Meet your professor.
ABOUT PAULO DE TARSO
Paulo de Tarso is a 5th degree blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Alexandre “Soca” Freitas. He started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when he was 12 years old in Rio de Janeiro Brazil where he grew up training at Gracie Barra with some of the toughest and most skilled grapplers in the sport.
Paulo has been sharing his knowledge of Gi and No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu with students since he was 15 years old, first in Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama and now Canada. He competed in many tournaments when he lived in Brazil from the time he was a yellow belt.
Paulo believes in focusing on the fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu to build a solid foundation. He takes an individualized approach to teaching and enjoys helping his students reach their goals, whether that means simply having a good time on the mat or preparing for competitions.
Paulo believes that training Jiu-Jitsu teaches people a lot about themselves and helps to strengthen not only the body, but the mind. By learning how to endure and persevere through uncomfortable scenarios, you become calm amongst the chaos on and off the mat.
In Paulo’s opinion, the best mindset to have when training is to use every experience on the mat as a learning opportunity and to enjoy the process. It is important to know that the days when you feel you aren’t training well are the days you learn the most.
Paulo believes in treating your training partners like family because without them, you are nothing. He often reminds his students that the belt is only to tie the Gi. The character building that occurs from continued training and the way you treat others matters so much more than the colour of a belt or the number of medals won.
WATCH PAULO’S MMA FIGHT.
Paulo de Tarso started training Muay Thai in Rio de Janeiro Brazil almost 15 years ago under Professors Eduardo Pachu and Diego Braga of Tropa Thai academy. He also began training MMA around the same time which taught him other disciplines including boxing and wrestling. Check out Paulo’s 2012 MMA fight below!
HISTORY OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU
What is BJJ
Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that mainly consists of grappling on the ground with the goal of controlling an opponent, advancing to superior positions and ultimately submitting the opponent by the use of chokes or joint locks where the opponent is forced to tap in order to be released. It is thought that Jiu-Jitsu began around 2000 BC with the Buddhist monks of that time. Over many years, Jiu-Jitsu has evolved, and continues to evolve to this day. Although Jiu-Jitsu continues to progress in its infinite possibilities, it maintains the same core values. First, Jiu-Jitsu is nicknamed ”The Gentle Art” due to its goal of diffusing a threat by controlling an opponent without harming them. Next, it focuses on using momentum and leverage to overcome a larger/stronger opponent. Jiu-Jitsu is seen by many as not only a martial art they practice, but a mindset and lifestyle that they carry with them everywhere they go. This mindset involves staying calm in the face of chaos, using what you have to your advantage and going with the flow. It also means striving to improve yourself everyday and to use every situation as a learning opportunity. Lastly, it means being aware that we all have an ego and that if we let our ego guide our behaviour, we will never reach our full potential. This is why many gyms have a sign that says “Leave your ego at the door”, because it is widely known to be the biggest barrier in personal development, as well as contributing negatively to the spirit of the gym which should be founded on a sense of community, mutual respect and a desire to learn.
Jiu-Jitsu Comes to Brazil
In 1914 Maeda, a Japanese Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, came to Brazil and began teaching Jiu-Jitsu classes. Carlos Gracie’s father took him to attend classes and he began learning the art with enthusiasm. Over time, Carlos’ brother Helio Gracie made adjustments to his Jiu-Jitsu techniques to overcome larger/stronger opponents. Carlos opened the first BJJ school in Rio de Janiero in 1925. Over the years, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu increased in popularity as the Gracie family accepted challenges from various opponents to prove the efficiency of the art.
BJJ and MMA
In 1993 the first UFC was held where a smaller and weaker Royce Gracie defeated his opponents using Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This gave global recognition to the dominance of BJJ as people began to realize that even if they were experts in other fighting styles such as boxing, karate, taekwondo or kickboxing, their skills would not be enough to win a fight if they did not incorporate BJJ into their game. After this, BJJ started to expand globally and continues to grow in popularity to this day.
-Carlos Gracie, Sr.
“There is no losing in Jiu-Jitsu. You either win or you learn.”
-Relson Gracie
“The big, strong, tough guy goes to class, and he keeps getting tapped by the skinny, technical guy. It begins to change him. It makes him humble. That’s what Jiu-Jitsu does to you. It makes you humble.”
LET’S ROLL.
Join us on the mat to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Practice your technique, improve your conditioning and mobility, build confidence, and never look back.
