Hi All,
We would like to envite all of our students to come and visit our second location on the city of Dana Point.
At this point we are building up the place and hopefully the mats will be laid down by the end of this week.
We will have our first open house Saturday at 10am.
Professor and some of our coaches will be leading a run on the school’s neighborhood….There has to be sweat involved guys!
We hope to see you all there.
Cheers!
GB San Clemente Team
GBSC Assistant Instructors’ Program Graduation Ceremony
On October 21, 2009, Gracie Barra San Clemente graduated five students from the 2nd cycle of its Instructors’ Program. Coaches, students and spectators gathered to watch Dr. Steve Cullen, Angy Ormande, Chris Reitan, Kanai Tagle and Scott Pearson inducted into GBSC’s Coaching Staff.
The Instructors’ Program requires 45 hours of training before the participants achieve the level of “Coach.” The hours are divided into 22 instructors-class hours, 18 hours assisting on the mats, and 5 full hours teaching classes to students.
GBSC Professor Flavio Almeida led the ceremony and quoted Master Carlos Gracie Jr.’s philosophy on teaching, “To teach is to make yourself progressively unnecessary.” Professor Flavio said he held the same belief and wanted to build leadership within his school and empower others so they could pass their knowledge of bjj onto others, “To teach jiu jitsu is the best way to learn jiu jitsu. It’s not about being better than others; it’s about teaching someone else. When you do that, you learn twice.” He then paid tribute to each of the five students. They received the GB Instructors’ Oath and were given new gi’s with the title, “COACH” on the back.
Professor Flavio ended the evening by thanking all of his newly appointed coaches for their time and dedication to the art of bjj, “I live a dream. Everyday I wake up, I am thankful for everything I have. Carlos Gracie is thankful to me for carrying on his dream of the bjj lifestyle and I am thankful to you for living my dream with me.”
The next Instructor’s Cycle begins in December. Please let us know if you would like to participate! Everyone’s welcome!
Cheers!
GBSC Team
A Letter from Professor Flavio to the GB San Clemente Team
Dear GBSC Team Members,
I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health and spirits.
Exactly 2 years ago Gracie Barra San Clemente was born. I still remember the start up meeting, at a Starbucks Cafe in Lake Forest, where
Coach Felipe and I met to discuss our vision. Over a cup of coffee, we decided to pursue the dream of building a Gracie Barra school in San
Clemente. We were committed to creating a center of excellence in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instruction that would allow anyone to experience our
sport and embrace a better lifestyle.
Back then, Felipe did not know that the school was on the top of a hill in the middle of nowhere and that the only “walk-in customers” we
would have would be the rabbits, coyotes, and roadrunners that pop in every once and a while. But what Felipe also did not know, and neither
did I, was that the “school on top of the hill” would have the blessings of so many great people. Since we opened, each and every one of our
students has played a major role in building our school and our team. Your enthusiasm, passion, discipline, dedication, and commitment have
made our dream possible.
As we traveled this journey, we learned a great deal about the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and our roles as instructors. We realized that Jiu-Jitsu
instruction is not an end in itself but rather a tool that, if used properly, can have a very positive impact on individuals and communities. From
that realization followed a transformation of our dreams and an expansion of our vision: we have embraced the challenge of using the lessons
learned in building GBSC to reach out to other cities and benefit more people. In doing so we believe we will better fulfill our responsibilities
as ambassadors of our sport and place an even more more meaningful contribution in keeping alive the Legacy of the Gracie Family.
To achieve that, one of the main questions posed to us was: how can we replicate GBSC? In other words, how can we replicate our selves? Yes
we wanted to pursue the big vision but we wanted to do that while we continued to improve the quality of classes and programs of our main
school: Gracie Barra San Clemente.
We debated for many months how we could make it happen. The answer was quite complex and had many components but luckily a great asset
came in and made the solution possible: our people. The constant improvement of our school over the last two years went side by side with
the development of our team of instructors and staff. From a team of 2 people with a few helpers on the first months, we grew to over ten qualified instructors and supporting staff: Felipe Guedes, Charles Gomes, Kanai Brown, Ginger Carter, Vivi Almeida. Mike Pesh, Dave Acosta,
Peter Aracovits, Angy Ormonde, Scott Pearson, Steve Cullen, and Chris Raitan. All these people are placing a remarkable contribution to all
our students by sharing with them their knowledge and passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
A strong team of instructors was the missing link and thanks to all these people we are now 100% ready to start our second location: Gracie
Barra Dana Point. Through their efforts we will be able to replicate exactly the same classes and training experience on both schools. The new
school will be close enough so you can go there whenever you would like. We will have a tracking system that will ensure the classes taken at
any one of the two locations counts towards your promotion. The GBDP class schedule will mirror the GBSC class schedule so you can benefit
from the time of classes that are more convenient for you. Instead of having 40 classes per week you will now have over 60 classes per week
that you can choose and pick. Another big gain for us is that among the two schools there will be more training partners and a constant exchangeof knowledge that will facilitate the technical development of our students.
