Gracie Barra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Est. | N/A |
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| Founded by | Carlos Gracie, Jr. |
| Primary trainers | Carlos Gracie, Jr. |
| Prominent Fighters | Renato Sobral Márcio Cruz (IFL) |
| Training Facility Locations |  Gracie Barra America Lake Forest, California |
| Official Website | www.graciebarra.com.br (Gracie Barra Academy) www.graciebarraamerica.com (Gracie Barra America) |
Gracie Barra (pronounced Gracie Baha) is one of the largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu associations, with over 275 black belts and 40 schools or affiliates worldwide. It is headed by Carlos Gracie, Jr., brother of Rolls Gracie who was the founder of the first Gracie Barra Academy and a son of Carlos Gracie Sr., one of the originators of the art.
Associated with the school is the Gracie Barra Combat Team, a stable of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters who compete in mixed martial arts matches. Associated with Gracie Barra Academy, the team is most famous for its fighters Renato "Babalu" Sobral, one of only three martial artists ever to have defeated Chute Boxe fighter Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, and Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling 99kg champion Marcio Cruz .
[edit] History
Carlos Gracie Jr. is the founder and head instructor of the Gracie Barra Academy, the largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school in the world, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Gracie Barra's black belts include numerous world class instructors and athletes.
At the heart of the Gracie Barra mission statement is the goal of training both the body and spirit, going beyond the 'winning-losing' or 'contest' philosophy present in other martial arts.[1] Instead, Carlos Gracie Jr. emphasizes what he calls the fundamental principle of Jiu-Jitsu: "Minimum effort for maximum efficiency,"[2] a method of utilizing strength through gentleness, an expression exemplifying both the mental and physical aspects of Jiu-Jitsu. In Carlos' opinion, Jiu-Jitsu is a method of education that can be used to foster one's personal development. Carlos considered the goals of Jiu-Jitsu to revolve around three aspects: physical education, personal achievement, and ethical growth. In other words, through the practice of Jiu-Jitsu, one would complete their personal development through the training of body and mind, becoming a person better able to contribute to society and the world.[3] Recognizing the never-ending quest for self-perfection, even today Carlos Gracie continues to study these techniques and principles with his students. The constant development of techniques demonstrates his adherence to these principles, continuously striving for further progress and knowledge.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ This is accordance with Kano's philosophies that led to his formation of judo out of jujutsu , also elucidated by Ryozo Nakamura (8th dan Judo), director of the IJF Education Commission who wrote: "I don't regard judo practice and study as just competition and a matter of winning and losing."
- ^ Gracie Barra's fundamental principle is in fact Kano's fundamental principle of Judo: "Maximum Efficiency with Minimum Effort."
- ^ This philosophy follows Kano's other major principle of Judo: "Mutual Welfare and Benefit."
[edit] Sources
- Gracie Barra Mission Statement & History
- The History of Gracie Barra - by Carlos Gracie Jr. tampabjj.com URL last accessed July 12, 2006.
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