Gracie Barra San Clemente Video
November 6, 2008
Flavio Almeida faces portraits of Gracie Barra leaders.
Twenty Gracie Barra black belts made the trek to San Clemente, California on Sunday to celebrate the official opening party of Flavio Almeida’s academy and take part in his promotion to a three-stripe black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
The FightWorks Podcast headed north from our headquarters here in San Diego to check out the event firsthand, and brought back a three-minute video for you.
The video is posted over on YouTube but I still really recommend you subscribe to our BJJ Video feed in iTunes so that every time we release a new video it will be automatically downloaded to you, your iPod and / or iPhone, so you won’t miss anything!
Penny Thomas Video Posted
September 23, 2008
We had Penny Thomas here as our featured guest on The FightWorks Podcast back in Episode #132, and I only just now got around to putting together the video I snagged when I went to interview her. Sorry Penny!
Penny received her black belt this year and is an ADCC, BJJ Pan-Ams, and BJJ Mundials gold medalist.
The video is posted over on YouTube but I still really recommend you subscribe to our BJJ Video feed in iTunes so that every time we release a new video it will be automatically downloaded to you, your iPod and / or iPhone, so you won’t miss anything!
Also, the video that’s made available in iTunes is sharper and easier to watch than the generic YouTube video, so there’s another good reason to go that route.
In the video of Penny Thomas, she is shown training with Gracie Humaita black belt Leticia Ribeiro, and Tarsis Humphries of Alliance.
In addition to this video of Penny, we captured four videos of jiu-jitsu action at the 2008 US Jiu-Jitsu Nationals over the weekend that are now posted in iTunes and on YouTube as well. Enjoy!
Tarsis Humphreys Teaser Video
August 7, 2008
You all remember that I said we had Tarsis Humphreys on the way for you right? Well last week I was not able to synch up and meet as planned with this multiple-time medalist at the BJJ Mundials, but Tuesday night I sat down with him and was able to grab a little video for you and conduct the audio interview that we will include in our next episode of our Brazilian jiu-jitsu radio show, The FightWorks Podcast.
So our quick video with Tarsis (it is just under a minute and a half in length) is now available on our BJJ Video page.
What? You didn’t know we had a video page? Well it’s not like YouTube or anything, but it is our humble effort to bring you jiu-jitsu video that we think you will enjoy.
If you want to automatically receive our video everytime we release a new one, you can subscribe to our video in iTunes. (This is different than receiving our weekly audio show).
So stick around for this coming Sunday’s show! Tarsis will discuss how he got into jiu-jitsu, his training with Alliance, and he will even answer a question from you that was submitted to us as a part of “What Are You Working On?“
Carlos Gracie Jr. Discusses Receiving the Red and Black Belt
June 4, 2008
Carlos Gracie Jr., the head of Gracie Barra, offers his thoughts on his unexpected promotion, the importance of pursuing one’s dream, and how there is no place he would rather be than on the mats. Video was shot on June 3, 2008 in Irvine, California.
(If you’d like to see the original, clearer version of this video, it’s found in m4v format on our BJJ Video page!)
Renzo Gracie Awards Carlos Gracie Jr. His Red and Black Belt
June 4, 2008
An emotional Renzo Gracie presents his uncle Carlos Gracie Jr. with his red and black belt, an elite rank in Brazilian jiu-jitsu held by very few practitioners. Carlos Gracie Jr. is the head of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation and the leader of Gracie Barra.
(If you’d like to see the original, clearer version of this video, it’s found in m4v format on our BJJ Video page!)
TRANSCRIPTION OF RENZO GRACIE’S SPEECH
Renzo Gracie: You guys expect me to be funny, huh?
[audience laughter]
Honestly, a few years back I was sitting at the table in the kitchen with my grandfather. And when my grandfather ate, he never talked much. As he was eating, suddenly Carlinhos started training with his brother inside the kitchen. They start - BOOM! BOOM! going at each other, they fell into his plate. He pulled the plate back, laid back, they fell, they went back, he put the plate back down and kept eating. On that day I knew I didn’t belong to an ordinary family.
[audience laughter]
And in the end he just asked, “Who won?”
[audience laughter]
And they looked at each other and said, “It was a draw!”
