Emmanuela Oliveira 
Gracie Barra Chandler, a academy of the prestigious team in Arizona, in the United States, has been showing good results in competitive terms under the leadership of Paulo Eduardo “Piu”. A veteran of Arte Suave, with more than two decades of Jiu-Jitsu practice, the black-belt detailed his athletes’ most recent achievements in an interview with the VF Comunica team.
Despite being successful, the competitive Gracie Barra Chandler team is relatively new, having been active for just two years. “In 2023 we already had fighters in all the main IBJJF championships in the United States and we also took a team of 13 kids to compete in the European Championship, in Dublin. We were pioneers with this competition team project at Gracie Barra in Arizona and today many other gyms have already started their projects.”, he says.
Paulo “Piu” is responsible for building a team of talents of all ages
In these initial years of dedicated work, the most significant results are due to the team of kids competitors. Three of them, trained by Paulo Eduardo, got first place in the IBJJF ranking, globally. At the Pan and European Kids, another achievement worthy of admiration: a total of ten gold medals, six silvers and five bronzes. Among the prodigies in this group, Luke Fidler occupies the central position. The athlete, a yellow-belt, finished 2023 undefeated, Pan and European Kids champion, ending the season at the top of the rankings.
When evaluating the juvenile’s part of the competitive team, the professor highlights the potential of Josh Luto and Christian Compian, a boy who played American football in high school, but who now dedicates his time entirely to Jiu-Jitsu. On the adult team, Paulo “Piu” mentions Lucas Castro. The competitor, recently promoted to black-belt, made a successful debut, winning gold in Gi and No Gi at the Orange County and Sacramento Open. At the IBJJF No Gi World Championship, Lucas took third place.
A good competitive performance is a consequence of discipline, as the black-belt says
Discipline is a topic that must be mentioned in the face of very well developed student training work. Paulo Eduardo says that demanding positive results in championships is not a behavior he adopts.
“I don’t force results in championships. My demand is that they always do their best every day in training. That they dedicate themselves and learn that it is discipline, on and off the mat – eating well, studying Jiu-Jitsu – that will make them have a great performance. This is the focus, on performance, which is the only thing we can control according to our dedication. The results will be a consequence of good performance and many other factors that we do not have full control over. The focus is always on what we can control.”, he explains, making it clear that being a champion is something built beforehand, which goes beyond having your arm raised by the referee.
Living in the United States for 11 years, Paulo Eduardo “Piu” is an active contributor to the growth of Jiu-Jitsu in Arizona. “Jiu-Jitsu in Arizona has grown a lot in recent years and is very competitive. Gracie Barra Chandler has stood out in local championships and we will continue working so that our students continue to have access to the highest level of Jiu-Jitsu.”, concludes.
