For those of you that do not know “The Wizard,” as he was known throughout his competition days, Leo Xavier is a black belt under Gracie Humaitá by way of Royler Gracie. Priding himself on a lineage that began at the “birthplace of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,” Leo can count himself as one of the rare view to actually have the privelage of having taught at the original Gracie Humaitá academy along Grandmaster Hélio, his instructor Royler, and a select group of others.
We recently sat down and spoke with Professor Xavier to talk plainly about his tenured involvement in the sport from the days in Rio de Janeiro until now and also get his thoughts on the special upcoming seminar to mark the grand opening the new LX Jiu-Jitsu Academy with none other than Master Rickson Gracie.
Leonardo Xavier – Gracie Jiu-Jitu Roots
Recalling back to the very beginning, Leo told us he started training in the days when he was young, immature, and for sure not in possession of very much money.
“I remember my instructor telling me to wait because he was giving me a course that was priceless. I had no idea of the value and how much this would impact my life and other people’s lives. Now I understand that Jiu-Jitsu is a way of life. I was very fortunate to grow up next to those I grew up with and spend the amount of time I did with my instructors… It was such a blessing. I was one of the Assistant Instructors at Gracie Humaita, which is the Mecca of Jiu-Jitsu before coming here to the United States. I was there with Royler and Rolker Gracie usually from 7am to 9pm. I remember Royler telling me one time, “man you spend more time with me than some of my own brothers.”
Talking more about those days and the era he came up in, Leo considers himself lucky to have witnessed the growth of jiu-jitsu from what it was then to the worldwide phenomenon it is now.
“I was part of the big transition in the sport where Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was still fighting other styles with no money involved; just to prove that jiu-jitsu was efficient. I was part of the first world championship in 1996 so I started seeing the sport as it became professional. I was able to watch the first UFC, which was already a professional way of vale tudo. Then this boom of the sport in the United States, I was able to watch it grow so amazing that you and I are able to sit here together and talk about how we can promote the sport in a good way and improve people’s lives. It’s been great to be part of this generation where I was able to see Royler still fighting, Rickson still fighting and going to Japan, and also to be able to come to Texas at a time when these tournaments were still small until now when he have all these international federations. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”
Pure Jiu-Jitsu: Keeping the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Legacy Strong
In a world where more and more practitioners want to excel at new ways of beating the point system and revolutionizing aspects of BJJ with innovative guard play (for example), Leo wants nothing more than to emphasize the basics:
“More and more, I’m going back to the source of jiu-jitsu,” he told TXMMA. “I started out earlier in my career as a competitor to get credentials so I could become a good teacher. After I began teaching class and learning from guys like Rickson and Royler, I see how the most important thing is the basics. It’s all about the foundation – that’s the most important thing.”
Explaining further, Leo mentioned a philosophy that’s above and beyond inventing new ways to beat the competition in sport BJJ. “It’s what Rickson calls the ‘invisible jiu-jitsu,’ which is the purest detail and the profound understanding of the technique and the art. It’s so important. That’s the understanding that could benefit anybody regarding of age, weight, gender, and sex. So more and more, I’m going back to the roots. All my students now, their main focus is to learn self defense – the kind of jiu-jitsu they can go home and teach their wives, kids, and be able to help them also.
Upcoming Rickson Gracie Seminar at LX Jiu-Jitsu
“To be honest, this is the biggest highlight of my career. I was talking to Rickson when he told me he would give me the honor of coming to bless my new academy… I started to look at all my old medals and nothing compared to having a man of his caliber coming to the school to bless us with such a high-level of jiu-jitsu – the purest expression of jiu-jitsu. It’s an honor to be able to connect my students with the source of jiu-jitsu. No words could describe how fortunate we are and what an honor this is along with how big of responsibility it is for me and the students.This is a highlight of my career and I believe in a good way that this is a statement of both my students’ and my own hard work. It will be a good contribution to the sport in Texas. “
Adding to that, Leo hopes this grand opening seminar (open to the public but limited in space) will be a precursor to an even bigger event with the master in the near future.
“In the future, we plan on having a bigger seminar at a larger facility where more people can attend. We’ll start a waiting list soon for what will be a big celebration of the sport with Master Rickson where we can bring all the schools together where everybody can benefit from him.”
For now though, there are 50 spots available for the two-hour seminar and they’re filling up quickly.
“This is a big honor,” Xavier says for anybody who wants to attend. “We can’t wait to have the master in the house – the master of all masters.”
For more information on the upcoming Rickson Gracie Seminar, please refer to the following:
Rickson Gracie Seminar
October 19, 2011 (during the evening; exact time to be announced)
Cost: $180 if registered by October 15th | $200 if registered by October 18th
LX Jiu-Jitsu Headquarters
3322 Highway 6 Suite B
Sugar Land, TX 77478
www.lxbjj.com
contact@leonardoxavier.com
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