[audience laughter]
I still remember when I belonged to Gracie Barra when Carlinhos moved to Gracie Barra and I remember the time that we had only six students. Me, Sergio Ignacio, my brother Ralph [Gracie], so the relatives and like three or four more students. And I remember [Carlos Gracie Jr] teaching patiently. And the ring was like this size.
[motions to a small area where he is standing]
That’s how it actually started. So to look around and today we see this, it’s really unbelievable, you know? And I honestly the most important thing I think that was inside that mat…
I happen to be his relative. I tried to run away from him but I couldn’t. He is brothers of my father and cousin of my mother. It looks like one of those episodes of Beverly Hillbillies!
[audience laughter]
But I remember after a training session… He looks at me and he goes, “WHAT do I do with you? What can I do with you?” Like I was the worst by far. My whole life I was 145 pounds. Everybody else was stronger, everybody else was squashing me. And when they wanted to warm up they would call me over.
[audience laughter]
But the secret of the sport is that while you are the nail hanging in there, let them hit you.
[makes the motion of swinging a hammer]
Until the day that you become the hammer, and then you smash them back.
[audience laughter]
I think that’s the reason they invited me here to give him the belt.
[audience laughter]
But the reality is, the most enriching thing I ever had was on mats like this.
[gestures to the jiu-jitsu mats on the floor]
It was experience to interact with people like you, to exchange knowledge, and to have a bad day and have someone else come and hug you on the shoulder and asks how you are doing, asks if you need anything, and maybe tries to teach you a move, tries to ask you about a move… So this is actually what this is all about. Being a champion, everything else: time has a habit of deleting, but I think the love that I had the chance to have my whole life, in his academy, was the most important thing.
[begins tearing up]
You guys are not laughing!!
[audience laughter]
You guys look at the difference!
[motions to his black belt]
This is the black belt he gave me ten years ago. And the problem is, I’m gonna die with this. I’m gonna wear this till I die and take it to the grave.
[audience laughter]
The belt’s brand happens to be Wacko. That’s the brand of the belt. This is the
[audience laughter]
I was expecting a brand new Mizuno, with gold letters on my name written on it, and he came with this! And I cannot get rid of it now, I’m gonna wear it till I die. And I look at this…
[gestures to the red and black belt for Carlos Gracie Jr.]
… and it’s a very nice belt, so be proud!
[hands red and black belt to Carlos Gracie Jr.]
[applause]
Rickson Gracie Honors Carlos Gracie Jr.
June 4, 2008
Rickson Gracie offers his thoughts on his cousin Carlos Gracie Jr., the head of Gracie Barra, moments before Carlos was awarded his red and black belt by Renzo Gracie on June 3, 2008 in Irvine, California.
(If you’d like to see the original, clearer version of this video, it’s found in m4v format on our BJJ Video page!)
TRANSCRIPTION OF RICKSON GRACIE’S SPEECH
Rickson Gracie: For me it’s a pleasure to be here, for a few reasons. First of all, we Gracies are in the business to create character and build up strong personalities. We all, much more than promoters of MMA, because MMA for us was a form we used to confront other styles and to put our beliefs in jiu-jitsu to the most test.
But that was gone a long time ago and now MMA becomes an extreme sport which, whoever doesn’t know jiu-jitsu - no matter who he represents - he has no chance. So jiu-jitsu becomes, still, the core of MMA.
But we Gracies are always based on our relationships with the students. And how much we help them. And that comes back to us in double, because we feel good about it. So we are very happy to be in the business that we are.
So when I see Carlos [Gracie Jr.] promoting jiu-jitsu, promoting the sport of jiu-jits, promoting the educational aspect and the cultural aspect of jiu-jitsu for kids, and to involve families in our sport, that’s something that really makes me happy and proud to be his cousin.
I feel like the sport today has a huge demand and requires an effort of all of us who are involved in somehow directing the sport, 100% of attention and commitment to to make this grow. Not only in Brazil, not only in the United States, but all over the world.
So I would like to congratulate Carlos for the excellent job he’s been doing for the last… few years.
[audience laughter]
And I feel like we’re not exactly representing the same flag in terms of school but above that, we all pray, and work and have the same commitment from the same mother, which is jiu-jitsu for us. And I am very happy to be here and congratulate him as a great master.
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