Gracie Barra has always been an enterprise designed to produce world-class BJJ athletes and world champions…a slow moving conveyor belt that has churned out more master Jiu-Jitsu technicians than any other organization, who have taken the world by storm. They have followed an exact recipe that’s included hard work and effort, repetition of GB Fundamentals, family-oriented values, and the coveted GB philosophy of putting “team before individual.”

Master Carlos’ mentality is unique in that it’s not just about winning on the mats that counts. It is also about proving yourself off the mats, too. Each belt earned comes with tremendous responsibility attached to it. As commerce has become more competitive and technologically has advanced, the way Master Carlos and his GB Association have chosen to allow their students to prove themselves off the mats and spread the GB message has changed.

The legacy that Master Carlos is leaving in his wake is what sets GB apart from other BJJ schools. Marcio Feitosa, Head Instructor of GB America says, “Master Carlos grew up with BJJ legends. His father was the first Gracie who ever learned Jiu-Jitsu. His main instructor was Rolles Gracie, the best of all time. Master Carlos is always providing us with guidance and counsel on how to uphold ourselves in our black belts, as individuals and professionals, on and off the mats. We are so honored to receive the benefit of his life’s experiences and philosophies; to be able to learn from him today.”

Under Master Carlos’ inspiring leadership, GB’s BJJ and business strategy has evolved to one that transcends what traditional BJJ schools have done in the past. Now, GB not only continues to unveil world-class athletes and world champions on the mats (as if that’s not enough), but they have created an internal production company capable of producing thoughtful, well-educated, successful businessmen and women, off the mats, too, who are carrying out Master Carlos’ legacy of spiritual wealth, health and prosperity through the beautiful art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Feitosa is very proud of the current team of instructors in the program. These young professionals have dedicated more than half their lives to reach the top of their sport, but they’re also committed to reaching the top of their professions as well. Feitosa is grateful to be able to give back to them and provide them with opportunities to continue to do the one thing they love most in the world, BJJ, after their competitive careers are over, “As an organization, we want to create opportunities for these guys so they can work in Jiu-Jitsu for the rest of their lives. We have so many great instructors; so much talent, but they cannot always find the opportunities to make it their life’s work. So, Master Carlos asked me to start working at the headquarters to identify who the talent is, and to give them guidance and advice and create those professional opportunities for them.”

Flavio Almeida, multi-time BJJ World Champion and Director of the GB Association, is himself a product of the GB business process. He and Feitosa co-created the instructor’s program currently in place, “At one time, I was just a fighter, too, but now I’m a business owner.” Almeida is proof that the process works. Just two short years after opening his first school in San Clemente, CA he was able to open his second school in Dana Point because of his first school’s rapid and sustained success.

Almeida believes that the students involved in the GB instructor’s program will be just as fortunate, “At this point we are at the first milestone of the program and already the results are extraordinary. The guys are really engaged in and committed to the process. They realize that BJJ is important, but also that business training is just as important. Each one of them is now 100% qualified to teach at any GB school and we’re starting to rotate them all over Orange County so they can get the experience they need to be the best instructors they can be. Eventually, this will help them achieve success in their own schools as business owners.”

As part of the instructor’s program, Feitosa and Almeida educate their students on how to teach classes in English, how to structure classes and set up a schedule, how to answer the phone, pick a school location, and be in a place they’d like to live. They also teach Business Management, Finance, and practical life skills.

The athletes in the program are so busy training, competing, traveling around the world, and instructing at their home schools, they don’t necessarily have time to go to a college to learn English or any of the other skills that GB now teaches them. Sometimes instructing on the mats and role-playing in the instructor’s program is the only way they learn to communicate in English and learn about the cultural and professional differences between Brazil and the U.S., which is essential for success in the U.S.

Lucas Rocha, a world champion purple belt who just arrived at GB America from Recife, Brazil (from the same school as the esteemed Braulio and Victor Estima / Otavio Sousa team), is 19 years old. He has achieved world champion status in every belt he’s received. He’s so good at BJJ, all his team members project him to be a standout in the 2010 season. Rocha will receive his brown belt any day now, but in the meantime, he’s arrived on U.S. soil with very few English language skills. Because he is such a respected member of the 2010 GB Competition team, and also a very mature and responsible individual off the mats, too, he has been handpicked for the instructor’s program.

Rocha says, “At first I thought all I had to do to be good at BJJ was to fight. Now I realize that I not only have to fight, but I have to think, too!” Rocha says he came here to train and to learn, “I want to win first place in all the big tournaments this year as a brown belt, but I also want to learn the business skills necessary to run my own school one day.”

