Photo: IBJJF/Facebook

Kaio César is starting to reap the fruits of the discipline employed in the course of his journey in Jiu-Jitsu, which began when he was just 13, when he got an invitation from a friend while playing football.

Today, at 29, Kaio is one of the big black-belt names on the IBJJF’s master 1 competitive circuit. He is a 2021 American Nationals no-gi champion.

“I live to train and compete,” he said in a recent interview. “In Brazil, for example, I used to teach class. I notice that there is no difference between training in Brazil and here – it’s really just the language. Here, they often say that if you speak the language of Jiu-Jitsu, everybody’s going to understand you. But you’d better learn to speak English too!”

A representative of Gracie Barra, Kaio has an intense routine to keep up with the biggest BJJ events. By the end of this season, he wants to fight for the gold at the Pan and the World Championship, in and out of the gi. He currently sits atop the IBJJF’s master 1 rankings for no-gi light feather athletes.

“I train four times a week, and within those days, I try to organize the technical side, the specific training and lots of free training, which, in my view, is important,” he said.

Kaio went on to say that these days the master 1 age group is very hard-fought, and added: “Back in the day, even after the age of 30, most athletes would still fight in the adults’ group. But nowadays, I see that it’s pretty evenly split. The athletes from the adult category, when they reach master age, realize there’s plenty of tough fights and opponents in all categories. So it’s worthwhile to fight in the right division and do good matches regardless.”

The black-belt of seven years wrapped up the interview by sharing the greatest lesson he learned in his 17 years of jiu-jitsu: “Have discipline! Never give up on your goals, and be perseverant. Discipline has never failed to produce good fruits.”

Practicing a safe and healthy martial art like Jiu-Jitsu is a major help in bringing up your brood.

As GRACIEMAG.com always tries to drive home, your little one will learn to defend himself, besides assimilating concepts like loyalty, discipline, respect and honor.

And if you’re a practitioner yourself, that’s even better. After all, you’ll be able to spend more time with him and teach him what you know.

Can you imagine your weekends, clearing out the couch and having a roll on the living room floor?

There are those who don’t limit themselves to imagining, as you can see in the video below. Because Jiu-Jitsu can be great company, but nothing like the love between parents and their kids.

Branson Graf and family at Pan Kids 2012 (Photo by Deb Blyth/GRACIEMAG.com)

How about adding “give Jiu-Jitsu a chance” to your New Year’s resolutions?

C’mon, try it out. At a good gentle-art school, your kids learn how to defend themselves, and by year’s end they’ve learned so much more than that.

They’ve learned such concepts as loyalty, discipline, dedication, respect and honor. Precepts for making them better people—and they learn to defend themselves when their parents and protectors aren’t around to boot.

Watch the class below, and rest assured: with Jiu-Jitsu your kids will never be alone again.

Anyone who studies Jiu-Jitsu knows how the art is more than just an entertaining form of exercise; it’s a solid foundation for your child’s upbringing, not to mention being a painless antidote to bullying.

It’s with this focus that GRACIEMAG #187 hits better bookstores and academies near you. So rush out and get the lessons that will help protect your family from embarrassing and unfortunate incidents.

The ones who know best what Jiu-Jitsu can do are the gentle-art professors affiliated with our GMA, the worldwide GRACIE Magazine Association that distributes our publication. At Gracie Oceania and affiliate schools around the region, for instance, students work daily to hone such traits as discipline, persistence, cooperation and respect.

So how about bringing your kid up with Jiu-Jitsu’s help? Read GRACIEMAG to find out how.

To find out more, visit www.gbsydney.com.au/

To subscribe to GRACIEMAG and have the magazine delivered to your doorstep every month, click here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVz4_Uq_JfI

To help him further improve, Lucas Leite received a copy of GRACIEMAG as a prize upon winning the WPJJC tryouts in NY. Photo: personal archive.

