I am very sad to see that the great Robson Gracie Snr, father of my teacher, renzo gracie, has passed away. Years ago Mr Robson Gracie would periodically come up to New York to see his son and stop by the blue basement. When he came we were all expecting a fire breathing dragon given the nature of his sons! We were completely wrong. Mr Robson Gracje Snr was a remarkably gentle and quiet soul. When he came into the room he was an observer who watched, studied and gave encouraging advice from his vast experience. One day after class he spoke to us through his son Renzo and gave an insight that I never forgot. He said that the true intent of the martial arts was not to make the strong stronger, but to make the weak sufficiently strong that they can stand up to anyone and walk with dignity and confidence in a rough and tumble world. It was a beautiful statement from a martial arts master who had overseen generations of the best combat athletes. He saw the early days of his art, made great contributions to its advancement, raised icons of a new generation of Jiu Jitsu representatives and saw Jiu Jitsu's expansion from a local family art to an international sport with a global following. stay strong Renzo and family 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