This attitude about work-life satisfaction and balance has become infectious. Young men and women, who in the past were only thinking about their own current competitive urges, are now thinking beyond their youthful glory to that of their “golden years” and what their future holds for them. At just 24 years old, Philipe Della Monica is in the prime of his competitive BJJ career. Although this young man loves to compete and GB has high hopes for him in the 2010 season, it’s not just BJJ at its competitive state that’s got him motivated to succeed, “I’m looking for a location to open my own GB school right now. I am completely committed to competing, but I am equally committed to spending my time teaching.” He continues, “Jiu-Jitsu is so good for you. It teaches responsibility, health and respect. It makes your education better. I looked up to my professors as a kid and I want my students to look up to me. I need to pass my best on to the kids. They want to be like me. That’s a lot of responsibility, but I love it.”

That mature kind of mindset is impressive in a 24 year old. This is the kind of “talent” Feitosa seeks out on a daily basis, “Just being a part of the GB family and living the BJJ lifestyle inspires this kind of thinking in our students. We incorporate BJJ training in all of our business meetings because it’s who we are and where we come from. As soon as we don’t see each other on the mats and in our GIs, we lose a lot. So, we need to have a passion for both training and business. My goal is to create as many opportunities for these kind of GB Instructors as possible.”

Almeida says they are still a few years away from seeing true results of the program, but that it is extremely successful so far. Feitosa agrees, “Although we are far from having a complete business management system in place, what we are involved in is so rich, it is already succeeding even though we have so much work still to do. It’s a work in progress, but I believe we will reach our goals. I don’t know how long how it will take, but one day we will have a GB school in every city across the globe.”

Every week at Gracie Barra America in Irvine, CA, there’s been training going on for the championships in 2010. The team’s been training hard and although there are a few standouts in the group, the consensus is that the whole GB team is going to be a threat to every other BJJ school in the 2010 season.

Márcio Feitosa, a three-time world champion and head instructor of GB America says, “We train no matter what time of year it is. Even though GB has the best competition team, our training is never geared toward one competition. Master Carlos always makes sure we are a well-rounded Jiu- Jitsu team. We perfect self-defense, takedowns, and top-to-bottom training. Lots of places focus their training solely on a particular competition, but we are training very hard right now in every aspect of BJJ and the training we are doing will definitely help us in all of next year’s tournaments.”

Feitosa bets the team will dominate in 2010, “GB competitors are already always on the podium in every country at every tournament, but we have a long-term plan that we started when we moved to Irvine. We notice that Jiu- Jitsu is expanding all over the world, so we don’t want to win just one big local tournament. We want to be present at tournaments everywhere – in Japan, the US, Brazil – all around the world. Our objective is to win every single tournament, everywhere.”

And who does he think will really make a name for himself in 2010?

“I’m a big fan of Roger Gracie’s style of fighting. It’s very basic and easy to understand, but he makes it work for him. I’m also expecting that Bráulio Estima will have another great year. I think Roberto Tussa Alencar and Romulo Barral will do incredibly. Ana Laura Cordeiro is our female fighter – she will do awesome again. She’s had over 60 fights and never lost one. She’s an amazing competitor”, Feitosa says.

The last time Cordeiro competed was in the 2009 Pan Ams and won Absolute. She’s been waylaid by a back injury, but hopes to compete in the Pan again in 2010, “The training that we’re doing at GB America every week is so important. While most people are off the mats over the holidays and in the New Year, we’ve been on the mats, working hard. I know our team is going to succeed. We work harder and have more experience on the mats. Everybody’s so good this year.”

Otavio Sousa’s attained world champion titles as a blue belt, purple belt, and brown belt. He’s now a black belt at 23 years of age and wants a world champion title in that as well. Sousa just moved to Irvine from Brazil and says the level of training and experience he’s getting on the mats with the other black belts has been life changing, “I’m so happy to be here. It’s been a great experience being able to train with some of the best black belts in the world. My plan is to win gold as a black belt in every competition. I’ve already won gold in all my other belts. I want it as a black belt, too.”

Another GB competitor looking to take the 2010 competition circuit by storm is Lucas Rocha. At just 19 years of age and fresh out of Brazil, he will be receiving his brown belt any day. He’s a multi-time world champion in his blue and purple belts and is setting his sites on the gold as a brown belt, “I want to win gold in all the big tournaments this year, but I want to add the open class to my goals as well. If we continue to work as hard as we are, I think our whole team will do very well.”

One of GB’s most faithful and fierce black belt fighters is Philipe Della Monica.  Feitosa says he’s very young (he received his black belt two years ago at the age of 22) and he’s getting better and better, “I’m looking forward to seeing the ways in which he improves. I would really like to see him take gold in his division this year.”

Della Monica says he trains twice a day, with the black belts and with his students, then he instructs classes in between: “Marcio has been teaching us lots of techniques and strategies and we study them on and off the mats. In fact, many of the black belts live together, so we also exchange techniques in our living rooms! We are always rolling.”

