Meet Rodrigo Antunes | Martial Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rodrigo Antunes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rodrigo, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The word Jiu Jitsu means “gentle art” due to its principle of giving in to win, using the weight and strength of your opponent against himself and also to create for each technique, a leverage that allows you to move an opponent much stronger and heavier. This guiding principle is to make the most efficient use of mental and physical energies.

Alliance Jiu Jitsu is considered by our community as the best jiu jitsu school in the world. It is not based only on the results in competition. We structured our programs, schools and its methodology to make sure values and commitment to the art are being passed from one generation to another with integrity.

It’s our commitment to empower our Colorado community and offer a wonderful place to learn this amazing martial art in a fun and healthy environment.

Our goal is to make people’s life more enjoyable. Each individual is different from each other. We are unique and that is wonderful. Different people has different needs and as a martial arts, we are here to show the way to achieve goals in a pleasant way. Yes, what we teach and preach has enormous benefits: self confidence, discipline, respect, healthy and social. Our mission is give our students the ability to stay safe and happy!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I believe success is a collaborative work. First, it is related to your personal achievements based on the challenges you decided to accept. Then, its relation on what type of example you are giving to the community. I try to accomplish and celebrate every step and look for new challenges to keep move on. This is how I keep going, succeeding and having some failures thru my journey.

Challenges are part of our lives. They way Jiu Jitsu was taught back in the day was way more painful, brutal and most of my friends quit after a few months. I decide to stick with that and kept training. It has been a very rewarding journey. I didn’t have much support from my family to pursue my Jiu-Jitsu career, as my parents preferred I would do tennis and golf, but I love my sport and kept doing even during the job, thru internships and even when I had a corporate job and the school at the same time. When my family and I decided to move abroad and live full time through martial arts, we had a cultural shock but again, it made us strong. In life, nothing comes easier. We have to work hard and be surrounded by positive people who encourage us to believe in our dreams and be able to empower our community.

I don’t believe in successful stories only. Besides seems a little unreal – success only – they show very little on what we are capable to do. I did have a lot of losses in my journey as a fighter and as a businessman, but I truly believe we need to find something we are passionate about and educate ourselves every single day regardless the result. If I failed, I would come on the next day to do better and it I win, I would do the same way the very next day. This is a formula I found to overcome my losses and never let the victory or an achievement be more important than it should be.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The Rocky Mountains are just a short drive east of Denver. From rock climbing, hiking, paddle boarding, kayaking, and mountain biking in the summer to skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing in the winter—living in Denver will bring you direct access to all the beautiful Rocky Mountains have to offer. Plus, don’t forget all the scenic drives and lookout points along the way.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Everything is about family and good friends. I was lucky enough to have parents who really educated me in all aspects: academics, sports and love! Met my wife as a teenager and we celebrate 30+ years of friendship.

Website: alliancebjjcolorado.com

Instagram: alliancebjjcolorado

Image Credits
Rodrigo Antunes (Alliance Jiu Jitsu Colorado)