Andre Galvao has a huge list of credits. He’s the leader of one of the most successful teams in sport bjj today – Atos. Atos was founded in 2008 by 3x World Champion and 6xADCC winner Andre Galvao and Ramon Lemos.
Together the two have made an undeniable brand producing and helping champions such as Rafa and Gui Mendes, Bruno Frazatto, Guto Campos, Claudio Calasans, Gilbert Burns, Rodrigo Caporal, Ary Frias, and Davi Ramos.
While competitive spirit lives strongly in Atos Gyms it isn’t everything according to the latest interview by Galvao.
“I think competition is my life since I started training jiu-jitsu I compete and love it. I think some are born as competitors and I like to be the first one in everything that I do.
Of course it’s really important to know how to learn how to lose, learn how to deal with a loss. And I think that competition teaches you that. The struggles that I have, that I had in competitions it taught me a lot in life as well. And for me jiu jitsu is the most beautiful martial art that I met.”
Galvao added:
“The beauty of competition drove me into that and I’m 33 years old and I’m still competing as adult. And I don’t know when I will retire. “
The fact of the matter is, most of the students in your Academy NEVER want to compete. Still, competition isn’t a must for every student and went on to compere the mindset of non-competitors and competitors in BJJ:
“I always say that to my students that I think that competition helps you develop your jiu-jitsu. If you don’t compete it’s fine – you don’t need to compete, you know it’s great but I believe that when you compete and let’s say you lose you want to fix your game. For sure I think that a competitor, he develops like better skills and new skills – more than like a guy who just trains jiu-jitsu daily but of course both reach the same level but I like think the competition drives you to learn faster.”
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