Evaristo Medrano trains with brother Roberto Medrano in their garage in Texas.
In recent weeks, GRACIEMAG.com brought readers a great number of stories and pictures in the “Home-Jitsu” series of articles. For those who never imagined it before, the different ways Jiu-Jitsu can be important in the lives of those who practice it became apparent. The gentle art socializes, smooths over differences, unites people, is good for the health, empowers, strengthens… In a nutshell, Jiu-Jitsu is addictive!
It’s so addictive that a lot of hooked practitioners aren’t satiated just by class at the gym. They take Jiu-Jitsu home with them. In the final article from the series, we recount a few more cases:
Evaristo Medrano trains in San Antonio at BTT Texas, an academy led by Murilo Bustamante black belt Marcelo Salazar. However, when he returns to his birthplace, South Padre Island, he doesn’t put training aside. His brother and friends roll freely in his mother’s garage. “We’ve been doing it for the last four years. It’s something special, especially in the heat of the Texas summer!”
Brazil’s northeast harbors more home training adept.
“I’m a Home-Jitsu practitioner in Fortaleza, Ceará, and I train at Evolution Fight Team. I set up a place for us to swap positions and roll. And there’s no excuse for not bringing a gi because there’s always one available! And the gang is really tightly knit, too,” says Paulo Cesar.
Silas Fabiano, from Rio Grande do Norte, made a point of getting his family to train: “Extending training to one’s home is truly something natural to anyone who likes Jiu-Jitsu. Once I discovered Gracie Barra Natal, I signed up and never stopped. Now I have a dojo and managed to get by brother-in-law to train. I’m also getting my daughter into it. She always asks me: ‘Dad, where’s my gi, let’s train!”
Lit. John practices "Home-Jitsu" and medal collecting.
Back in the USA, eight-year-old João “Lit. John” Marcelo came to our attention. The kid is a Pan-American champion and 19-time winner of Naga, as well as other titles, and practices wrestling to boot! “Lit. John” trains under Marcelo Ribeiro at Gracie Barra North Austin, but also complements his training by rolling in his garage at home!
Now on to Rio de Janeiro: “My daughter Kyara (1 year, 4 months) is already comfortable in the gi she was given by her godfather Fábio Andrade, a Nova União Bangu black belt,” says also-black belt Kylson Mota.
To reread all the stories and review the pictures, click here. Do you practice “Home-Jitsu” too?