INTERVIEWS
Marcelo Cavalcanti
Profile
Name: Marcelo Cavalcanti
Weight:155 lbs.
Belt Rank: Black Belt
Occupation: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
Hometown: Redondo Beach-CA
TITLES AND VICTORIES
· 1st place champion of the 1st Jean-Jacques Machado Grappling Submission Tournament 2001.
· 1st place champion of the 2nd AXE Cup of Jiu-Jitsu
· 1st place champion of the 2nd Copa Company Cup of Jiu-Jitsu
· 1st place champion of the California State Tournament of Jiu-Jitsu 2000
· 1st place champion of the 5th Socal BJJ Championship-Super fight
· 1st place champion of the 2nd Grappling Games National Championships
· 1st place on June 21, 2003 for GI and 1st place for NO GI
· 2nd place in the 1st Company Cup of Jiu-Jitsu
· 2nd place in the 3rd Company Cup of Jiu-Jitsu
· 3rd place in the 1st Errique Bayer Cup of Jiu-Jitsu
· 3rd place in the Stage Pixacao of Jiu-Jitsu
· 3rd place in the 10th Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championship of Jiu-Jitsu
· Special Super Fight at Hollywood Park Casino 2003
Marcelo Cavalcanti Interview:
1) How long have you been training Jiu-Jitsu? When did you get your black belt?
I have been training jiu-jitsu for 16 years and I got my black belt December of 2004.
2) You have your own school now. Where is it located and How is it doing?
I teach jiu-jitsu here in the US since 2002, in Redondo Beach. My school is doing well, I have adults as well as kids classes and I try to always have them compete. I hope to grow even more, to make the classes better for my students, in terms of being more directed to competitions.
3)What is the importance of Jiu-Jitsu in your life?
If I start explaining the entire importance of jiu-jitsu in my life we would spend two days talking. Jiu-Jitsu has been very good to me, specially during the last 6 to 7 years of my life. It has been teaching me a lot, not only in my professional life but also in my private life, like discipline, education,respect,balance, the winning desire, determination, which is something really important in jiu-jitsu, if you do not have determination things get harder, this is what I have been learning on those 7 years of my life. I think that is the base of everything. I can conclude by saying that jiu-jitsu is everything in my life, I am very thankful of my profession.
4)You have been coming to train at the Tinguinha Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy for almost an year now. What made you start training here? How did it add to your training regimen?
I have been training at the Tinguinha BJJ Academy for around one year. I will say professionally because the friendship I have with Tinguinha is already of everyone`s knowledge. What brought me here was basically the fact that his school is very good, the work that Tinguinha does at the school with his students, his training system and his technicality. It is really what I believe jiu-jitsu is all about. I really would like to have started training at his school, a long time ago. But not everything is the way we want. I am very happy about coming here, I think my game really improved. I have no words to express it. I still have a lot to learn. I think that sometimes when people reach their goals in life like for example getting the black belt they tend to think that you stop learning but I think that it is exactly the opposite. I feel very lucky to be still learning, seams like I was born again, each day I learn something new.
5)What do you believe is the difference between training in Brazil and training here in the US?
Well, I think that there is not that big of a difference, it is up to each person. I think that when you like something and want to learn it and want to be good at it, there is only one way, to be on the mat training, to be present every week in class and to be very determined, in any place, in Brazil, in the US, Japan, any place of the world. There is no other way. The secret is to train, wanting to learn and pay a lot of attention.
MC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Kids Class
6)What would you advise someone who is starting to train jiu-jitsu now how to be successful in BJJ competitions?
I think that someone who is starting in jiu-jitsu now has to dedicate themselves early on , as a white belt, start to be disciplined. You have to choose the place and the instructor you want to train with, make sure it is a serious and qualified place and be committed to training , be determined and focus on your goals , on your will of growing, and your desire to be in the podium one day. You should also have a training parallel to the Jiu-Jitsu training, a specific training. This days you have to not only be on the mats training but also to have a parallel training to your every day activity, to have an explosion training or a resistance workout, this is the key.
7) Is there something else you would like to say to conclude the interview?
First of all I believe I have to thank god, for being alive and healthy, to be walking everyday. Second, I would like to thank my family and my students, that have been participating of my life. Today I am here, married, about to have my first daughter, and I would like to thank god for all he has been giving me in life and I would like to also use this opportunity to say that the Jiu-Jitsu community should get more united, to make something better to the future and to this next generation that is coming, I know everybody has their own goals and things to take care of, but we have to focus a little on the future for those kids that are coming now. Those kids are growing up inside the jiu-jitsu world. So I leave this message to everyone in the jiu-jitsu community not only here in the US but all over the world . That is it. I would like to thank NOGi Fight wear that has been supporting me and for anyone who might have any interest in their products I am their representative here in the US.
Technique #1
Choke from the open guard
Technique #2
Choke from the back
My contact information is : www.nogifightwear.us
Ph: (310)379-9153 or (310)722-4999.
TINGUINHA BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU SCHOOL
2970 E. La Palma Ave. Ste B
Anaheim, CA 92806
Ph: 714-630-6218
E-mail: tinguinha@tinguinha.com
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