The black belt Lucas Leite snapped up one of the free travel packages up for grabs for the the April World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship (WPJJC) in Abu Dhabi, overcoming five opponents last Sunday at the event tryouts in New York. Following the achievement, he had a word with GRACIEMAG.com.

“My performance came down to the training I did with my partners Pancho, Lapela, João Assis, Bochecha, Sharpei, Yuri and all my students. Not a lot of people know it, but we have same hard core training going at CheckMat here in California,” he said.

Every good competitor knows how each match, besides the adrenaline, brings worthwhile lessons. The current world middleweight runner-up and No-Gi world champion derived his own. “You know, all the belt is for is to tie your gi up, because the browns are just as tough as the black belts.”

BACK-TAKE JIU-JITSU ROUND ROBIN

The bearer of a frenetic game, Lucas is big on launching assaults from his opponents’ backs, and he didn’t hid his hand when GRACIEMAG.com asked him to teach readers how to get good at this aspect of the grappling game.

“To get good at attacking from the back you should do lots of round-robin back-training sessions. It’s like specific training; you start body clinching your opponent on all fours, and you only switch positions once you’ve gotten your hooks in.”

The black belt also pointed out something else that made a major difference in his career. “The watershed for me was when I swapped the São Paulo nightlife for professional training. People think it’s easy to say no to parties and night clubs, especially when you’re 21 years old, but therein lies the secret. If you want to stand out you have to forsake a lot of things. But that’s one’s personal choice,” he reflected.

Now learn from Lucas Leite in practice, in one of his matches from the New York tryouts for the April WPJJC event in Abu Dhabi.

Boxing at Beijing-2008: failure in China brought out major change in Cuba. Foto: Nick Laham/Getty Images/Publicity.

What does it matter is the jab comes from the left or the right, when it’s landing spot-on? To GRACIEMAG, Jiu-Jitsu and everything surrounding it should be seen in this light, as well. The submission can come from the right or the left—so long as it’s true, effective, honest.

Honesty was what we found today, as we opened the sports section of “O Globo” newspaper, in an article on boxing, sport and children in Havana.

After getting to know Lázaro Pérez, the city’s very first under-34 kg champion of the 9- to 10-year-old division, we sorted the highlights from the article and now serve it on a platter for our gentle readers to enjoy. No politics, and from whichever side the customer prefers.

INVESTING IN THE YOUTH

Although it’s a novelty in Cuba, the under-10-year-old boxing division has been official for some time in other nations, like the USA. “At this age we teach them basic movements and punches and how to defend themselves. The idea is to move the kids into more advanced categories already with a strong foundation of technique,” teaches Jo De Vrieze, a Belgian who coaches children in a neighborhood of Havana.

MAXIMUM SAFETY AND ZEAL FOR THE KIDS

“The rules are strict so pre-teen tournaments will be safe. A doctor examines the pugilists before each bout and the referee watches closely,” it says in the article, written using information form the Associated Press (AP). “The bouts are limited to three 50-second rounds. The use of head gear is mandatory.”

MARTIAL ARTS & DISCIPLINE

After some vexing results at the Beijing Olympics—2008 (not a single gold medal), the Boxing World Championship in Italy—2009 and the Pan-American Championship, the Cuban sporting authorities said they felt humiliated. And they attacked the problem with reforms, not excuses. “The first measure taken was to bring in a new coach, Rolando Acebal, to emphasize discipline,” it says in the article. “The change was decisive,” said Félix Savón, 44, a Cuban boxing legend and three-time Olympic champion who said in the article, “With Acebal, some things that had been lost were recovered.”

The results for the country are already beginning to show, like the two gold medals at the World Championship in Baku and the eight medals in nine divisions at the Pan in Guadalajara. But the big test will be at London-2012.

Seasoned teachers taking care of the youth levels, putting an effort in developing discipline. Now to you, gentle reader, is this the right formula to use in the study of martial arts and winning gold down the road? Comment below.

