Training With Marcelo Garcia
I wasn’t kidnapped by aliens this week, or snorkeling with the fishes in Hawaii, I was really training at Marcelo Garcia’s Jiu-Jitsu Academy on 25th W 36 St, in NYC. This was actually my second trip there in 5 months, and I can say without a doubt that this is best academy I have ever attended.
It was an exciting trip filled with top-notch instruction from Marcelo himself (who teaches all of the advanced classes, and spent time with me as I experimented with his unique “Spiral Arm Bar,”) and with talented instructors, and elite world competitors in their own right, Henrique Rezende and Paul Schreiner.
Yes I am a Black Belt, and yes, I got my ass handed to me on a plate anyway—proof that there is never an ending point to learning. Setting ego aside, and allowing myself to be in positions that are unfamiliar, and super difficult, allow me to see holes in my game, which gives me something concrete to work on. The willingness to put yourself out there and learn from your mistakes is what is going to get you to the next level. And I made some mistakes this week; that’s for sure, but I also gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and had a lot of fun.
I will be continuing to take these 1 week sabbaticals every 2-3 months, so that I can continue improving my Jiu Jitsu studies, and become the best possible practitioner and instructor I can, but also so I can share the knowledge I gain with my students, so together, we can create a power house Jiu Jitsu school in Rochester.
Marcelo Garcia has always been my favorite grappler, and it is so much fun training with him. He is also one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He goes out of his way to say hello to every student who comes through the academy, and is always smiling and joking around. When it’s time to train however, he expects everyone to give 100% all out effort, and is a force to be reckoned with. I was lucky enough to have dinner with him and friends my last night there, and I learned an incredible amount of information—from techniques, to training methods, to Jiu-Jitsu history, to just overall be privy to some pretty funny stories—and I’m looking forward to sharing what I learned with my students this coming week!
*Condensed list of accomplishments by Marcelo, Henrique and Paul
Marcelo Garcia: 2011 Middle-Weight World Champion, 5 time Black Belt World Champion, 3 time ADCC Champion
Henrique Rezende: Fabio Gurgel Black Belt, 2010 No Gi Pan Am Champion, Pan Am Black Belt medalist, Sao Paulo State champion at the Purple and Brown Belt levels
Paul Schreiner: 3 time US Open Champion, Mundials and Pan Am medalist, coach for professional MMA fighters