As they say, “the family that rolls together, stays together”, and Della Monica says that’s exactly what these GB fighters do, “we either live with each other or really close to each other, so we are getting invaluable experience rolling together. Most all of the top fighters have come from Brazil to California to live and train, and we also have Master Carlos who lives here half the year. He’s always helping us and advising the team.”

This year Della Monica is going back to the middle class after a tough year at lightweight, “I lost too much explosion at lightweight. It was hard for me, so I’m going back to the middleweight division. Now I’m going into the hardest and most competitive bracket, so I have my work cut out for me this year.”

Another tough newly anointed Middleweight black belt competitor is Kayron Gracie. Feitosa says, “It’ll be interesting to see how Kayron does in his black belt division. He’s in a very tough division and I can’t wait to see how he performs.” Master Carlos’ beloved son says he feels great and is getting quality experience from the other GB black belts, “I learn something new every time I train with them on the mats. The training is so important to me, I can’t miss a class. This is my first year as a black belt, so I consider this more of a learning year for me. It’s not going to be easy, but I am definitely up for the challenge.”

As another exciting year begins for this close-knit and impressive GB family of athletes, black belt Maycon Carvalho wraps up the whole GB Competition Team’s sentiments succinctly, “It’s an honor to represent GB at the world-class level. GB is our family and they have taught us everything we know. It’s been an amazing journey.”

GOOD LUCK FROM GRACIE BARRA JIU JITSU ESCONDIDO STAFF

                                                GOOD JOB GUYS !!!

Closed Christmas Eve- December 24th

Closed Christmas Day- December 25th /26th

Open Monday - December 28th class 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm All levels.

Open Tuesday - December 29th class 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm Fundamental 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm Advanced.

Open Wednesday - December 30th class 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Judo 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm Jiu Jitsu All Levels.

Closed New Years Eve- Decemeber 31st

Closed New Years Day- January 1st/2nd

*Normal schedule with resume January 4th*

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Enjoy the holiday!!!!

Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Escondido Staff.

GOOD JOB GUYS !!!

Wednesday, December 16th 4:30-6:00 pm at Gracie Barra Escondido

(fun,food,promotions and more ! )

ADULT’S CHRISTMAS PARTY

Wednesday, December 23rd 5:30-7:00 pm at Gracie Barra Escondido

(fun,food,promotions and more ! )

” EVERYONE NEEDS TO WEAR THEIR GRACIE BARRA GI “

GRACIE BARRA JIU JITSU ESCONDIDO STAFF 

CHAD PURPLE BELT

SEAN ELLIOTT BLUE BELT

GOOD JOB GUYS !!!

Hi everyone,

below is our Thanksgiving schedule:

Thursday 11/26 - GB Escondido is closed

Friday 11/27 - GB Escondido is closed

Saturday 11/28 - GB escondido is closed

We will resume with normal schedule on Monday.

Enjoy the holiday!!!!

Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Escondido Staff.

by Deb Blyth

Tell us about your matches at the 2009 No Gi Worlds. 
In my weight class, my 1st match was with Travis Lutter. I beat him 9-0. In my 2nd match, I competed against Joao Assis from Checkmat BJJ. I got him in a kimura and he tapped. My 3rd and final match was against Marcel Louzada. He’s a Black Belt in Judo and has great throws. The match was 4-2. There was about 30 seconds to go and I caught him in a triangle. He was tired and tapped. It was one of my best matches of the day.

Tell us about the Absolute. 
In my 1st match, I was losing 6-0. At the last minute, I scored 8 points. Everyone was yelling. I made 4 points in 30 seconds. In my 2nd match I went against Rodrigo Texeira. He was winning by one advantage point. I tried to pass his guard 4 times and couldn’t stabilize, but got an advantage point each time. So, I won, 4 advantage points to 1 advantage point. In my 3rd match, I had to go against Bruno Bastos. I was losing, 2-0. I got him in a really tight kimura, but he got out. I got a sweep and passed his guard and won 5-2. In my 4th and final match, I fought Antonio Braga Neto. For 8 ½ minutes, he was winning by one advantage point. Then, at the end of the match, I took him down and got 2 points. It was the best feeling of my life. I’ve never won that division before.

How did it feel to represent Gracie Barra in the Worlds? 
GB is my life. I was honored to represent GB and thankful to Master Carlos for the opportunity.

Robeto “Tussa” Bio

Professor Roberto “Tussa” Alencar is the head instructor of Gracie Barra New Mexico. With over 12 years of experience in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, professor “TUSSA” has been teaching since he was a purple belt 8 years ago. Having a lot of enthusiasm, professionalism, and determination he is growing a huge army of Jiu –Jitsu practitioners across New Mexico. Besides his career as a professor, Roberto Alencar has earned many titles as a competitor including two time NO GI world champion and two time Brazilian national champion.

             CONGRATULATION FROM GRACIE BARRA JIU JITSU ESCONDIDO FAMILY