Charles Gracie Academy Richmond District
At Charles Gracie Academy Richmond District, we are driven by two fundamental beliefs.
The first is that Jiu-jitsu is the single greatest thing to bring into their lives for any person regardless of age, physical size or present state of conditioning. We believe that every person acquires substantial benefits entering our school for they will become the best version of themselves possible.
Why?
Because it’s hard to think of anything else that works in so many ways to improve the student.
In the form of self-defense techniques, students will achieve learning skills for both mind and body.
The mind will achieve a newfound confidence about oneself and a positive attitude towards others that includes respect as well as mercy. The spirit, will be enhanced with feelings of self discipline and control of things around them. Additionally, determination and will are enhanced from positive reinforcement as new and effective techniques are learned and perfected. Overall, attaining an optimum level of athleticism and stamina, complimented by newfound confidence and will achievement is the critical combination that strengthens the ability to know how to defend oneself from physical threats.
Our Academy embodies the culture of the Charles Gracie network where a family atmosphere is the foundation of the school. Where as master Carlos Gracie once said: “You don’t win or lose. You win or learn”.
We begin in the Richmond District in San Francisco with a first-class facility located close to the two busiest muni bus lines in the city. Visit us today and find out more.
OUR CULTURE
While many choose to imagine a form of rivalry between Gracie Jiu-jitsu and its ancestral art, Judo, we studied the evolution of Jiu-jitsu and found no such conflict. When Helio lost his famous match to Kimura in 1951, Kimura was so respectful he invited Master Helio to Japan. When the Japanese started MMA in a big way, the first thing they did was invite Rickson Gracie, then the family champion, to compete against their catch wrestling idol. Rickson then the next year, won four fights in a single night and caused Japanese wrestlers to begin learning jiu jitsu. Then subsequently, the Gracie Family to engage their best grapplers in an event named BUSHIDO 1. The Gracie family battled an entire country. We proudly hang the poster from that event in our school. When Rickson was asked post fights, who created his art he immediately gave credit to Matsuo Maeda a student of Jigoro Kano (who had resurrected Judo from its restrictions in Japan by limiting its most deadly techniques) .
Master Carlos Gracie and his brother Helio, in essence, created the modern form of what today is called Jiu-jitsu, with its innovative and creative urges to always improve how the techniques work. At the same time, the brothers felt it was always imperative that one distinguish between what works in the street in hand to hand combat under pressure, from those moves which attract attention and flash, but cant be efficiently executed by those who need them the most to defend themselves. From Rolls Gracie we got the wisdom of finding the best solutions to problems wherever they can be found not being limited to how someone decided decades ago and put it in a book. We decided to emphasize where these incredible skills came from as much as we celebrate doing them today. The traditions of the art, such as bowing before entering the mat, have a reason. It is to acknowledge that someday you might have to use these skills on “the battlefield”. The Japanese invented a term to describe the mental and spiritual state, that must accompany the physical state needed to execute skills, known as Bushido or “the way of the warrior”. It is to recognize you have honor to defend, you have the capacity for mercy, respect for the opposition while determined to prevail over them. Last but not least the dedication and persistence to perfect the techniques of combat so that you can defend your honor and those you love.
While over two thousand years old if one seeks the origin of its physical concepts, its objective has always been the same. To provide the skills needed to defend oneself, without a weapon in hand, even if against a much larger, stronger, and perhaps meaner adversary who seeks to dominate you, in the school yard, in the parking lot, on a date, or in the MMA cage.
Our goal is dedicated towards giving every student we get the opportunity to teach, this ability. Lastly to connect them to the History of the greatest form of self defense ever created.
