Sedona and Verde Valley Self-Defense, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Martial Arts

Our goal is to preserve Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) as a true Self-Defense Martial Art System. What we teach today is exactly what the founder of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), Helio Gracie, would have wanted us to teach. What makes us different from other Gracie or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Self-Defense Academies is that our head teacher Olivier “Ollie” Barre grew up with the legendary Rickson Gracie’s family and started training with them in 1996 at the age of 12. Ollie was the first kid to train at Rickson Gracie’s academy in Pacific Palisades, California. Ollie was also best friends with Rickson’s eldest son Rockson Gracie, who Ollie considered an older brother and mentor figure. When Ollie was 12 Rockson took Ollie to Rickson home and put him on the scale there, at the time Ollie was only a 100 pound skinny kid. Rockson told Ollie “I am going to make you my 100 pound warrior” which Rockson did both physically, mentally, and spiritually. Rockson, among several others of Rickson’s first Black Belts including Luis “Limao” Herédia, Thiago Vella, Henry Atkins, Kevin Casey, Kron Gracie and Rickson himself was Ollie’s first teachers and mentors. This has given Ollie first hand knowledge of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Self-Defense that is hard to find anywhere else. When Ollie started training it was not about belts, competitions/tournaments or academy affiliations, it was about Real Life Self-Defense for the Streets.