Gracie Camp opened right before I moved down to Rio and I knew once I go there we would want to cover it for the site. Carlos Gracie Jr. was nice enough to take the whole OTM crew out here for a day fun & training.Gracie Camp opened right before I moved down to Rio and I knew once I go there we would want to cover it for the site. Carlos Gracie Jr. was nice enough to take the whole OTM crew out here for a day fun & training. So Eric O, Peter the Greek, John blaze, Mr. Bean, Aaron “DMX” Riley and I joined Rigan Machado, Michael Dudikoff and Alvaro Romano of Ginastica Natural to spend a day at Gracie Camp to find out what it was all about. We learned real quickly it is all about training Jiu Jitsu in the lap of luxury.
Gracie Camp is just outside the city of Barra, where the beauty begins and the real world ends. Imagine if you could go to Fantasy Island. When you got there you found that Mr. Roarke is a red belt and Tattoo is a black belt. Not a bad fantasy for Jiu Jitsu Junkies like us. What else might you wish for in your Jiu Jitsu Fantasy come true? Maybe, you would wish for a Mundial Champion Black belt for privates everyday and no-gi classes taught by last years Abu Dhabi champion. Well with Marcio Feitosa as the head instructor and world champion instructors from Gracie Barra stopping by to teach too, there is no really no need to pinch yourself. Just jump on a plane and make your way down to Rio de Janeiro and start training.
Wake up not too early in either your private room or a shared room to a Gracie Diet breakfast. Warm up, stretch and get ready for your new coach and head instructor Marcio Feitosa to take command of your game. Each day starts out with a semiprivate class with you and the other campers. After class it is off to the showers, lunch and relaxing before you head off to test your new skills at the best testing zone in the world for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Gracie Barra. While you are relaxing you can look around at the amazing pictures everywhere that document the history and beauty of Gracie Jiu Jitsu or sit down and watch the unbelievable collection of videotapes of vale tudo, jiu jitsu, and submission wrestling. If you prefer to be out in nature, the grounds of the camp are no less breath taking than of Fantasy Island. On the edge of the mountains and what seems like the jungle to a gringo the scenery is awesome. Want to hit the beach? Prainha one of Rio’s best surf spots is just over the hill from the camp right close by.
Gracie Barra is indisputably the home of the most technical sport jiu jitsu fighters in the world. What better place to test those new skills you worked on in the morning with Feitosa. Brazil is the only place in the world you can find more black & brown belts on the mat training than white and blue belts put together. In Brazil the game is always being refined everyday. While in the states you are waiting around for someone to teach you a new move, these guys are creating moves on the fly. Gracie camp puts you right in the thick of it. It sounds intimidating right? Don’t worry they don’t throw you to the sharks. Your coach and teachers are right there watching you so they know what you need to work on the next morning in class back at the camp. Feitosa makes sure to fill all the holes in your game before returning the next night. After training everyone heads back to the camp for another balanced Gracie meal and then maybe hit the sauna to sooth those sore mussels and aching joins.
The Gracie Camp quite simply is the most kick ass place to step up your Jiu Jitsu game.
We wrote and shot this video before the very unfortunately accident that ended the Gracie Camp. The camp was burnt down one night due to an employee’s late night mishap. At this time we are not sure if the camp is being rebuilt or not. We certainly hope so because the camp was amazing. I had even hoped to spend a week there just to get away from life and just focus on my Jiu Jitsu.