ABOUT ALLIANCE BJJ

My Story

My introduction to Jiu Jitsu was when I was still at school, I think I was between 12 and 14-years-old if my memory is correct. Subsequently I went to train with Toninho, an instructor at Carson Gracie in Copacabana, and just like my previous experience with my first instructor Jaildo Gomes, the values instilled in me were very strong — things like discipline, punctuality, respect and most importantly a sense of belonging. I belonged to a nice group of individuals that shared kindness, self-control and respect for each other — that deeply touched my soul and spirit.

After receiving my blue belt and living in New York for 3 years, I returned to train with Rolls Gracie who had now partnered with his brother Carlson in a new school in Copacabana, Rio. Rolls taught me a lot. He taught me: how to overcome the adversities of a bad days training, resilience, respect and everything that a great master should teach to his students, but beyond that he taught me how to cultivate and nurture that sense of belonging and how to live a healthy lifestyle. He was so special and ahead of his time, always eager to learn and open minded to incorporate new techniques in his methodology of teaching and training.He was good at judo, wrestling, boxing, radical sports and Sambo, winning the Sambo Pan American championship in San Diego (1979). Classes were always fun — they were diverse and challenging but I loved it and all his students did too.

I had awesome training partners, some became my best friends like Rodrigo Miranda and his brother Ruba, Mauricio Gomes, MarcioStambowsky and brother Fernando, Carlos and Crolin Gracie, Ricardo Azoury, Mario Talarico, Renan Pitanguy, Nicin Azulay, JorgitoCareca, Paulo Conde among others, they helped me become what I am today.

I never really taught classes, but I helped with the new students and the kids classes teaching them the basics concepts until they were introduced to the regular classes. We didn’t have a structure of classes for group classes because they were just privates at that time. I didn’t see any errors just evolution.

Alliance was founded at first just to avoid competing against our own students at tournaments. Later however the methodology was implemented, and the classes were divided into levels and everything else that we’ve been perfecting and still learning and doing. This helped greatly in the evolution of the Alliance methodology and structure.

This is the real revolution in modern Jiu Jitsu besides the techniques and all that is being implemented by us to help our schools and the Jiu Jitsu community in general —  this will be our legacy to humanity, touching the lives of many for the better by bringing a sense of belonging to something, living a better life and having a great lifestyle.

I hope everyone enjoys that.

Best,
Jacaré