Gabriel Almada 
Professor Marcos Cunha has established himself as a benchmark in Jiu-Jitsu teaching in southern Brazil and now lives in the United States. Marcos is the leader of The Match Champ and in December he will open his new academy in Kansas City.
It’s worth noting that Marcos started this work in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, and also has branches in Celina, Ohio, and Danbury, Connecticut. Marcos Cunha has now been in Jiu-Jitsu for over 30 years and has established himself thanks to his consistency.
He has revealed several promising young athletes, such as Bruno Sena, Duda Tozoni and Camila Reis, for example.
The VF Comunica team turned to Marcos Cunha and asked the black belt to list five tips for athletes to become wiser competitors in Jiu-Jitsu. Check out his advice below:
1. Believe in yourself
Trust in yourself and tell yourself that you can do it. I maintain that the greatest challenge will be to overcome yourself first and foremost.
2. Be close to your coach
Have a good rapport with your coach and trust the process they have created. The coach sees things that you don’t. So if you’re in tune with each other, even your opponent won’t notice your communication – sometimes it’ll be gestural and sometimes it’ll be visual.
3. Be prepared
Several aspects need to be aligned. You need to have the right mindset, strength, technique and physique to compete in the best possible way.
4. Get out of your comfort zone
Get out of your comfort zone and train – that’s where the real problem lies.
5. Train with the best
During your rolls, look for the toughest training rather than the easiest. Easy workouts don’t make you progress. On the other hand, the hard ones make you tough.