Japan’s “Count Koma” demonstrates a Jiu-Jitsu control position involving the arm. Photo: GRACIEMAG.com archives.

Grandmaster Mitsuyo Maeda (1878-1941) learned Jiu-Jitsu in Japan, was bestowed with the nickname Count Koma in Spain, won hundreds of fights in Cuba, and disseminated his knowledge to promising young students, like Carlos Gracie, in Brazil.

To bear fruit until this day, and at every corner of the planet, the master had to have firmly entrenched roots and a sound trunk.

To pay homage to Count Koma on the 70th year since his passing, GRACIEMAG.com put together a list of the main lessons the Japanese samurai left us. Reflect, learn, and—why not?—have fun.

1. START IN SUMO

Around the small town of Aomori, where he was born, the young Maeda was known as “Sumo Boy,” thanks to the fascination he had for the style of fighting taught by his father. Years later, he went to study in Tokyo, where he was introduced to Jiu-Jitsu, trained with Jigaro Kano and fell in love with the gentle art, which he would go on to teach to Carlos Gracie in Brazil.

Lesson: Expand your horizons. You’ll only fathom what techniques or styles work best for you if you open your mind and learn new things.

2. 15 OPPONENTS SEPARATING HIM FROM A BLACK BELT IN JIU-JITSU

As history has it, Mitsuyo Maeda received his black belt when he was 20 years of age, on December 25, 1898, at the revered Kodokan dojo. To receive his promotion, Maeda had to beat 15 opponents on the same day, which he did with flying colors.

Lesson: There is no glory without sacrifice. The greater the effort, the greater the reward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0fH_8kv7ac

3. MISSION IN CALIFORNIA

In 1904, at the behest of Grandmaster Jigoro Kano, Maeda traveled to San Francisco, in the USA, to spread the word on Japanese combat techniques. The art wasn’t a complete novelty in the country, though. President Theodore Roosevelt had himself trained with a Japanese Jiu-Jitsu master, named Yamashita.

Lesson: Have faith in the mission given to you by your master, whatever and wherever it may be. It will be more important than it may at first seem.

4. HEALTHY EXTRA-ACADEMY HABITS

In the Northern Brazilian city of Belém do Pará, where he ultimately decided to put down roots, Count Koma influenced Carlos Gracie in many things that did not have to do with training in the academy. Healthy dietary habits, good cheer, patience and others of the Japanese master’s traits were mimicked by the disciple Carlos.

Lesson: A master doesn’t just teach Jiu-Jitsu. He is a positive influence off the mat, as well.

5. COUNT KOMA’S DOJO IN BRAZIL

Koma never did return to Japan to stay, ending his days in Brazil. It remains unknown whether Jigoro Kano, who was more interested in spreading judo, was proud of the hundreds upon hundreds of victories his student achieved by way of submission. In any case, Koma lived by his own book and Jiu-Jitsu is alive and well thanks to his boldness.

Final lesson: If upon reflection you realize it’s time to part ways with your master, at least don’t open an academy in the same neighborhood!

Count Koma and Maeda family in Brazil / Publicity photo

What do you think, dear reader, what’s the main lesson Count Koma’s life story left as his legacy? Is there any tale from the Japanese grandmaster’s career that you find most striking? Share it with us below.

Black belt Luiz Fux, the newest chief justice on Brazil's Supreme Court / Photo: personal archive

It was another drubbing by Jiu-Jitsu: 68 to 2. Twas by this “score” that Brazilian minister Luiz Fux was approved by the senate as a member of the highest level of authority in the nation, the Federal Supreme Court, the crème de la crème of Brazil’s judges.

Fux, who was nominated by President Dilma and was, according to “Veja” magazine, one of supreme minister Antonio Palocci’s favorites, was reviewed for four hours by the Brazilian Justice Commission and received a standing ovation by all 23 on the panel. In the end, he burst in tears, like a champion upon winning.

