We all do Jiujitsu because the passion and love we have for the sport. How often though, do you sit down either with a role model, coach, mentor, or elite athlete in the sport to pick their brain? We live in a society where our main form of communication is via electronics and we really have begun lacking real conversation. I often enjoy cross training at schools in my surrounding area, one of which is Conquest BJJ in Maryland, which is one of Vicente Junior’s teams. I had the privilege though to actually sit down for breakfast and have a conversation with 4th Degree De La Riva Black Belt, World and Pan American Champion, Vicente Junior. By the end of our conversation, I realized how enlightening it is to really get to know someone and find out what their back story is. Vicente Junior was extremely humble throughout the interview and one of the nicest people I have yet to meet in my BJJ journey. I hope you all enjoy this interview, because I definitely did! Many thanks to Vicente Junior for taking time out of his schedule to talk with me.
*Authors note* I know many people like to leave negative or hateful comments on articles just because they feel the need to. Please refrain and have respect for the interview posted. Thank you.
What age did you start training, and how did you get started in BJJ?
“I started when I was 13 years old, when I moved to Northeastern Brazil. I was born in San Paulo, which is Southeast Brazil. When I was 13, my parents decided to buy a house in Northeast, and then I tried to find some activities to do, so my brother put me in Judo. Actually it is funny because the way I started, it was because I used to watch Jan Claude Van Dame movies, and I was like ‘oh I wanna be like that guy,’ and my brother actually, he tried to put me in Kung Fu classes, but it didn’t work out because I was a very high-activity kid. When I got there the first day, they didn’t have the uniform or anything and I was like ‘oh I don’t wanna train this because they don’t have the uniform.’ So he put me in Judo. So I did Judo for 4 or 5 years. Then I met a guy who was a Blue Belt in Jiujitsu. He moved to the town and he didn’t know anybody, so we kind of like met. He’s like ‘oh I do Jiujitsu,’ and I was like ‘what is it?’ So we went to the Academy and I watched him beat up all Black belts. I was like ‘wow that’s kind of like cool, I wanna train that.’ We got together and put together a mat at his house, and that’s how we started training. Back in ’96.”
So long have you been training year to date?
“Like 20 years…almost 20 years.”
What are some of your biggest accomplishments that you’ve achieved so far? And what’s the biggest challenge that you’ve faced?
“I mean, the biggest accomplishment, I think it is to wake up every day and be able to do what I like to do you know what I mean? Because it’s a challenge every day, we have like new students. I like to say to train for tournaments and win tournaments are the hard part. Its keeping yourself on a high level and be able to do that over and over again, but the biggest accomplishment to me is to be able to teach someone and show that person, it’s amazing, how jiujitsu changed my life and how it can change that person’s life. So far the biggest challenge to me, was leaving my parents and team in Brazil and moving to the States to start a new life. When I came here, I came first and I didn’t bring my wife with me or anything, I was by myself and didn’t speak English at all. I had to learn by myself. I had to learn by teaching and talking, and that was the biggest challenge I had. I still don’t know how to speak Portuguese! Can you imagine English?”(laughing).
As far as BJJ goes, do you have a Bread and Butter move? A Go-to move when you train and compete?
“Yeah, I mean my main move, my A-game, since I was a white belt was the armbar you know what I mean? I never change, it still works I don’t know why (semi-laughing). People know what I am gonna do, but im kind of like ‘oh what am I gonna do?’ Sometimes I ask that question for me. It’s funny, It’s like ‘what am I gonna do against this guy?’ But I know what’s going on, and those guys know what I’m gonna do, but ya know, it still works. I mean, of course I did improve my game a lot the past 5 years . The past 5 years living in the States, I’ve improved my game much more than my whole career in Jiujitsu. I like to do other stuff. I like to do sweeps and chokes, but my main game is still armbar.”
So you do so well in competition, how do you physically and mentally prepare to compete?
“Well, I try to wake up earlier. As early as I can, that way I can go to the gym, do my training, and get my cardio. That way I can plan out my whole day like my parents and stuff, and go to the gym and teach and do my privates. Then get some time between that to do my drills. That is how I tried to get prepared. I train as much as I can every day. I have something on my mind, I dunno, it’s kind of like crazy. Sometimes I have to train the day before the tournament, because if I don’t I feel like I’m going to suck. That’s how I feel, and sometimes people are like ‘oh you’re crazy man, you need to rest.’ But in my mind, if I don’t drill, if I don’t roll, it will drive me crazy. I mean, that’s how I do the cardio part. I try to run a little bit just to keep my weight. Mentally, when I step on the mats I always think like no one there trained more than I did, you know what I mean? That is how I see it. It’s like no way that guy can beat me. He didn’t train…I am pretty sure he didn’t wake up at 4 am. I’m pretty sure he didn’t train yesterday. He was cutting weight…I mean I was cutting weight too but I was training ya know? That’s how I think. Those things motivate me a lot.”
Can you tell me a little bit about your trip to Brazil and your seminar and your most recent belt promotion?
