Gracie Barra Philosophy: The vision of a disciple Master
Carlos Gracie Jr. believes that making winning the ultimate goal is
not a proper way of teaching. The greatest victories at Gracie
Barra were always a consequence of the process, and embracing the
training as a method through which one could best test their
personal limits. Losses, which helped us to evolve into better
athletes and competitors, were not perceived as failures. Instead,
Master Gracie believed that these lessons should leave our self
respect intact, as different facets of the competition are wholly
out of our control: the talent and experience of the other
athletes, errors by referees, injuries, and bad luck. As a result,
he could always accept physical errors but not mental ones: our
preparation, planning, attention to detail, and the development of
discipline and willpower were always seen as the top priority in
the training process.
Inside the school, Master Carlos Gracie Jr. did not limit his
teaching to techniques, but also, taught us character. Early on in
our training, he instilled us an understanding that the
fundamentals for good jiu-jitsu were fundamentals of a good
character. Without honesty, integrity, discipline and unselfish
acts, one would never become the great athlete he or she
envisioned. As Professor Carlos always taught us, if you want to
truly know someone, pay attention to them as they fight. When one
is engaged in struggle or combat, they cannot hide their true
personality.
Gracie Barra’s success throughout the years has meant that any
other team has typically sees us as a major rival. While getting to
the top is difficult, staying there or near there for many years
running is an even bigger challenge. Therefore, it takes a special
group of people to handle that pressure. Still, our team has always
been ready to deal with those expectations because of the manner in
which Master Gracie conducts the training and the philosophy at the
school, building not only our techniques but more importantly, the
self-confidence giving us a mental edge. He achieves this through
positive reinforcement rather than pressure as a tool to influence
behavior. The result? Win or lose, he has created a group of
athletes who feel a deep sense of loyalty and commitment to him and
the Gracie Barra family.
Master Carlos Gracie Jr. was never the type of coach that would put
pressure on you at every tournament, screaming from the sidelines.
Instead, his lessons are felt each day, slowly growing on you,
where you feel it constantly, in every aspect of your being. The
true guidance he provides is in realizing that success in Jiu-Jitsu
must be an extension of one’s life, and that building confidence
and a commitment to excellence must be cultivated over time.
Therefore, his method of building champions was not through last
minute quotes providing superficial motivation. Rather, the
athletes at our school learned that becoming a champion on and off
the mat takes time, hard work, and dedication earned and built over
the years.
Competition was always a very serious subject, but Master Carlos
Gracie Jr. always described it as a test of our mindset and
maturity. Therefore, the conversations never revolved around
opponents but were seen as a fight against ourselves in our quest
for self-mastery. Going into the tournament, our thoughts were
always the same: to trust in our abilities and that our technique
could take the initiative away from our opponents. inspired us to
believe in ourselves and our abilities, and to impose our will upon
our opponents, not reacting to them.
Because Master Carlos Gracie Jr. believes in us, he is always able
to make us feel like we are unstoppable. Even in defeat, he looks
upon us not with scorn, but always shows how proud he is for your
efforts “on the battlefield.” He makes you understand how much
respect he has for the way you fight. This is why whenever you see
an athlete competing, carrying the Gracie Barra flag on his
“armor,” you will see one who is filled with an overwhelming sense
of pride for the legacy and heritage we share.
Today, I am very grateful to Professor Carlos, not only for being a
teacher, but also for having been a great Master, father and best
friend. Therefore, it is not medals or trophies which inspire me -
it is the lessons I have learned from Professor Carlos which give
me strength and courage. I will never let him down. ~ GB Disciple