The win was also part Jiu-Jitsu’s, as Fux is one of the most vehement defenders of the art, which he has practiced for thirty years with Master Osvaldo Alves, ever since becoming a judge.

Interviewed by Luca Atalla in GRACIEMAG # 93, he explains how the gentle art helped him deal with the hardships he encountered in making it to the top. Check out the article published in 2004 in its entirety:

“I always make a point of holding Jiu-Jitsu in the regard it deserves. Because unpleasant situations happen, people fight in the street and instantly the accusation is made that they are practitioners. But I don’t believe it. After all, all we have to do is take a look at the greatest idols in the sport to see that, with extremely rare exceptions, no one ever fights. This is Jiu-Jitsu, a martial art for well-meaning people.

“The start of my relationship with Jiu-Jitsu was interesting. After jogging on Copacabana beach I went to take a swim and left my things on the beach, and they stole my watch. A lady pointed out the thieves to me, but it was a big group and I felt intimidated, so I didn’t do anything about it. That eventing, teaching class at PUC-Rio University, I remarked about it and expressed regret about the powerlessness I felt. So a student offered to take a stance with the help of some friends of his who new the area.

“And that weekend, along with future black belts Sérgio Penha and Márcio Santos, we approached the group. I ended up recovering my watch without incident, and I noticed how the group was terrified by the fighters being there, even though they weren’t big. I asked my student where they got all that self-confidence from and found out it was from Jiu-Jitsu. I thought to myself, “I’m going to do that too.” That was when I met Master Osvaldo Alves and started to train. I was 26, so it was 25 years ago.

“Jiu-Jitsu requires discipline and dedication, as it is a difficult sport with elaborate positions. The early years – anyone who practices knows – the art involves the person completely, leaves them even thinking about positions while riding the bus. That dedication, discipline and attention to technique was transported to study. These days, I can study with discipline for six hours a day, non-stop. Thanks to Jiu-Jitsu.

“So much so that when I took the test become a judge I was at the peak of my dedication, in 1982, having been training for a year and a half. It coincided with the time Sérgio Penha was going to compete with Rickson, and I accompanied his preparations. In the wee hours we’d run up Santa Leocádia hill, run on the sands carrying a teammate on our backs, doing physical conditioning work like no other, led by Osvaldo.

“So I’d work out, do Jiu-Jitsu, study and I didn’t feel tired because I was physically in great shape. All that with God’s help, of course, and because I am of great faith, I got first place in the test and became a judge, even though I was very young.

“Besides the discipline in studying and helping with my physical prowess, Jiu-Jitsu also helped me fight for positions in my career, due to the fact that I’d learned its principles, its ideology. When I fought to become a minister, there was no lack of people trying to set me back in my efforts, saying I was very young, that I had no place trying for such a position. But that courage, that brazenness, that determination and self-confidence that I’d learned in training always carried me forth.

“I’d always been very persistent, and I was really young when I decided I had to study to fulfill my objectives, but Jiu-Jitsu intensified these qualities and was fundamental in my professional accomplishments.

“The idea of courage, daring within the bounds of responsibility and respect to others that Jiu-Jitsu conveys helped me a lot throughout my career as a judge because as a magistrate you need to be independent and have the vigor to face hardships. You are resolving the problems of others, but at the same time you often come up against an existential war, because there are people trying to decide other peoples’ destinies, and you need to have to have the independence and attitude to deal with that. On the other hand, you should also impose your posture, be forthright, be humble at the right moment but also brazen at the right moment, because you may suffer pressure from all levels.

“I feel it is key that people feel this release, this willingness to not fear, because the worst feeling is the fear of fear. Yes, you should feel fear, recognize dangers – it’s a question of responsibility. But you can’t fear the unknown. And Jiu-Jitsu, beforehand, prevents that sensation, by way of self-confidence. The art teaches that, if you happen to be in a situation where you are pushed to your limits, in the worst case you will know how to defend yourself.