids team at www.artofjiujitsu.com

The full team at the 2014 Pan Kids. Photo: AOJ

The Ruotolo twins with their professors Rafa and Gui Mendes. Photo: Erin Herle

After moving to train with the Mendes brothers at GMA Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Costa Mesa, CA the Ruotolo twins Kade and Tye have stepped up their game tenfold. They were already a force when we showcased their moves last year however their progressing skills have made them even more dangerous today at the age of ten now.

Check out this highlight video of the duo from earlier this year and keep an eye on them in the future as they move up to adult divisions…in a few years!

On November 17 the annual Rickson Gracie Cup unfolded in Tokyo, Japan for its 2013 edition. Our GMA members Guilherme and Rafael Mendes entered the competition and earned two gold medals with outstanding performances.

Guilherme won the featherweight division, Rafael won the lightweight division and the pair closed out the open weight division alongside Roberto Satoshi.

All of their fights were determined by submission finishes.

Check out some videos from their instagram @mendesbros.

Rafael in his first match:

Guilherme in his first match:

You can check out the rest of their videos on their instagram/facebook page: www.mendesbrosfans.com