“Well, it’s always nice to go to my hometown and see my parents, and see my students and stuff like that. I mean, it’s crazy, because every time I go there, there are over 200 people in the seminar. Sometimes I feel like do I deserve that? You know what I mean? Like why are there so many people here? It’s funny because I was telling my student like ‘man if I put together all the pictures I took since I was a little kid until now…it’s like I took so many more just in one day.’ People were like coming in saying ‘can I have a picture?’ After the seminar there was my logo behind me and everyone wanted to take a picture over there, and when I looked in front of me there was a huge wall of people waiting to come and take a picture. I just made like that sign (makes thumbs up sign) and just like smile to the camera and was like ‘okay I’m gonna stay here, you guys just keep coming ‘(laughs). Because I was just so tired at that point, but it was funny. Like I said, is very nice to go there. It’s very nice to see that people are watching what you do. It’s awesome. I saw like, 13 and 14 year old kids, come to me like ‘aw man you’re the best guy!’ I mean like I know there are better guys then me, but it’s just so cool to have people say like ‘You’re the best! And it so emotional to be here next to you ‘, and I was like I mean I’m not THAT person, but alright, but it was so cool. (He was so humble talking about this.) Getting my fourth degree was very, very emotional for me because I haven’t been to Rio for like 6 years. I used to go there like every year to train, and spend like 2 or 3 months with Master De La Riva. Master De la Riva is like a father. You need to know him to understand how it feels to me being there. He’s a great person, like his Jiujitsu is amazing. I kind of like knew because he called me and said ‘Oh you’re in Brazil?’ I was like ‘yes Master, I am here.’ Then he was like ‘Oh you need to come here. I want to see you. You need to come to Rio, you haven’t been here for a while.’ Then I was like okay so…I called my wife. I asked her if she could get the connection changed so I could spend a day in Rio, and she said she could. I had to spend like $500 dollars for that. I was gonna joke and say, ya know what, I’m gonna post my picture like getting my degree and being there with De La Riva and say like change the ticket for real, like $500 dollars and getting your 4th degree from De La Riva is priceless…but I’m still broke !(laughs). Everybody say like ‘man that’s so cool, you’re a 4th degree Black Belt.’ I say it just means I’m very old right now.” (laughs).
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to anybody training in this sport?
“Don’t give up your dreams, and believe. Don’t stop believing and train. Train hard ya know what I mean? You have to wake up earlier and chase your dreams. Sometimes people just dream, dream, dream and say like I wish this, I wish that….it’s not only wishing you know what I mean? It’s chasing. It’s doing. Wake up earlier, and do whatever you have to do to get there. Train harder and help others with their dreams as well. That’s a rule, like, as much as you do for yourself and others, you’ll make yourself better.”
So what is your definition of success in terms of Jiujitsu?
“I guess like training and don’t stop competing. It doesn’t matter how many times you fail, you know what I mean? It’s better to fall short then to not fail at all. It’s funny, I was telling my friends I was watching the end of the Amazing Spiderman 2. I love superheroes and superhero movies. I love it, I watch it all the time. It’s funny, I dunno, everyone has their trigger points. I have mine, which is watching superhero movies. They always have good messages. I grew up watching Superman. I’m a huge superman fan. It makes me sad because this generation thinks it’s cool to follow the bad guy and not follow those good messages on superhero movies. I grew up on the mentality of just do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do not because it’s cool .Today people do the right thing because its looks cool to put a picture on Facebook, Instagram or whatever.”
So how do you manage family life, a son, competing and being a gym owner?
“90% of my success today is because of my wife. She helped me and supported me a lot. This is actually a very strong question for me. It is hard to travel and be away from my family. She has helped me with my diet; she gives me a lot of support on it. Actually at Pan Ams Nogi this year, everybody had the chance to see my son whose 4 years old. He was there screaming and telling me what to do. It was funny. He was like ‘Dad, pull guard!’ He was screaming and screaming. It was the first time I took him to watch me compete. He was like ‘Dad, dad you did it! You’re the champion! I’m so proud of you.’ That to me was so priceless. Everyone tells me Gabriel is gonna be a big champion. Actually, I don’t want him to train Jiujitsu. I mean if he wants to, I’d love to see him in there. But, first of all I want him to love me as a father, not as a coach or an instructor. I want him to see me as his dad, then down the road if he really wants to train, then awesome. I want to have that relationship with him. That is what is amazing about my wife. She looks to me as a husband. She tries to help my professional career. It’s hard, but I guess in time it’s become easier because I have good support from my family. To teach and be the owner, it’s kind of hard because you have to deal with teaching, competing and getting ready. We have meetings once a week. You have to put things together. It’s very hard. Competing and family, it’s not that hard. Between all those things you asked me, I think the hardest thing is being the owner, ya know what I mean? You need to have someone next to you to help you. I don’t want people to see me as an owner. I want people to see me as an instructor and as a Black Belt.”
What is your personal philosophy in relation to BJJ and Life?
“My personal philosophy is just do my best every day.”
If you were a superhero, what superpower would you have?
“Just to make people happy. I worry about their happiness more than mine.”
Who are your role models that you look up to?
“I don’t really have one, except my dad. He’s always given me good advice. I remember he told me one day, ‘Look, I don’t have money. I don’t have anything to give to you when I die, but I give you one thing that nobody can take, and you can give to your son. That’s your name.’ So I take that with me all the time.” (That made ME tear up.)
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