Gracie Barra Mission Statement:   

At the heart of the Gracie Barra Family's extraordinary success over the years is our strong philosophy and
mission as a group, a foundation which our masters laid many years ago, but is constantly made stronger by all of
the great people involved in our community.

Jiu-Jitsu is a beautiful art, and we have a vision of how it should be taught, as well as how our community should
work together for common, powerful, and positive goals. To achieve this vision, we must remember to come
together as a family, always putting the team in frong of oneself. For that, we will fight to the end for what we
believe is right.

(By Master Carlos Gracie Jr and Professor Marcio Feitosa)

The History of Gracie Barra:

Professor Carlos Gracie Jr. is the founder and head instructor of the Gracie Barra Academy, the largest Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu school in the world, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The son of Carlos Gracie, the pioneer of Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Gracie Jr., has produced well over 200 black belts in his tenure, which today includes numerous
world class instructors and athletes.

At the heart of the Gracie Barra mission statement is the goal of training both the body and spirit, going beyond
the 'winning-losing' or 'contest' philosophy present in other martial arts. Instead, Professor Carlos Gracie Jr.
emphasizes the fundamental principle of Jiu-Jitsu: "Minimum effort for maximum efficiency," a method of
utilizing strength through gentleness, an expression exemplifying both the mental and physical aspects of
Jiu-Jitsu. In Professor Carlos' mind, Jiu-Jitsu was in fact a method of education, which could be used to foster
one's personal development. Professor Carlos considered the goals of Jiu-Jitsu to revolve around three
aspects: physical education, personal achievement, and ethical growth. In other words, through the practice of
Jiu-Jitsu, one would complete their personal development through the training of body and mind, becoming a
person better able to contribute to society and the world. Recognizing the never-ending quest for
self-perfection, even today Professor Carlos continues to study these techniques and principles with his
students. The constant development of techniques demonstrates Professor Carlos' adherence to these
principles, continuously striving for further progress and knowledge.

In spreading the values of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Professor Carlos is also the head of the IBJJF (International
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, www.cbjj.com.br) the largest international organization for overseeing the growth
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The IBJJF is the organizer of the largest competition tournaments in the world including
the World Championships of Jiu-Jitsu ("Mundials"), held in Rio every July, the Pan-American Championships held
in Dominguez Hills, California, the European Championships held in Portugal, also held annually. This year also
marks the first Asian Championships to be held in Japan.
History
"Organized like a team, Fighting like a family"