Particularly his belief that smoking is unacceptable for those teaching Jiu-Jitsu.
Mansor, famously one of the six men outside the Gracie family to earn a black belt from Helio Gracie, emphasized that instructors must embody the values they wish to instill in their students:
You are the educator, you can’t forget that.
You have to give an example because your students will follow you.Your students will do everything wrong that you do.
I don’t accept a Jiu-Jitsu teacher who smokes.
Mansor also shared a personal anecdote that reflected the strict standards of his mentor, Helio Gracie.
He explained how his own promotion to black belt was delayed for years due to a seemingly minor lifestyle choice – coffee:
One day, Carlos asked Helio: “What are you waiting for to give the black belt to Mansor? Mansor has beaten everybody.”
And Helio replied: “Mansor drinks coffee.”It took me 15 years to receive my black belt.
I entered the academy in 1955, and I only received it in 1970.
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