Gracie Barra North Austin is a fanstastic place to train. If you don't already know, Gracie Barra has been one of the top BJJ teams in the world for a very long time. So if you're looking for solid BJJ - whether for self-defense, to improve your health, or even to compete in tournaments, you will get it at Gracie Barra. But more than that, Gracie Barra is a COMMUNITY. When the founder Carlos Gracie Jr. was young, he had a chance to spend a number of years in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro, surrounded by a large contingent of his uncles, brothers, cousins and more, all constantly training jiu-jitsu and living the Gracie lifestyle. This experience imprinted on Carlos the importance of family and of community, not just for learning martial arts, but for living the good life. This is what Gracie Barra is all about. This isn't Gracie SMASH! Or Gracie JUST BLEED! It's Gracie Barra - "Barra" being the neighborhood in Rio where it was located. And it's this neighborhood feel - the feeling of real community, that you will find when you train at GB, even if you go to locations in other towns! And when you meet Professor Ricardo, you will immediately feel how much he cares for his students. I hope no one gets mad at me for telling this story, but when I first came to check it out, there was actually a student who was struggling with payments. Professor Ricardo didn't hesitate to tell him over and over not to worry about it, that they would work it out, to just keep coming and training. I have been training martial arts off an on for a long time, I have trained a variety of places all around Austin over the years, and I have known numerous cool teachers and schools, but I have NEVER heard any of them say something like that! There are a lot of BJJ schools in Austin, and many of them teach good jiu-jitsu. Many of them also have nice people and a good community, and some don't. But I don't know any of them that have a Professor who cares as much about his students, in their lives and in their BJJ. And this is the tone that he sets, and how all the other students are as well. So if you're going to be spending hours upon hours rolling around with a bunch of people, risking your personal safety and trusting it in their hands, don't you want to do it with people you know are looking out for you every step of the way, from your very first day? This is what you will find at Gracie Barra North Austin, and it's why I chose to come here after checking out practically every other place in North Austin.
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Posted 10 years ago