There’s nothing like teaching Jiu-Jitsu to foreigners in Brazil in a paradisiacal place, in the northeast of Brazil, the country where the martial art was born. This was one of the ideas that motivated Roney Edler to plan a camp in Jericoacoara, Ceará, led by Luan Carvalho, a black-belt from Nova União and a longtime friend of the Sertão BJJ leader. The camp attended by Roney’s foreign students took place in early June, with satisfactory participation from these students who are just starting their journey in the sport.
“They really enjoyed the experience in Brazil, they were able to see where I am from and how we train in Brazil, without the benefits they are used to in America. They already talked about next year and about competing, but we couldn’t compete (in the Fortaleza Open) because the CBJJ/IBJJF sets up the fight days differently compared to the United States. This messed up the logistics we had to do to buy the return flight tickets.”.
With more Jiu-Jitsu activities in the northeast of Brazil, Roney intends to expand the opportunities
In addition to the attractive place for a foreign public, holding a camp in the northeast is Roney’s own initiative to decentralize the promotion of Jiu-Jitsu in specific regions of the country. With this, he hopes to highlight athletes without many resources and strengthen a part of Sertão BJJ that is established in Brazil. In Fortaleza, the team has just gained another academy, led by professor Valmir Soares, who decided to join the growing team.
“The teams only give preference to a specific part of the country and I always insisted on holding camps in the northeast, because not everyone can afford to go to a camp in Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo, for example. I was never listened to or helped by the teams I worked for, but I repeat that opportunities always go to a privileged group. At Sertão, we are already doing things differently.”.
The success of the camp with Luan Carvalho in Jericoacoara made Roney want to return to Brazil more often during the year, further strengthening relations with the partners he holds dear in Brazil.
“We have our team in Brazil, with all our academies in Ceará, which is the birthplace of the team. Starting in 2024, with the first edition of the Sertão BJJ camp in June, I will be going to Brazil twice a year: in December, as always, and now every June with the camp that will become an annual tradition in the northeast of Brazil.”.