Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlson Gracie Jr.
Carlson, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on July 27, 1969. My family and friends call me Junior and I’m the only son of the legendary Grand Master Carlson Gracie, Sr. and the grandson of the founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Carlos Gracie. I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of three under my father at his academy in Copacabana Rio de Janeiro. There is where I not only learned Jiu-Jitsu, but also competed on one of the first truly great Jiu-Jitsu teams of all time. The Carlson Gracie Team. Throughout my younger years, I competed in both sport Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts tournaments as well as Greco-Roman Wrestling.
In 1996, I moved to Chicago to open one the first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu School in Chicago with some of my students from Brazil who were already living in there. We have evolved into one the biggest JiuJitsu teams here in the Midwest, and currently make our home in the Logan Square neighborhood at our new team headquarters. The Carlson Gracie Team has affiliations all over the country and all over the world. Our headquarters in Logan Square is an environment where you have diversity of all kinds, from all over the world coming together to share and train Jiu-Jitsu with one another.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Of course with every venture you have some struggles, especially in my case where the first hurdle was learning English so I could teach the classes. My father had the same problem when he was alive and teaching here in Chicago as well. Fortunately we always found a way to make it work, and of course we managed to get better at English along the way. That was a fairly simple issue to deal with. We also had to go through some learning curves with the business, but overall there isn’t anything I would change. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, make new friends, raise my son, and grow my family circle here in Chicago.
Carlson Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Headquarters – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a martial arts school specializing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which is a martial art that was passed down to me from my father, and grandfather. It is a grappling martial art, similar to Judo, but with more emphasis on the groundwork, submissions and self-defense. We also have a very good Muay Thai boxing program at our academy, which has been producing some amazing standup fighters.
We are a competition orient academy, meaning we aim to ready willing participants for tournament success of all kinds, be it Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, submission grappling tournaments, or Mixed Martial Arts. With that said, our academy is there to be an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone. The novice, the person who just wants to come in and workout for health reasons, the person who simply wants more confidence for self-defense, the person who wants to try something fun and active to make friends, etc. We want, and we strive to be a gym that helps you become the person you choose to be on and off the mats.
Our academy is built on the traditions passed down to me from my father, grandfather, and those legendary warriors from Japan that gave us the roots for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and for this reason we know that it is not only about victory or defeat in completion, but also about helping people achieve personal success in a friendly welcoming environment. The tradition, the knowledge, and the commitment to serving our students is what sets us apart.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
To me, success centers around our mission. The mission that was passed down to me from my father. That mission is to show the effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a martial art that can have impactful and positive change on a person’s life. If my students are finding that positive change and happy with their growth, then I believe we are achieving success. Of course, winning team titles is very gratifying as well, but I really believe that comes from enabling the individuals in our academy to find the best version of themselves and portraying that image in competition. Success is ensuring me and my instructors are doing their best to serve our students needs towards becoming the person they want to be. Showing them how to embrace the hard work and preparation needed to achieve success of any kind, and trusting that if they put their best effort forward and believe in their abilities, the success of the team will follow closely behind that. This process shows in the titles our team has won in recent events.
Contact Info:
- Address: Carlson Gracie Headquarters
2778 N. Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647 - Website: https://www.cgraciehq.com/
- Phone: 312-409-0566
- Email: info@carlsongraciefederation.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlsonGracieHQ/
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