Gracie Barra Dana Point will open its doors on Monday, November 16th. We have scheduled two open houses so our students, their friends and
family can come to check out their second home school. The first will be Sunday, November 7th at 10am and the Second will be Sunday, November 15th at 11am. Stay tuned on the activities planned for these events since they will be unique and a lot of fun.
We hope to have your support in realizing our dream of changing as many peoples’ life’s as possible through the way of Jiu-Jitsu.
See you on the mats.
Prof. Flavio Almeida
Head Instructor
Gracie Barra San Clemente
Dear All, see below all the pictures from Gracie Barra San Clemente Students that were promoted last week. Students can download their pictures and save it as a memory of such a special moment!!! Cheers GB San Clemente Team
GBSC Buddy Week Starts Sunday!
Don’t miss this great opportunity to share your GB BJJ experience with the people that you love and care about. Remember, more than the techniques you are learning, the lifestyle you are embracing through the way of Jiu-jitsu, is something very special that could benefit many people around you. Buddy Week is a unique opportunity for you to share that. Just call GBSC so we can have a uniform ready for them.
Parents and Kids Class
Next Saturday is Halloween, and what better way to spend the morning but on the mats at GBSC with your family! Bring your kids and spouse for a great workout Sat morning at 9am. Hope to see you there!
Cheers!
GBSC Team
Attn. All Gracie Barra Competition Network members and supporters,
Thank you all for helping to build a wonderful BJJ tournament. All of you who competed, watched on, volunteered, or just screamed your head off, be sure to tell everyone in your life about how much you enjoyed your weekend. Explain to them that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is for everybody, tournaments are for everybody, and lets make the next event even better. You don’t HAVE to compete, the energy in the air is enough just being in the arena. Share this with your friends, and your family, and we can continue to make something great, even better.
Results are posted here: 2nd South Cal 2009.
Photos are being uploaded as we speak. There are some beautiful images available with Tamara Young photography. Check them out here: Photos.
Again THANK YOU everyone! We hope that you all enjoyed it! Please feel free to drop us an email @ www.gbcompnet.com with any suggestions or comments. We are listening.
Sincerely,
GBCN STAFF
New Coaches Graduating Today!!
Please join us at the GBSC Graduation ceremony tonight at 7:45 p.m.!! Everyone’s invited and we’d love to see you there! Our new coaches have been playing a major role in introducing BJJ for our beginner students and our Little Champions. Come congratulate Chris, Kanai, Steve, Scott, and Angy as they are officially inducted into GBSC as “COACHES!”
GBSC Instructors Program 3rd Cycle
We are excited to announce that on December 4th, 2009 we will be launching the 3rd cycle of our Instructors Program! As you all know, our coaches have a very important role at GBSC by helping the beginner students and our Little Champions make their first “Jiu-Jitsu steps” in life!
At the instructors classes you will have the opportunity to learn the GB teaching and training methods, as well as the GB philosophy that lays the foundation for our school. The Instructors Program will be an exciting, ongoing journey that will challenge you, as much or even more than, your regular bjj classes.
If you would like to be part of the Instructors Program, please complete the form at http://spreadsheets.google.com/a/graciebarrasanclemente.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dC1RNFAtQWhPWmEwa1QwMXoxb2tDYkE6MA
Above is a nice group picture from Master Carlos Gracie Jr (sitting in front of the group) and GB members.
We had a great 2nd south cal classic tournament!
Every single one of the GB Competitors fought so hard and displayed phenomenal progress with technique & character! We could not be more proud of each and every one who participated.
Winning is always a fun experience and losing a match is but a momentary disappointment leading toward progress, perseverance and creativity. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players deserve a great deal of credit for showing up to compete, regardless of the results. of course it is in our nature to want to win.
We are participating together in the growth of what is commonly agreed to be the fastest growing sport in the world. With that, we all carry a leadership role as those who become interested in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts will turn to us for information, advice and guidance.
Many thanks to everyone at the GB Competition Network for putting on a great event and to all friends, families and competitors who made the event possible – thank you for your time, energy and resources in participating with us!
GB Association!
Everyone did an awesome job this past weekend. Stepping on the mats is a huge accomplishment. Congratulations to everyone who signed up and competed. We are all proud of you here at GBSC. Thanks to everyone who attended to support the GBSC team.
Here are some pics from the tournament.
GB Socal Classic Tournament:
Congratulations to all of our competitors! Thank you for representing GBSC with great Jiu-Jitsu, attitude and sportsmanship! It was a successful weekend for all!
Instructors program Graduation Ceremony:
Everyone’s invited! Please come to GBSC Wednesday, October 21st at 7:45 p.m!!!! Be here to congratulate our new coaches Steve, Scott, Kanai, Angy, and Chris!
Buddy Week is Back!
Buddy Week is coming up Next week. Bring your friends and family to GBSC to roll with you on the mats!!!
Parents and Kids Class:
GBSC’s Parents and Kids Class is on October 31st! Bring your family to GBSC for lots of fun on the mats!!!!
Cheers!
GBSC Team