One of the first things people notice when they visit Gracie Barra Centennial isn’t the techniques being taught. It’s the atmosphere.
Students help each other. Higher belts encourage beginners. Coaches know students by name. Parents cheer for children who aren’t their own. That’s the culture we’ve worked hard to build, and it reflects this week’s Word of the Week perfectly.
Word of the Week: Teamwork
Definition: Teamwork means working together, supporting one another, and helping others succeed.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu may look like an individual sport, but no one improves alone.
Every technique you learn requires a training partner who is willing to help you grow. Every round on the mat is an opportunity to make someone else better while becoming better yourself. The strongest schools aren’t built on individual talent. They’re built on teammates who care about one another.
That is what we strive for every day at Gracie Barra Centennial.
This Week’s Curriculum
Every program at Gracie Barra Centennial is working the same position this week: Guard Bottom. Different ages, different techniques, same foundation — proof that guard isn’t a place you end up by accident, it’s a place GB students learn to live and fight from on purpose.
GB1 are drilling the Pendulum Sweep and its counters, along with strike defense and guard recovery from Turtle and Knee on Belly.
Little Champions 1 are working distance control and the Guard Pull, with the Outside Hook Take Down rounding out one class.
Little Champions 2 are attacking from Closed Guard with the Sit Up Sweep and the Kimura.
Tiny Champions are learning Kitten Guard — their first introduction to living safely underneath someone.
Juniors & Teens are sweeping and submitting from the guard with the Pendulum Sweep and the Arm Bar.
Five programs, one position, one lesson underneath it: nobody gets good at guard alone. It takes a partner willing to pressure you and a teammate willing to help you recover when you get stuck.
Learning From Professors Who Still Live the Journey
One of the advantages of training at Gracie Barra Centennial is learning from instructors who continue to challenge themselves on the mats.
Professor Robert Goodloe didn’t begin Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu until he was 39 years old. He earned his black belt under Professor Rafael Oliveira, has competed more than 75 times, earned IBJJF Pan American medals at every belt level from white through black, and still trains every chance he gets. His philosophy is simple:
“Help a student fall in love with the art and they’ll take themselves the rest of the way.”
Our lead instructor, Professor Francisco Junior Gois, brings the heart of Gracie Barra from Brazil to every class. Having trained since 2012 in Brasília and Fortaleza, Professor Junior is known for his technical precision, patience with beginners, and commitment to helping every student improve, whether it’s their first class or they’re preparing for competition.
Together, they set the standard for the culture you’ll experience every time you step onto our mats.
More Than Learning Techniques
This week you’ll drill the Pendulum Sweep, the Kimura, the Arm Bar, or Kitten Guard, depending on which program you’re in.
But just as importantly, you’ll learn how to be a better teammate.
You’ll celebrate someone else’s first stripe. You’ll help a new student feel comfortable being stuck underneath someone for the first time. You’ll shake hands after every round and leave knowing that everyone in the room helped each other improve.
That is what teamwork looks like.
And that’s what makes Gracie Barra Centennial more than a place to train. It’s a community where families, kids, and adults grow together through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
We look forward to seeing everyone on the mats this week. Let’s continue building each other up, one class at a time.
