Emmanuela Oliveira 
Thierry Felipe, a competitor from Bahia, is a clear example of the transformative power of projects that offer professional and personal training for its athletes. A purple-belt always present on the podium of the main IBJJF tournaments, Thierry is one of the young people developed by the methodology of Ninja Stars International, an project, led by black belt Felipe ‘Ninja’ Pinto, which selects promising competitors for training in USA.
Regarding the 2023 season, Thierry said in a chat with the VF Comunica team that, overall, his competitive experiences were viewed positively. In the biggest and most challenging IBJJF tournaments, the Worlds, Gi and No Gi, Thierry was only stopped in the final. As a reward for long-term hard work, he was promoted to purple-belt in one of these tournaments, on the podium of the Gi World.
“I evaluate my 2023 season in a very positive way. I got the podium in every IBJJF Grand Slam championship I fought. Of course, I wasn’t satisfied with second place in all of them, but I made great progress as an athlete coming to the United States, learning another language. So, I’m very grateful to have lived through this season.”, he analyzes.
As a member of the project, Thierry Felipe learned to identify his mission
The 20-year-old athlete, nine of them dedicated to Jiu-Jitsu, highlights the gold at the AJP Grand Slam in Miami and the runner-up in the IBJJF Pan No Gi as the main achievements of his first months as a purple-belt. In this improvement process, in accordance with the structure of Ninja Stars International, he points to the identification of a purpose as one of the benefits acquired.
“Today I see that my biggest evolution as an athlete and human being was my self-control that I gained with Jiu-Jitsu, evolving into a better and more controlled person. Training with Ninja I learned many things, but one of the main ones was about purposes. Each one has their purpose, each one has their mission and he makes this very clear, helping us to discover ours. This is fundamental for every step I take in life.”, says the athlete in a moment of reflection.
Driven by the 2024 objectives, a season full of open doors, Thierry reveals that the current goal is the IBJJF PanAms. Before that, he will have to warm up and put his Jiu-Jitsu to the test. The Memphis and the Dallas Open, from the same international federation, are the first tournaments that will have Thierry in action.
