Testimonials | Gracie Barra Campbelltown

Dan Peters
What Jiu Jitsu can teach corporate Australia

1) Passion: No matter what, Professor Marcelo brings his ‘A-Game’ to class. For a truly world-class practitioner of his art, it is an impressive reminder of how important it is to love what you do. This is evident whether he’s running Fundamentals classes for white belts, or high level black belt training … there is true joy in every session. As I look at the work I do with my team, I now ask myself the question “can I bring that kind of passion to what I do – and if so, how different might the results be that we as a team achieve?”
2) Commit to the process: I watched the Professor commit to training for the World Championships this year. Even though he was clear that the result there was much less important than the process of committing to the training – the dedication I witnessed was inspirational. Like many of us with “regular” jobs – he has competing priorities: family, business, personal finances etc – but he made a decision to commit, and followed through. So often, the hardest thing in corporate life is to really give everything for a project where success is not guaranteed. Watching this was a real reminder that a focus on the process is so much more important than the outcome. Control the things you can control – and the results look after themselves.”

Sarah O’Brien
Support from Everyone

“The first feeling I had after (the competition) this morning was the warmth of gratefulness and pride that comes from being part of Gracie Barra. I know there was a time in my life when I didn’t do jiu jitsu, but now I can’t fathom life without it. Thank you for your support, your knowledge, friendship, putting up with minor meltdowns before comp, making me laugh, making sure I don’t die, challenging me constantly, being all-around amazing and giving me more than I could have ever expected from a sport.”

John Pryor
High Performance Athletes

“Marcelo has been a pioneer in grappling sports in Australia. I first engaged him at the Brumbies in 2004, and he quickly developed a syllabus of grappling drills that were specific to rugby from both a technical and condition perspective. Furthermore, when at the Wallabies in 2005-2007 I sent many players to him for individual and small group training. Without exception, the players love his sessions and appreciate the value for specific game preparation. Eight years on, I still seek to update my knowledge with Marcelo. He is the best grappling coach I have worked with.”

Dean Benton
Jiu-Jitsu for Rugby

“Marcelo has been fantastic in helping us design our contact skill and conditioning programs for the 2012/2013 pre-season and season. His technical skill and coaching ability set him apart from other coaches. He has a long history with the Brumbies conditioning team”

Marcio Spindola
Weight Loss

Marcio Spindola lost 20kg going from white belt to blue belt!

Peter Mercer
Weight Loss

“For anyone who, like me, is looking to start after 45, I would greatly encourage you to try. Nerves, fitness, size or age have not been a barrier for me. I continue to learn and even look forward to going. It is a very rewarding challenge and I look forward to rising to the challenge for a long time to come.”

Rob McGovern
Kids

“Gracie Barra has been oustanding for my daughter. Her confidence has grown so much in the eight months since she joined. So much so that she recently competed in her first competition with complete confidence. Great coaches and a real team environment that I hope she will be a part of for life.”

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