The work being done at Pirâmide Grappling to bring Judo techniques into no-gi Jiu-Jitsu is innovative on an international scale. The specialist in charge of this methodology at the team’s headquarters, in Barra da Tijuca, is Rodrigo Braga, a black belt in both Judo and Jiu-Jitsu.
Rodrigo, known on the competition circuit as ‘Braguinha’, built his Judo experience through years of total dedication to the martial art. Pressure is impossible to avoid in that environment, since Judo, like any Olympic sport, has extremely strict and exclusive selection processes. It wasn’t exactly the pressure that drove ‘Braguinha’ away from elite competition as a judoka. In an interview with The Mat Nation, he said the Olympic cycles prompted him to seek a new career, without leaving Judo behind as his foundation.
“The pressure of the Olympic environment wasn’t why I left. I left by choice, because Judo runs on four-year Olympic cycles. So after the Tokyo Olympics, I decided to retire because I didn’t want to spend another four years as an athlete. That’s how I focused on my coaching career. I was 26 at the time and thought it was the right moment to build another career. That’s how Jiu-Jitsu came into my life,” he said.
A native of Brasília, Rodrigo landed at Pirâmide after his time at Instituto Reação, founded by Flávio Canto. His years there were rich in knowledge he will carry for life. Beyond fighting techniques themselves, Rodrigo teaches with a sense of professionalism, something built into the daily life of an athlete shaped by the routine of an Olympic sport.
“My experience in Olympic sport helped a lot in developing Judo applied to grappling because of the professionalism. Career management, behavior on the mats, I brought all of that into my teaching methodology,” he explained.
TODAY, RODRIGO’S BIGGEST GOAL IS TO SHAPE CHILDREN THROUGH SPORTS EDUCATION
Rodrigo is a competitor, but today his main mission is developing kids with the aim of turning them into capable adults, on and off the mats. Judo has powerful tools for that. It is a Japanese martial art, with Eastern roots that include principles of respect and hierarchy.
“Pirâmide has been innovating in developing kids in grappling. In Brazil, there aren’t many academies doing this kind of work. My background, along with my degree in Physical Education, gives me the foundation of what is done at the elite level with children in Judo, applied to Jiu-Jitsu. I want to develop black belts on and off the mats. Martial arts, Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, are excellent for helping children become competent adults in many areas of life,” he said.
WRESTLING IS STILL THE WIDE FAVORITE IN GRAPPLING, BUT JUDO IS GOING THROUGH A PHASE OF RECOGNITION
In grappling training methodology, it is very common to give more attention to wrestling techniques. The goal is to make an athlete’s standing game more strategic and better equipped to land and defend takedowns. To talk about Judo in a grappling context, one barrier has to be removed: the absence of the gi.
“First, we need to understand which Judo techniques are the most effective in the reality of grappling. So you also need some understanding of wrestling. That’s because of the lack of grips. Judo has the gi. I need to understand what kind of grips I have to use in no-gi to be able to use Judo fundamentals. It’s through wrestling that I can understand which Judo techniques I can apply based on the grips available to me, as well as my opponents’ actions and reactions,” he detailed.
An expert on the subject, Rodrigo admits there is an adaptation gap due to the lack of a gi, but at the same time he proves it isn’t a deal-breaker. In how athletes behave in competition, familiarity with Judo can be a surprise edge that opponents still rarely exploit.
“A lot of people focus on wrestling, but as a pioneer of this adaptation in Brazil, I can say that every day, in competition, athletes are realizing that Judo is also a tool that helps with takedowns and submissions. Judo is very rich,” he concluded.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
